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    A_Copy_EditorHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 11:01am

    Many commenters feel like Hamilton is giving too much of a voice to these inmates, allowing them too much potential to garner sympathy. I think that's a misguided reading. These inmates' are showing themselves for who they are. They may appear sympathetic. Or they may seem hypocritical and insincere.

    I don't mind reading page upon page by this guy and his Jesus bullshit, because it just shows what a fucking hypocritical and insincere human he is, using religion as a shield.

    *still don't agree with the death penalty.

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      NastyBoyA_Copy_Editor
      1/22/15 11:18am

      They automatically assume that since HamNo isn't calling this person a bunch of names that he's presenting them as innocent. Obviously the point is to glean into the soul of a psychopath and a murderer, but there's people who can't get past their actions so they project a bunch of shit.

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      corndogA_Copy_Editor
      1/22/15 11:22am

      If anything, these letter remind me that homicidal lunatics are good at pretending to be normal people. If I ever meet a guy that reminds of the fellow who wrote this letter, I will run away fast.

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    NefertittiesHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 10:37am

    While I do think that it's both interesting and important to hear from these people, it seems equally vital to introduce the crime with a stronger magnifying glass than that single sentence we are presented. I mean, it's not as though he does it for us. He doesn't even go into his culpability on the single thing he actually admits to doing—disposing of his own wife's body. Furthermore, he appears to hide behind the shroud of religion to obscure any sort of guilt that put him in the position he is in. While I am fervently anti-death penalty in all cases and pass no judgement upon his crime, since I know almost nothing of it, you would think that he would at least take this moment you have provided him for some reflection. But all I see is deflection.

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      QueenCathyNefertitties
      1/22/15 10:57am

      I agree. He spends more time explaining repairs to the typewriter than on the murder or its aftermath. The only reference to the murder of his wife (that I could find) is on page two, and it is about HIS shock at being charged with her murder. There is no mention of her or what she lost or their children lost. The whole letter seems to focus on his 'good works'.

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      structengrNefertitties
      1/22/15 11:15am

      "...it seems equally vital to introduce the crime with a stronger magnifying glass than that single sentence we are presented."

      Are you referring to HamNo's single sentence intro to the crime? I'm not trying to be a dick, but I believe HamNo feels his readers are upper echelon readers who follow his links to background stories prior to reading the letters.

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    UberrocksHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 10:16am

    We publish letters from death row inmates not to re-litigate their cases or to take any position on their guilt or innocence, but to hear from a group of people who do not often get heard.

    Um sure - which is why you have a series on letters from the families of people murdered by death row inmates as well right?

    Because those are people who "do not often get heard" aren't they...

    Oh right - that rationale is just bull - this is just anti DP clickbait porn

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      Harvey Keitel's Detachable DongUberrocks
      1/22/15 10:17am

      Bingo.

      But prepare for a bunch of people to miss the point and post a link to the one time a family member of a victim left a comment on one of these posts and Hamilton jumped right on it to use as a shield.

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      Graby SauceUberrocks
      1/22/15 11:07am

      They also publish letters by family members of the victims.

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    EasyDoesItHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 12:42pm

    What drives me crazy, as a defense attorney, is when there is untested evidence that is available to be tested. I read through their petition and I agree that the trashbag should be tested. If you're going to sentence a man to death, and you have evidence that can either exonerate him or put the proverbial nail in the coffin, then do the fucking test.

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      momofpeanutEasyDoesIt
      1/22/15 1:45pm

      Does it matter? Either Johnson shoved the bag in her throat or McCoy did so and Johnson helped cover it up.

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      EasyDoesItmomofpeanut
      1/22/15 2:40pm

      How does that NOT matter? Either a guilty guy is just walking the streets and perjured himself to send an accomplice to jail and the DEATH penalty or this guy is 100% guilty. The evidence is there, why not test it, you know, just to be sure before we kill the guy. I like to think we're better than some cultures who just cut people's heads off in the street, but when people ask, "why's it make a difference if he did it or not," I question myself.

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    twinsmommyHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 10:28am

    The second they start spouting Jesus Christ this and that, I stop reading.

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      Dolemitetwinsmommy
      1/22/15 10:32am

      "I'm going to die soon...time to find Jesus!"

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      ThePriceisWrongtwinsmommy
      1/22/15 11:54am

      I couldn't get through those parts. I was skim reading hoping to get to a part where he actually discusses his crimes, but was disappointed to find that I never actually go there, and this was all just a bunch of circle jerking about his love for Jesus.

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    NicoHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 10:20am

    Usually I find these really interesting, but I couldn't bring myself to read this one. It started out with religion and is much longer than usual. I probably wouldn't have TL;DRd it if it didn't start with "Greetings to you in the lovely name of Christ Jesus our lord and savior..." but I have an uncle who rotates between drug addiction and jesus addiction and he's much less annoying when it's drugs.

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      DeathocracyNico
      1/22/15 11:16am

      Yea, I could only get to page 5 or 6 or so before i started spot reading. this one was kind of a bear to get through

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    Life is a PlaylistHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 10:55am

    Before I read this, will it finally be the one where they admit to their crime and feel remorseful?

    Probably not, so which will it be:

    • Not guilty
    • Unfair trial and a huge misunderstanding
    • Has found god and therefore all is forgiven?
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      momofpeanutLife is a Playlist
      1/22/15 1:36pm

      D) NOne of the above

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    filmgirlHamilton Nolan
    1/22/15 12:50pm

    He reiterated that something was missing: yes his humanity and what he does have is his self righteous attitude because of religion. Makes me ill when people turn to religion and god when shit hits the fan. Take responsibility for your actions, admit what you did and then maybe when people are reading your letters have compassion and empathy.

    Though I will add I am still against the death penalty, this man can rot in jail.

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      deathvalleyqueenHamilton Nolan
      1/22/15 10:22am

      This reads more like a cover letter for a job at the 700 Club than a man expressing anything remotely close to remorse for his wife's death. She barely merits a mention but we get pages upon pages about his ministry work and his word processor.

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        mYstic headlockHamilton Nolan
        1/22/15 10:47am

        Everyone always forms a personal relationship with Jesus Christ after they commit a heinous crime and see their days numbered in ways most of us can't. It's a very obnoxious look of cowardice and hypocrisy. No offense to you God fearing folks, but if I was religious I'd be turned off by the idea that people go full Jesus freak as a way to right their wrongs in some abstract and meaningless way just so they can get a better shake in the afterlife.

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