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Autistic scheduled to be executed October 6

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ASPartOfMe
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27 Sep 2015, 9:37 pm

Column opposing execution


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Humanaut
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27 Sep 2015, 9:41 pm

What did he do?



izzeme
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28 Sep 2015, 3:24 am

After a cursury reading, i'd say that his autism is irrelevant; i even wonder why it has been mentioned at all.

Of course, an innocent on death row is a terrible situation (death penalty in and of itself is, but that is not the discussion here), but whether or not someone is autistic is irrelevant



neilson_wheels
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28 Sep 2015, 3:40 am

The author of the article is claiming that his confession was made under coercion, so AS may be relevant.

It's a shame the article is so jumbled and badly written.



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28 Sep 2015, 6:55 am

If you confess under coërcion, it's your fault for giving in to the coërcion, rather than resisting bravely, isn't it?


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ASPartOfMe
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28 Sep 2015, 7:08 am

The idea is that an autistic would be easier to please those questioning him or would be more easily munipulated into a confession. How true this is in this case is unknowable just from reading the media.


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ASPickle
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28 Sep 2015, 11:33 am

Spiderpig wrote:
If you confess under coërcion, it's your fault for giving in to the coërcion, rather than resisting bravely, isn't it?


Never been falsely accused and detained, have you? It's an overwhelming situation. The worst part is knowing that you did nothing wrong and that all of this is being thrust on you by people who care nothing about any ASD issues you have. They only want for you to say what they conclude you should say. Sensory overload takes over in the florescent-lit, cold, echoing hellhole they interrogate you in. If you start having a shutdown or meltdown, they tighten the screws harder. Eventually you'll want to escape in any way possible.

I can totally see how someone on the spectrum would yield under the circumstances in order to escape the situation.


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28 Sep 2015, 11:53 am

Further info from the last time his execution was scheduled (for May 12th of this year):

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/killer-says-he-framed-ex-husband-in-st-louis-county/article_72c72ece-1bce-5299-bb77-39efe6b9cf26.html

What a mess. I'd say there's enough reasonable doubt to vacate this death warrant.


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Aristophanes
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28 Sep 2015, 11:58 am

izzeme wrote:
After a cursury reading, i'd say that his autism is irrelevant; i even wonder why it has been mentioned at all.

Of course, an innocent on death row is a terrible situation (death penalty in and of itself is, but that is not the discussion here), but whether or not someone is autistic is irrelevant

As the author pointed out many individuals with autism present emotion differently than the general public. Unfortunately the vast majority of communication in the general public is based on these emotional cues. The author alludes to this being tied to the jury perception of the defendant: if he was completely stoic during the trial they may subconsciously pick this up as a sign of guilt.

I know for myself that I display no emotional cues in even the most emotionally stressful events-- that could be the case here and for that I say autism is related. I'd rather the jury deliberate evidence as opposed to visual cues, but alas, it's humanity and that isn't the case. Assuming the article is factually correct, I would say the evidence that the actual person that committed the crime stated he wasn't hired by the defendant and that when the defendant was coerced into a confession he named a completely different individual is strong enough evidence against the prosecution's claim that the case should be dropped.



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28 Sep 2015, 10:51 pm

Spiderpig wrote:
If you confess under coërcion, it's your fault for giving in to the coërcion, rather than resisting bravely, isn't it?


It looks like from what I see that it wasn't him that confessed. Rather his co-conspirator was coerced into implicating him to save himself from the death penalty.



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29 Sep 2015, 2:54 am

ASPickle wrote:
I'd say there's enough reasonable doubt to vacate this death warrant.

Seems like it. I don't think they have any hard evidence.



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29 Sep 2015, 9:37 am

Humanaut wrote:
ASPickle wrote:
I'd say there's enough reasonable doubt to vacate this death warrant.

Seems like it. I don't think they have any hard evidence.

I agree.






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01 Oct 2015, 4:10 pm

ASPickle wrote:
Never been falsely accused and detained, have you?


Of course not.

ASPickle wrote:
It's an overwhelming situation. The worst part is knowing that you did nothing wrong and that all of this is being thrust on you by people who care nothing about any ASD issues you have. They only want for you to say what they conclude you should say. Sensory overload takes over in the florescent-lit, cold, echoing hellhole they interrogate you in. If you start having a shutdown or meltdown, they tighten the screws harder. Eventually you'll want to escape in any way possible.


I have no doubt it’d take much less than that to break me—if I can be said not to be already broken, but that’s a different story. In fact, I wouldn’t be sure for long I didn’t commit whatever crime they want me to confess to. But this changes nothing about one’s moral duty not to give in. It only means it’d be my fault, too, and I’d deserve whatever punishment I got, no matter how hellish, too.

ASPickle wrote:
I can totally see how someone on the spectrum would yield under the circumstances in order to escape the situation.


I’m sure a lot of neurotypicals would, too. Are you implying autistics should get a moral free pass? A neurotypical would be considered an unworthy coward for yielding, no matter the circumstances. Why should an autistic be judged any differently?


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06 Oct 2015, 10:15 am

He got life in prison now.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/mis ... demned-man


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06 Oct 2015, 10:55 am

Spiderpig wrote:
If you confess under coërcion, it's your fault for giving in to the coërcion, rather than resisting bravely, isn't it?


No


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06 Oct 2015, 11:04 am

Spiderpig wrote:
ASPickle wrote:
Never been falsely accused and detained, have you?


Of course not.

ASPickle wrote:
It's an overwhelming situation. The worst part is knowing that you did nothing wrong and that all of this is being thrust on you by people who care nothing about any ASD issues you have. They only want for you to say what they conclude you should say. Sensory overload takes over in the florescent-lit, cold, echoing hellhole they interrogate you in. If you start having a shutdown or meltdown, they tighten the screws harder. Eventually you'll want to escape in any way possible.


I have no doubt it’d take much less than that to break me—if I can be said not to be already broken, but that’s a different story. In fact, I wouldn’t be sure for long I didn’t commit whatever crime they want me to confess to. But this changes nothing about one’s moral duty not to give in. It only means it’d be my fault, too, and I’d deserve whatever punishment I got, no matter how hellish, too.

ASPickle wrote:
I can totally see how someone on the spectrum would yield under the circumstances in order to escape the situation.


I’m sure a lot of neurotypicals would, too. Are you implying autistics should get a moral free pass? A neurotypical would be considered an unworthy coward for yielding, no matter the circumstances. Why should an autistic be judged any differently?


Where do you get this crap....do you even know how the legal process for being accused of a crime & sentencing works?Sheesh, doesn't appear that way. It's pretty pointless to 'refuse to yield' on account of being considered a coward that just isn't very relevant in the process. Does the term plea bargain mean anything to you?

Kinda extreme there that you think someone actually would deserve to die if they confessed to something under coercion/heavy pressure regardless of if they did it or not.


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