Young man should pay ultimate price

"The excuse of age is lame at best and an affront to the legal system at worst"

It's been almost a decade since the night Shirley Crook died. The Fenton woman was bound by the hands and feet, taken to a train trestle over the Meramec River and pushed to her death. Her body was discovered the next day by fishermen.

Christopher Simmons killed her. He had intentions of robbing her when he entered her home. But one thing led to another and before the night was over, Shirley Crook was dead.

Simmons was tried and convicted as was a young accomplice. He was scheduled to be executed next week. That date - for some yet unexplained reason - was moved back to June 5. If all goes as planned, Simmons will face the ultimate punishment on that date and the Shirley Crook tragedy will come to an end. Maybe not.

Simmons was 17 years-old when he killed Crook and death penalty opponents are urging that his life be spared. Across the nation a handful of youthful murderers are hoping that an appeals court or the Supreme Court will change their sentences to life in prison. The murderers' age is the factor in their request for leniency. We hope otherwise.

A young man of 17 may be less than worldly but he should and does know the difference between right and wrong. By that age, a young man knows full well it is wrong to kill another person. The excuse of age is lame at best and an affront to the legal system at worst.

Simmons' attorney, as is always the case, also argues that Simmons suffers a personality disorder that should be part of the excuse for his killing ways. I argue that anyone who kills another has a personality disorder. And I'm growing increasingly bitter toward those in the legal community who twist the issues to serve their purposes. I believe that opinion is shared by a majority of the public.

The Supreme Court has twice in the past reduced capital convictions based on the age of the defendant. Both cases involved murder by 16-year-old young men.

Despite crime statistics that juggle numbers, violence is a growing problem in this nation. And violence among the young leads the way. Absent the ability to seek the ultimate punishment against youthful murderers, we'll pay a price beyond our imaginations.

Christopher Simmons took a life. He should pay the price.