my last word about alan matheney.
In a couple hours or so a man is going die. He's going to be killed by the State of Indiana. Alan Matheney is going to be executed for the 1989 murder of his ex-wife, Lisa Bianco. It happened in Mishawaka, Indiana, when I lived in neighboring South Bend. I didn't know her or her family, but the story gripped the community and sent ripple effects throughout the nation.
Matheney was already serving time for beating Bianco. He was granted an eight-hour furlough. His mother drove to the prison, fetched him, brought him back to Mishawaka, where Matheney beat Bianco to death with a rifle.
And now, in a matter of minutes, he's going to die for his crime.
While I'm mostly against the death penalty, I can't help but not mind that Matheney is about to be killed. I make no apologies or excuses for my sentiment. I also do not revel in the carrying out of the sentence. It's a weird place for me, to be simultaneously against the death penalty, yet in favor of Matheney's death. I suppose I made it personal.
I'm not one for bloodlust. I'm also not going to fight to spare his life. My view of the death penalty is it does no good. It doesn't deter crime. It doesn't bring back the life of a murder victim. And, in many cases, the evidence is not as obvious and compelling (which is why the appeals process is necessary, I might add). At the end of the day, I'm not comfortable with playing the percentages when it comes to a sentence as final as execution.
But in the case of Alan Matheney, I'm going to suspend my personal beliefs and not feel the least bit conflicted over it. I'm not playing God. Nor am I dancing on a grave. But in this case -- at least for once -- I can go to bed tonight knowing he's getting what he deserves.
Believe me, there's no joy in saying that. Nor is there a guilty conscience. But there is sadness because it means we, as a society, still haven't gotten it right when it comes to crime, punishment, and domestic abuse.
Nevertheless, Alan Matheney deserves to die.
And that's the last thing I'm ever going to say about that.
Matheney was already serving time for beating Bianco. He was granted an eight-hour furlough. His mother drove to the prison, fetched him, brought him back to Mishawaka, where Matheney beat Bianco to death with a rifle.
And now, in a matter of minutes, he's going to die for his crime.
While I'm mostly against the death penalty, I can't help but not mind that Matheney is about to be killed. I make no apologies or excuses for my sentiment. I also do not revel in the carrying out of the sentence. It's a weird place for me, to be simultaneously against the death penalty, yet in favor of Matheney's death. I suppose I made it personal.
I'm not one for bloodlust. I'm also not going to fight to spare his life. My view of the death penalty is it does no good. It doesn't deter crime. It doesn't bring back the life of a murder victim. And, in many cases, the evidence is not as obvious and compelling (which is why the appeals process is necessary, I might add). At the end of the day, I'm not comfortable with playing the percentages when it comes to a sentence as final as execution.
But in the case of Alan Matheney, I'm going to suspend my personal beliefs and not feel the least bit conflicted over it. I'm not playing God. Nor am I dancing on a grave. But in this case -- at least for once -- I can go to bed tonight knowing he's getting what he deserves.
Believe me, there's no joy in saying that. Nor is there a guilty conscience. But there is sadness because it means we, as a society, still haven't gotten it right when it comes to crime, punishment, and domestic abuse.
Nevertheless, Alan Matheney deserves to die.
And that's the last thing I'm ever going to say about that.
