Those following the penalty phase of the trial of convicted Petit murderer Steven Hayes know that the defense has tried every strategy and tactic. Most are probably doomed to failure.
The judge tossed the motion that the death penalty would cost tax payers too much, contending the issue before the jury was moral and legal, not monetary. Testimony that Hayes was this likable, funny, hard working guy who fell under the spell of his partner in crime was undermined by other testimony documenting that in prison he threatened to kill an officer since he had nothing to lose.
However the one argument which may work relies on the reality that Christianity is woven into all our institutions, including the legal one. We believe that redemption is possible and that even the worst sinner should not be denied that possibility. In the New Testament, Judas's sin was one of despair. He did not believe in his own salvation. Supposedly Son of Sam found his higher self in prison as did one time train wreck Malcolm X.
It's from Hayes's brother Matthew that the defense gets it ammo. Matthew wrote that his brother should be allowed to find redemption. He cast that state of affairs mostly as something the Hayes family deserved. Now those words are being highlighted in court as well as in the media.
Who can deny any sinner the possibility of being touched by Christ? If the defense has that these resonate in closing arguments, it just might have saved Hayes from death.
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