Robert Elenberg

12/12/13
pd 2
Laura Rodgers Essay
The case of Laura Rodgers, on the outside, is unfortunately a seemingly common
one. An abused ife sa!es up her anger and e!entually "ills the husband, ta"ing matters
into her on hands. #oe!er hers is different then most others in the specifics, because
not only as there e$treme abuse he also raped her daughter. %hen as"ed about him
&udge 'aul A. #ac"ner said ( he as a horrible human being) and it is as simple as that.
#e as a menace to society and his murder, in both my opinion and the courts opinion,
as *ustified. The circumstances *ustify her actions, along ith the abuse and the rape of
her daughter+ Laura Rodgers as diagnosed ith ,attered -pouse -yndrome. 'art of my
reason for agreeing ith the court is that often people e$pect a parent to protect their
child, and in e$treme situations e$treme measures are sometimes re.uired.
/ do belie!e she should ha!e left him right hen the abuse began hoe!er ne!er
ha!ing been in that situation / am not sure ho it should be handled. -he did not lea!e
him for hate!er reason and that as rong hoe!er regardless of that he did not
deser!e to li!e. The things he did ere unforgi!able, and ho "nos hat he ould ha!e
done after that night had she not ta"en his life. /t is natural instinct for a mother to protect
her young. #ad she called the police he !ery ell could ha!e been released from prison
after a short hile, and then he ould ha!e been free to ruin others0 li!es.
An argument on the other side could be made+ it is hard *ustifying ta"ing the life
of someone ho has not ta"en a life. /n the 1nited -tates a person has ne!er been gi!en
the death penalty for anything other then murder. And *ust li"e other criminals does he
not ha!e the right to a fair trial2 %ell he as stripped of that right. %e ha!e a *ustice
system for a reason, it is so the innocent do not ta"e matters into there on hands and
become criminals themsel!es. 1nder no pretence is she legally alloed to become the
*udge, *ury, and e$ecutioner. #oe!er that being said this as a disgusting human being
and she as not in a proper state of mind. ,attered spouse can become so bad it can pass
for an insanity defense or e!en sometimes as *ustification for crimes, and orse people
then her ha!e been found innocent, there is no reason to belie!e she ill commit a crime
anyhere near this magnitude again.
'ersonally / belie!ed he deser!ed to die, hoe!er at the time of the shooting he
as doing nothing to pro!o"e the shooting and the police could ha!e been brought in.
'erhaps li!ing ith the guilt ould ha!e been orse then dying a .uic" painless death.
%ell at this point hat0s done is done, there0s no bringing him bac" and that gi!es me
relie!ed feeling "noing there is one less scumbag li"e him al"ing around. 'ut anyone
in that situation, / ould thin" a lot of people ould do the same thing she did, does that
ma"e it right2 3ot necessarily, but / thin" it is *ustifiable to ta"e a life gi!en the
circumstances.