Questions in wake of brutal killings
The shock of eight brutal killings linked to Nicholas Sheley is starting to wear away - replaced instead by the sickening reality of the bloody crimes.
Questions abound. How could this horrible thing have happened? Could something have been done to prevent these deaths? What can we learn from all this to keep it from happening again?
All the agencies involved, and the citizens they represent, need to take a long, hard look at the situation. At such an awful price, there must be some lessons to be learned.
We pose these topics for reflection.
- Informing the public. We think a strong case can be made that, during a manhunt for the suspect in a heinous crime, the more informed the public is, the better. Sheley's apprehension in Granite City is a case in point. People at a bar saw his picture on television and knew he was wanted. When Sheley walked inside, he was recognized. Police were notified, and the fugitive was taken.
Citizens always have been the eyes and ears of the police, but they can't do much to help if they don't know who it is they're looking for. Facts also allay fears.
- Prosecution jurisdiction. Which county should prosecute Sheley? Five of the eight killings happened in Whiteside County. Obviously, Whiteside is where Sheley should be prosecuted first for his alleged crimes. Sheley's appearance in Knox County court should be just a short stop on his way back home to face justice.
- Previous charges downgraded. Sheley has a long history of violence and brushes with the law. Yet, serious initial charges led to minimal jail time. This is troubling. How could Sheley be allowed to return to the streets?
- Death penalty moratorium. Gov. George Ryan halted executions more than 5 years ago. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has done nothing to change Ryan's executive order. Defendants in Illinois still can be sentenced to death, but the sentence won't be carried out. Illinois needs to make up its mind. The Sheley case might help. As Bill Schroeder, a law professor at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, said, Sheley might be "a one-man argument for the death penalty."
From the Sauk Valley Newspapers