Throwing Reason Out the Window

It was no different than what I had done a hundred times before; walking into a courtroom to hear what a defendant might be sentenced to based on his crimes. Sometimes the sentence that is handed down is more, or sometimes less, than what I thought it would be. But, the process itself is pretty much the same time and time again. The defendant walks up to the podium, dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit, and takes his medicine. It's really nowhere near the dramatics that similar scenarios depict on your favorite "law and order" type of show.<br /> <br /> However, this case was one that not only caught my attention, but it truly highlighted what has gone wrong with our society. A young man of 19 stood quietly at the defense table as the horrific crime that he had committed and his charges were read by the District Attorney. The defendant, who was 17 at the time of the event, had gotten into an argument with his mother over a cell phone and a girl that he was seeing. The argument escalated and the young man went upstairs and retrieved a weapon from his mother's room (she was a law enforcement officer) and shot and killed his mother. His younger sister heard the commotion and came into the room whereby the defendant shot and killed her. As the violence continued to erupt, he proceeded upstairs, and shot and killed his other younger sister who was in her bed. After many years of hearing criminal events summarized, this particular summary left everyone in the courtroom with their jaws dropped and their eyes wide open. And those "deer in the headlight" looks were not limited to the casual observer; it was on everyone in the room. How could this be?<br /> <br /> The proceeding continued with emotional testimony from the mother and grandmother of the victims, who also happened to be the grandmother of the defendant. This family had literally been destroyed. The grandmother wept for her lost daughter and granddaughters, and at the same time, begged for mercy for her grandson who had committed the crimes. The weight on her shoulders, and on her heart, could literally be felt throughout the room. I have personally witnessed courage on many occasions, but this woman's courage, on this day, was immeasurable. The destruction began in the carnage of the crime scene, but the overall destruction rolled like a tornado into other family member's lives as they were informed of the tragedy. What seemed like a nightmare was as real as real can get and it was staring them directly in their faces. <br /> <br /> After a series of others who testified as to their loss, they also asked for mercy for the one who had caused all of this to transpire. I waited to hear from the defendant as to his explanation of how he could possibly perpetrate such a crime against those who loved him most. His explanation was simple. He didn't know why he did it, but he didn't plan on it happening. It just happened. Wait, what? It just happened? I listened some more and heard this young man talk about the incident as if he were reading a script for a movie. He finished his story, apologized to his grandmother for what he had done and sat down. My reason for being in the room, to hear a sentence, suddenly seemed to be a moot point. There was nothing this judge, or any judge could do, to rectify this senseless act.<br /> <br /> I pushed the facts of the case aside and began to concentrate simply on the people involved. I had just witnessed a display of behavior that crossed all segments of the human persona. Extreme violence, on the part of the defendant, absolute fear that had to be present on faces of the mother and sisters before their death, and complete and utter sorrow, and then, forgiveness on the part of the grandmother. And, to complete the circle, a total loss of life from a young man who had not yet turned 20. All of these emotions, and the pain they caused, were left in a heaping pile on the floor of the courtroom, waiting to be swept up for the next case.<br /> <br /> I have always thought of myself as somewhat analytical. I strive to find some sense of rhyme or reason as to why things happen. I have evaluated, re-evaluated and evaluated again as to why these crimes occurred. And, after much deliberation, I remain as baffled as I did when I first heard the story. It does not appear that motive was a primary factor. Nor does it appear that hate or revenge came into play. "It just happened," as the young man said, seemed to be the final footnote on this tragic epic of life and the sometimes puzzling conclusions that life brings. There is no conceivable reason for this incident.<br /> <br /> There is an old saying that "sometimes you just have to throw reason out the window." On the night that this crime occurred, not only was reason thrown out the window; along with it went those very human factors that separate us from other species. In a time where that line of demarcation continues to recede, somebody better close the window and nail it shut. Once we lose reason so much else just really doesn't matter anymore.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2010/9/232582