• Home
  • True Crime
  • Thrillers
  • Mystery
  • Sci-Fi/Fantasy
  • Horror
  • Business
  • History
  • Reader Favorites
    • Award Winners
    • Bestsellers
    • Box Sets
    • Coming Soon
    • New Releases

WildBlue Press

Great Reads from Exceptional Authors

Great Reads from
Exceptional Authors

  • Subscribe
  • Interested Authors
  • Blog
    • In the Media
  • About Us
    • Catalog
    • Privacy Policy
  • Partners
    • ImaginePublicity
    • MacGregor Literary
    • The House Of Mystery with Al Warren
  • Contact Us

True Crime Author Steve Jackson Discusses Death Penalty From Epilogue Of A CLOCKWORK MURDER

New York Times Bestselling Author Weighs Pros and Cons In Book About “The Night A Twisted Fantasy Became Demented Reality”

An Excerpt From The Epilogue of A CLOCKWORK MURDER:

Steven Jackson True Crime Author

New York Times bestselling author Steve Jackson

I personally am not a fan of the death penalty in its present form. I have several reasons for that:

–Prosecutors who file death penalty papers in order to coerce a defendant into accepting a lesser plea. As noted in my colleague John Ferak’s wonderful book, Failure of Justice, five innocent people pleaded guilty and served more than twenty years in prison after being threatened with the death penalty;

–Too many innocent people have been convicted, including some who have been executed or are currently on death row. In my opinion, the bar needs to be higher. The death penalty should be an option ONLY when guilt of having committed the crime has been established beyond any and all doubt, not just reasonable doubt, and that the murder(s) was premeditated. The lawyers can argue over whether defendants are insane and therefore criminally responsible for their actions, as well as the usual weighing of aggravators and mitigators. But there should be no doubt that the defendant killed the victim.

–The system takes too long and costs too much money. Most death penalty cases go on long after a jury has rendered its verdict and the sentence is handed down. Years and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars are spent on appeals. Victims’ families are put through the wringer time after time, in part under the defense theory of wearing them down and trying to co-opt an agreement for a life sentence. There should be one appeal, before an appeals court, a trial of the trial after which the decision of the appeals court is final. And if execution is the sentence, it should be carried out quickly.

A Clockwork Murder

A CLOCKWORK MURDER: The Night A Twisted Fantasy Became Demented Reality

I do think that the immediate family of the victims should have a say in whether or not the death penalty should be sought. There are some whose faith teaches them forgiveness, or who believe that taking another life is not the justice they seek, or they simply don’t want to go through the years of appeals and hearings. If they don’t want the death penalty option to be pursued, it should not be. However, others, such as the parents of Jacine Gielinski, the victim in A CLOCKWORK MURDER, wanted the death penalty as what they believed was justice for the murder of their daughter. Their wishes should be considered, too.

Other than those caveats I have no qualms with a killer being executed. By taking a life, killers who have committed premeditated murder with aggravating factors—such as being carried out in a particularly cruel and heinous manner—have forfeited their lives.

I’ve heard all the “life in prison is a worse punishment” arguments. Maybe for some, especially first-timers or those who had good lives on the outside. But the truth of the matter is that many people who are committed to prison become “institutionalized.” Prison is home. They get warm, clean accommodations, three meals, and color television. It’s where their friends are and other friends and family can visit them. One reason so many offenders get out of prison and commit other crimes right away is they are simply more comfortable and happy in prison than out.

Smooth Talker True Crime by Steve Jackson

Smooth Talker: Trail of Death is the story of serial killer Roy Melanson and the detectives who brought him to justice

Anti-death penalty advocates will argue that it isn’t a deterrent, and that life in prison without parole protects others and the community just as effectively. Well, that’s simply not true. Inside a prison, those who have nothing left to lose are more likely to take the life of other inmates or prison personnel. What are you going to do to a lifer? Add more years?

And life without parole does not always mean life without parole. In my book, SMOOTH TALKER, I wrote about how serial killer Roy Melanson was released from prison just twelve years after receiving a life without parole sentence, and prison authorities aware that he was a suspect in the murder of at least one woman, Michele Wallace. He then killed two, and probably more, other women after his release.

Parole boards change. The definition of what “life in prison” changes. Mistakes happen and prisoners get released. Or dangerous individuals are placed in situations—such as reduced security prisons, like the one Melanson is currently housed in—and they escape. The death penalty is the only sure way of keeping a murderer from killing again.

Bogeyman book cover

BOGEYMAN: He Was Every Parent’s Nightmare about serial child-killer David Penton was released in August 2014

Those opposed to the death penalty argue that there’s no proof that the death penalty is a “deterrent,” the thought of which might cause someone to reconsider killing another. My answer to that is we can’t know that because in reality the death penalty is not a “real” threat even to those condemned. In many states, inmates spend decades in prison as their cases wind through the appeals process. No one has been executed in Colorado since Gary Davis in 1997 and that took eleven years from crime to punishment. The only way to ascertain that would be if carrying out the death penalty was a quick and sure as the crime that was committed.

I do know that at least some killers fear the death penalty. In my book, BOGEYMAN, serial child killer David Penton, already serving a life sentence in Ohio, pleaded guilty to the murder of three more little girls in Texas on the condition that he not be transferred from Ohio to Texas, where the death penalty is carried out. In that case, the threat of the death penalty resolved three cases for the families involved. And George Woldt, one of the killers in A CLOCKWORK MURDER wept and begged for his life at his sentencing.

And lastly, there’s the argument that society should not be “punishing” criminals for their behavior and that prison should be all about rehabilitation. No eye for an eye, or life for a life. That’s a bunch of hooey. Of course society has the right to punish a criminal, particularly someone convicted of murder—the one crime that can’t be “taken back.”

As just about every society since the beginning of time has known, it can be cathartic to know that a monster has been cast from the circle of humanity. His or her name forgotten instead of a reminder every parole hearing and anniversary of a murder, and the money spent keeping a killer alive ended. And that’s just the community.

Every Christmas, every birthday, families and friends of murder victims are reminded that the killer of their loved ones gets to share the occasion with families and friends, even if it’s in a prison visiting room or over the telephone. The families of killers can hear their voice, talk to them about daily events, and even get a hug at the end of a visit. What do you think Peggy Luiszer would have given to be able to hold her child or tell her she loved her one more time? That’s a privilege killers get that their victims do not.

Filed Under: A CLOCKWORK MURDER, Blog, Steve Jackson, True Crime Tagged With: A Clockwork Murder, best true crime books, Bogeyman, California, Cold Case, Colorado, David Penton, death penalty, Detective, Detectives, Facebook True Crime, George Woldt, Louisiana, Lucas Salmon, Murder, NecroSearch International, Non-Fiction, Roy Melanson, Serial Killer, Serial Killers, Smooth Talker, Steve Jackson, Texas, True Crime, True Crime Authors, true crime book, true crime books, True Crime Discussions, true crimes, True Murder, True-crime, truecrime
April 6, 2017 By Steve Jackson Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

A CLOCKWORK MURDER by Steve Jackson

Buy A CLOCKWORK MURDER now:
Star Rating
Amazon Kindle eBookBarnes & Noble Nook eBookKobo eBookGoogle Play eBook  eBook
Barnes & Noble Trade PaperbackWalmart Trade PaperbackBooks A Million Trade PaperbackAmazon Trade Paperback  Paperback
Audible Audio BookiTunes Audio Book  Audio Book

INTERNATIONAL KINDLE EBOOKS
USA  UK  Canada  Australia  Germany  France  Spain  Japan  Italy  Brazil  India  Mexico

GET A FREE AUDIBLE AUDIO BOOK

Get this Title for FREE at Audible with a free trialGet this Audible Title for FREE with a 30-day free trial
LISTEN TO THE FIRST CHAPTER

Posts by Steve Jackson

Audiobook Offer

Free Audiobooks!

It's always a good day for free audiobooks! That's right! Free audiobooks! Just a gift from us to you, our readers.   Browse by genre and select the cover to get more information and your free copy! Non-Fiction True Crime Business … [Read More...]

Holiday 2020 Audiobook Giveaway, get free audiobooks

Holiday 2020 Audiobook Giveaway

We know how hard 2020 has been. To help you end the year on a better note, we wanted to give you the gift of free audiobooks! Hence, the Holiday 2020 Audiobook Giveaway! You're probably thinking of gifts for others right now, like we always do during … [Read More...]

WildBlue Press Books by Steve Jackson

New York Times Bestselling Author Steve Jackson Brings Readers Another True Crime Classic With NO ANGELS

A little before midnight on May 30, 1997, fourteen-year-old Brandy DuVall waited at a bus stop in the Denver area for a ride back to her grandparents' home after spending the evening at a friend’s home. She was wearing a bright-red Chicago Bulls … [Read More...]

Steve Jackson’s New York Times Bestseller MONSTER

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AUDIOBOOK FORMAT! On a snowy winter evening in 1982, twenty-one-year-old Mary Brown accepted a ride from a handsome stranger in the resort town of Breckenridge, Colorado. The trip ended with her brutally beaten and raped. … [Read More...]

A Clockwork Murder

New York Times Bestselling Author Steve Jackson Explores An Unthinkable Crime In A CLOCKWORK MURDER

The Night A Twisted Fantasy Became Demented Reality They thought about their evil fantasy for months. Then, wound up like clockwork toys ... they acted. In April 1997, pretty, 22-year-old Jacine Gielinski stopped her car at a red light in … [Read More...]

Rough Trade Cover

ROUGH TRADE By New York Times Bestselling Author Steve Jackson Explores Tale of Prostitution, Murder and Redemption

From Jackson's Classic True Crime Library ROUGH TRADE NOW AVAILABLE IN eBOOK, PRINT, AND AUDIO BOOK! Early one morning in May 1997, a young couple on their way to work in the mountains of Colorado spotted what looked like a man dragging a body up … [Read More...]

Smooth Talker True Crime by Steve Jackson

Smooth Talking Serial Killer Subject Of New True Crime By NYT Bestseller Steve Jackson

The body of Anita Andrews, the owner and bartender at Fagiani’s Cocktail Lounge in Napa, California was found in her bar ... ... raped, beaten, and stabbed to death in a bloody frenzy. She’d last been seen alive the night before talking to a … [Read More...]

No Stone Unturned crime author

Steve Jackson Releases True Crime Classic NO STONE UNTURNED eBook, Audiobook

The Captivating "True Story Of The World's Premier Forensic Investigators" at NecroSearch International Updated and Revised! Now Available for the First Time As Kindle eBook, Audible and iTunes Editions! A body stuffed in a car trunk swallowed by … [Read More...]

Bogeyman by Steve Jackson - True Crime

Steve Jackson Writes A True Crime About Every Parent’s Nightmare In BOGEYMAN

New York Times Bestselling Author Pens A True Horror Story About A Real-life Monster include "https://wildbluepress.com/wp-content/themes/magazine-pro/wbp-maincontentsalesbuttons.php?title=bogeyman"; BOGEYMAN: He Was Every Parent's Nightmare. The … [Read More...]

Genres, Types

New Releases
Featured Books
Coming Soon
Award Winners

Business
History
Horror
Mysteries
Romance
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Thrillers
True Crime

eBooks
Paperbacks
Audio Books
Box Sets

Available

True Crime
• Ted Bundy
• The Last Jewish Gangster
• Carmine And The 13Th Avenue Boys
• Vampires, Gators, And Wackos
• The Curse Of The Turtle
• Deadly Associates
• Jane Doe 9
• Watch Me Die
• Mystery At The Blue Sea Cottage
• The Wheels Of Justice
• 16 Minutes
• Terror Town, Usa
• Raging On
• Grilling Dahmer
• The 'Peyton Place' Murder
• Cold Blooded
• Faith Based Fraud
• The Real Mr. Big
• The Son Of Seven Mothers
• 'The Son Of Sam' And Me
• Serial Killers
• Satin Pumps
• Out Of The Mouths Of Serial Killers
• True Crime Chronicles Volume Two
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Three
• The Enigma Of Ted Bundy
• True Crime Chronicles Volume One
• Killing Women
• From The Mob To The Movies
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers Volume Two
• To Kill Or Be Killed
• No Angels
• Monster
• Under A Full Moon
• 'Til Death Do Us ...'
• The World Encyclopedia Of Serial Killers
• First Degree Rage
• The 'Supreme Gentleman' Killer
• Beast Of New Castle
• The Garden State Parkway Murders
• How Now, Butterfly?
• The Encyclopedia Of The Ted Bundy Murders
• Survival
• Missing ... And Presumed Dead
• Wrong Numbers
• Tantamount
• Playing Dead
• Mothers And Murderers
• Dead Reckoning
• Underworld
• Gabacho
• The Gangster's Cousin
• Race To Justice
• Ted Bundy's Murderous Mysteries
• Travesty Of Justice
• Railroaded
• You Have A Very Soft Voice, Susan
• A Family Business
• Pathological
• Wrecking Crew
• The Last Man Standing
• My Son, The Killer
• Inconvenience Gone
• Toxic Rage
• The Killing Game
• Shots In The Dark
• The Case Of The Golden State Killer
• His Garden
• The Crate
• Burned
• The Case Of The Zodiac Killer
• A Murder In My Hometown
• Bullied To Death
• The Beast I Loved
• Summary Execution
• The Shawcross Letters
• Better Off Dead
• Sidetracked
• My Brother's Keeper
• Targeted
• Held Hostage
• Room 1203
• A Special Kind Of Evil
• Brooklyn's Most Wanted
• Outlaw Los Angeles
• Unsolved No More
• She Is Evil
• The Rise And Fall Of A Casino Mobster
• Outlaw Southwest
• A Clockwork Murder
• Raw Deal
• The Bundy Secrets
• Betrayal In Blue
• The Politics Of Murder
• Murderers Row
• Rough Trade
• Daddy's Little Secret
• Murder In The Family
• Failure Of Justice
• Ice And Bone
• Smooth Talker
• The Trail Of Ted Bundy
• A Taste For Murder
• Sketchcop
• Body Of Proof
• Kentucky Bloodbath
• No Stone Unturned
• Repeat Offender
• Dixie's Last Stand
• Vampire
• Man Overboard
• Bogeyman
• Murderers Row Volume Two
Thriller
• Blood Red Ivory
• No One Will Hear Your Screams
• The Screaming Room
• Bone Thief
• Crux
• Sword Of The Caliphate
• Last Son Of The War God
• Leviathan
• The Strait
• Enemy Of The People
• Cain
• Dark Visions
• Hunter
• The Reckoning
• Hard Dog To Kill
• 16 Souls
• Borderland
• Paper Wings
• Lockout
• Pitfall
Mystery
• The Humanzee Experiments
• The Killing Machine
• Murder At Mardi Gras
• The Right Thing
• Raven's Ridge
• Raptor's Ridge
• Napa Noir
• Melia Ridge
• Emerald Ridge
• Created
• Crevice
• Headlock
• Identity Crisis
• The Obituary
• Naked Addiction
• The Deadline
Horror
• Four
• Acadia Event
• The Red Son
• Highwayman
• The Equinox
• The Pure And The Hated
• Savage Highway
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
• Tribulations
• Happenstance
• Destruction Of Justice
• Blunt Force Magic
Business
• Leaderology
• The Age Of Pluralism
• Bamboo Strong
• Corporate Superpower
• Wordpress Websites For Business
• Productivity Tools For Business
Cookbook
• Frank Cullotta's Greatest (Kitchen) Hits
History
• Legion Rising
• The Korean Crisis
• Tempest Tost
• Saving Sandoval
• Killing Rasputin
Politics
• The (Redacted) Mueller Report
Romance
• When Fall Fades

New Releases

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One

Due to Sullivan’s extensive writing about Ted Bundy (which has produced six books), he’s become a sort of magnet over the years, drawing out many people who were part of the Bundy story, but have otherwise kept a low profile over the decades; and … [More...]

THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER Volume One The Early Years David Larson Kindle Cover

THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER

Volume One The Early Years In 1944 Brooklyn, newborn Michael J. Hardy is rejected by his mother so she can run with gangster Bugsy Siegel, Hardy’s godfather. Shirley Rook rose to the top of the criminal ranks. As the Queen of New York City … [More...]

CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS Craig McGuire

CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS

This is the true story of Carmine Imbriale – a gambler, a brawler, a bandit, a bookie, an enforcer. For two decades, Imbriale was a street-level operative in one of the most violent crews in the Colombo Family, and he endeared himself to some of the … [More...]

THE HUMANZEE EXPERIMENTS Terry Persun

THE HUMANZEE EXPERIMENTS: This Time Science Went Too Far

Ten must track down and stop rogue scientists behind the development of criminal technology in THE HUMANZEEE EXPERIMENTS, the next installment of The 'Ten' Mystery Series! The International Security for Technological Innovations, a federal … [More...]

Coming Soon

THE DECISION TO KILL Leslie Ghiglieri

THE DECISION TO KILL

A 1986 family tragedy propels this gripping true crime debut as a mother searches for answers in the shocking murder of her husband—and conviction of her son. For years, Cherie struggles to overcome the consuming grief she suffers from the loss of … [More...]

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER William Craig

ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER

It was a dreary winter afternoon in Ayer, Massachusetts, a quintessential New England town, the type which is romanticized in Robert Frost's poems. But on January 30, 1979, a woman’s scream was heard piercing the northeast tempest wind. In an … [More...]

Recent Posts

  • THE DECISION TO KILL
  • TED BUNDY The Yearly Journal Volume One
  • THE LAST JEWISH GANGSTER
  • ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER
  • CARMINE AND THE 13th AVENUE BOYS
  • Massive True Crime Sale. Today Only!
  • THE HUMANZEE EXPERIMENTS: This Time Science Went Too Far

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

eZine SignupJoin our email list and be the first to get hot deals, new releases and...
* Author updates
* Free eBooks
* Free audio books
* Enlightening and entertaining posts
* Advance notice of book deals, special offers

Follow Us

Blog Tag Cloud

best true crime books Bogeyman Bradley Nickell Brian Whitney Burl Barer Caitlin Rother Cold Case Crime Fiction Crime thriller Detective Detectives Facebook True Crime John Ferak Kevin Sullivan Las Vegas memoir Murder murder book murder mystery Mysteries Mystery mystery thriller Non-Fiction Ron Franscell Serial Killer serial killer books Serial Killers Steve Jackson Suspense suspense thriller Ted Bundy Thriller Thriller Books Thrillers True-crime truecrime True Crime True Crime Authors true crime book true crime books True Crime Original true crimes true crime stories True Murder WildBlue Press

Privacy Policy

As Seen On:

Our Authors Have Been Seen On...

Interested Authors Click Here
See Our Entire Catalog
SSL Secure Connection

Copyright © 2022 WildBlue Press. All rights reserved.
Website design by Denver Local SEO Marketing Company
True Crime Author Steve Jackson Discusses Death Penalty From Epilogue Of A CLOCKWORK MURDER