The daughter of former Colorado Governor Bill Owens, Monica Owens, took to Facebook yesterday to blast The Denver Post editorial board for their nauseating editorial in support of clemency for convicted Chuck E. Cheese killer Nathan Dunlap.
In her post, Owens notes that her family was at that very Chuck E. Cheese only a day before the gruesome murders took place and met two of Dunlap’s victims before their deaths.
Had Dunlap not been allowed to live on taxpayer’s dime for nearly 20 years appealing his rock solid conviction, Governor Owens might have been in a position to oversee Dunlap’s death penalty.
Monica has been following the case for years, including penning a column in the Rocky Mountain Collegian on the issue back in 2003 where she argued in favor of the death penalty and refuted a number of distortions surrounding the issue. A few passages that still resonate today:
I was reminded recently of Colorado’s option of the use of the death penalty when I visited the state maximum-security prison Supermax, in Canon City, Colorado. It was at Supermax where I saw a number of Death Row inmates, including Chuck E. Cheese murderer Nathan Dunlap.
…Currently there are almost 100 on death row who were already in prison when they murdered their victims; at least 37 others were prison escapees. Locking up murderers for life guarantees nothing, except for the possible murder of additional innocent victims.
I believe that rather than spending so much time with arguing about capital punishment, we should spend more time on the needs of victims’ families, who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Capital punishment elicits more public outrage, more media attention and more cries to protect the “innocent”, than do stories concerning the victims of murder.
We should instead save our sympathy and compassion for the victims, rather than the murderers.
Which will it be, Governor Hickenlooper?
Sympathy and compassion for Dunlap or his victims’ families, who have urged the Governor to let the execution of Dunlap go through?
He was found guilt so let his sentence be done and let the victims' families get some peace.
Nancy, Colorado Peak Politics is a political blog. Are you oblivious yo what you are reading? If you don't understand, don't comment.
You have the nerve to be on the Aurora shooting memorial site, and talk like that?
Part of discipline (which is a teaching tool) is to be swift. That way it is clear what the discipline relates to, gets it over with, and lets BOTH the one disciplined and the one disciplining move on.
This is part of the conceptual basis for law in our country – swift justice and moving on. Capital Punishment – the Death Penalty – is part of this concept. IF one is to NEVER be let out into society again, they are "dead" to society. Go ahead and REMOVE them. Having them languish in jail for the rest of their lives has NOTHING POSITIVE – only negatives.
Put a bullet between his eyes. He earned it.
It is with my deepest regrets that I beleive that The Looper will give this peice of shit a stay of execution… I comend Monica for the fine job on this story…
I agree
Good for Monica Owens!