Haddock Killer Gets Life
Michael Graham Currie (center) was sentenced to life without parole today. Glenn M. Sides
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The admitted killer of 12-year-old Emily Haddock asked her family to forgive him Tuesday before he was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
"First I would like to apologize to the victim's family, the DA, and all I have hurt," Michael Graham Currie said in Moore County Superior Court. "I am not cruel or anything like that. The only thing I am asking for is the solitude of forgiveness. If you will grant me that, I will greatly appreciate it."
Senior Resident Superior Court Judge James M. Webb then imposed the life sentence - something the family wanted and that both defense and prosecution had agreed to in a plea bargain that spared Currie the risk of a death sentence.
Last week, Currie pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
District Attorney Maureen Krueger has kept a photograph of Haddock on her desk since the case began, nearly three years ago.
On Sept. 11, 2007, Currie and others broke into the family's double-wide manufactured home on Marks Road near the Moore-Harnett county line. Haddock was home from school with strep throat. The intruders did not expect to find anyone in the home.
Currie shot Haddock in the mouth and the top of the head with a stolen .22-caliber pistol when he encountered her, according to his previous admission in an earlier hearing.
A co-defendant, Sherrod Nicholas Harrison, pleaded guilty in June to a lesser charge - being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder - in return for his testimony against the other suspects.
Haddock's mother, Joy, addressed the court, speaking directly to Currie.
"You sit here today and get a sentence of the rest of your life in prison," she said. "We got our life sentence on Sept. 11, 2007. We were sentenced to a life without Emily. There is a punishment that never goes away. In my heart, it will never heal. You have taken away a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a friend."
Some 20 members of the Haddock family had filed silently into the courtroom and taken seats in the front rows on the right side, where bailiffs had placed boxes of tissues. As Joy Haddock spoke, soft sniffs and sighs could be heard.
"I don't get to feel her arms around me every day," she said. "Did you know she missed her class trip to Disney World? She missed riding on the Christmas parade float. She is missing high school years, a prom, a wedding, and all those other things little girls grow up to do."
She told Currie of "the picture in my mind of the fear and terror she was in when you came into her home where she should have been safe - with a gun - I cannot ever erase from my mind. It is a burden I will always carry. There is no amount of punishment or justice enough for what you have taken."
"When we go home today, Emily is still not there. We will still do things in her memory and nourish the spark of her life. The memories we have are the only thing you can never take away. May God bless you."
Krueger explained to the court the reason for this plea arrangement, which gave some solace to the family who now know the identity of the person responsible for the girl's death.
"She was a good girl from a good family," Krueger said. "I know, because I have had the privilege of getting to know her family over the last several years. Emily's family has been involved in every step of the case."
That has meant attending countless meetings and court hearings, waiting for trial dates that never seemed to come but were pushed further and further back because of things such as the illness of one defendant's mitigation specialist and requirements of the state's new Racial Justice Act, she told the court.
"Unfortunately, this case has failed to reveal forensic evidence that conclusively and exclusively identified one person as the shooter," Krueger said, pointing out that the case instead relied largely on statements by the various defendants.
"However, we believed that there could have been a potential for appellate issues and post-conviction issues if we relied too heavily on the cooperation of co-defendants."
A death penalty trial, under these circumstances, would mean the jury would be instructed on accomplice liability, and could have found Currie was only an accomplice and recommended a life sentence anyway.
"As a result of this plea, Michael Currie did give a full statement admitting that he was the person who shot and killed Emily Haddock," Krueger said. "The Haddock family now knows, with a certainty, the identity of the person that murdered their little girl.
"They do not have to worry that a once cooperating co-defendant has recanted and that the defendant is thusly granted a new trial. They do not have to wait almost 20 years to see the final punishment meted out ... as the Chalfinch family did in waiting for the execution of David Junior Brown. And while there are three remaining co-defendants, Emily's family and the state are satisfied that, considering the provable facts of this case, the family's need for finality and certainty, and the potential Emmunds jury charge regarding accomplice liability, that it is appropriate for the court to render a sentence of life without parole."
Contact John Chappell at jfchappell@thepilot.com.
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Comments
TheNeedle 2 years, 9 months ago
Cue bloodthirsty lynch mob in 5...4...3...2...
SoPinesNo1 2 years, 9 months ago
A roof over his head, a warm bed, three meals a day, never have to work, or worry about being laid off, for the rest of his life? It sounds like he just got sentenced to a dream life.
GeorgiaMan 2 years, 9 months ago
No bloodthirsty lynch mob - Just a promise to our District Attorney - The next time you come up for election whomever is running against you will have the full support of myself and others. Deals like this make the justice system a joke. This animal will spend the rest of his life locked up. We the taxpayers will provide food, housing, medical care and shelter until the day this person dies. This person will be allowed to take education courses, see his family and more importantly appeal his sentence after 20 years. On the other hand the victim Emily will not start school in a few weeks. Will never attend her Senior Prom, go to College, Marry and Raise a family. Her life was taken from her by this animal.
There comes a time when enough is enough - Maureen Krueger enjoy your time in office - You will not be elected to a 2nd term unless major changes are made in how you run your office. I hope you keep a picture of Emily in your office to remind you that she is gone, but the animal will live for another 40, 50, or 60 years - Unless we get lucky and someone takes care of him when he gets to prison.
eflat7 2 years, 9 months ago
He looks like a respectable young man in this photo. Too bad he never put on a button up shirt and tie and looked at himself in the mirror before he had to wear it to court... He might have realized he could have been something instead of a wannabe Cameron gansta.
dogboy 2 years, 9 months ago
SoPinesNo1, don't forget the unending supply of "special friends".
TheNeedle 2 years, 9 months ago
SoPinesNo1: life in prison a "dream life?" That was a profoundly stupid comment, even by the dimwitted standards of these comment threads.
TheNeedle 2 years, 9 months ago
Apparently for GeorgiaMan, the success of a District Attorney, or a judicial system, is measured by how many people they put to death.
OldSpook 2 years, 9 months ago
"Apparently for GeorgiaMan, the success of a District Attorney, or a judicial system, is measured by how many people they put to death."
"a profoundly stupid comment, even by the dimwitted standards of these comment threads."
Somehow, after reading the first quote I thought this second quote was most appropriate.
RmeMP 2 years, 9 months ago
steveital-
you could not be more wrong, or offensive, in saying that this thug is a "soldier"; as a veteran myself, i know you couldn't have possibly meant it in the sense of our american heroes, you know, SOLDIERS - but to draw ANY sort of comparison (if even by name) is ignorant.
he is what he is - a worthless no good thug who will unfortunitly rot in prison instead of dieing in a chair via electricity or chamber via gas...
RIP ms. emily haddock, and god rest your precious soul
JohnChappell 2 years, 9 months ago
FYI: the DA has kept a photo of Emily on her desk from the beginning where she could look at it every day. This murder took place at the time she was securing a death verdict in another trial. The family approved this bargain which not only gave them the name of the shooter, but provided help in cases against three other defendants who have yet to go to trial.
In court today (Monday) Maureen Krueger gave the judge a full summary of the legal situation where almost the only evidence available to a tier of law enforcement and investigatory agencies came from wildly varying and frequently changing statements by defendants.
A capital trial, even if it ended with a guilty verdict and a jury recommendation of death, would almost certainly mean the Haddock family would face year after year of legal maneuvering, appeals, and at the end perhaps even a new trial and starting all over.
Now they know what happened to Emily. At least they have that.
newstime 2 years, 9 months ago
Rest in peace Emily. You'r in a beautiful heavenly place above where you will always be safe.
eflat7 2 years, 9 months ago
Maureen Krueger did right by me and my family with another case. I would stand behind her 100%.
SoPinesNo1 2 years, 9 months ago
Obviously being in prison is not a "dream life". But how would you like to know that you don't have to worry about where your next meal will come from, or being homeless, or whether you'll have medical care as you grow older, or whether or not you'll have a job tomorrow. I would like to not worry about these things, but I wouldn't want to be in prison. The gangsta could have never provided these things for himself, so the tax payers,(you and I), are doing it for him as his reward for this gruesome murder.
theonewithsense 2 years, 9 months ago
I would be against the death penalty in this case because there is no evidence other than his admission. In our justice system, pleading guilty does not necessarily mean that you are guilty, it just means that you have struck a deal. Plus, the kid was a teenager, that's a little young to kill. Killing him might help the tax payers, but I'm not so sure it would help the victims.
That said, it wouldn't bother me a bit if he received the death penalty. In this case, I'd support whatever the family supported.
This punk will have a hard time in prison. He is small and nobody will defend him. Child murderers are not liked in prison.
sfavela 2 years, 9 months ago
My heart goes out to the family. They've lived through a nightmare and face a lifetime of missing this precious child. Nothing anyone can say or do will take any of that away.
Poor parenting has created monsters out of could-have-been productive young people. Being their pal is easy, being a parent is hard. Pay attention parents - discipline your children and hold them accountable for what they do! Don't expect 'the system' to do your job for you.
Regardless, these parents will be able to visit their children in jail. Emily's parents will have to wait until they meet again in Heaven.
GeorgiaMan 2 years, 9 months ago
I stand by my comments - In this case justice was too easy. The Death Penalty is not for every situation, but to admit to killing an innocent little girl and not get the Death Penalty - That is a crime. I can only hope now that Emily and her family are at peace, and that this animal will die an unnatural painful death while he is in prison.
pilotreader 2 years, 9 months ago
There is no way to comprehend the loss of a precious child to such a violent, cowardly act. I can only imagine the torture that these parents will endure for the rest of their lives wondering if their daughter cried out for them as she plead for her life. How does one move past that?
Meanwhile, Mr. Currie asks for the 'solitude of forgiveness.' Striking is the fact that he believes he is entitled to anything at all... especially forgiveness from the Haddock family. But the truth is that is what we are dealing with here, kids who are brought up to feel entitled. These thugs felt entitled to the Haddock's belongings so they broke into their home and many other homes pillaging things that did not belong to them. Innocent Emily became an unfortunate victim of this entitelment. Currie has admitted guilt...he pulled the trigger and yet Currie's mother was complaining that the poor fella wouldn't be able to get a fair trial. Fair? Her and I need to have a discussion about "fair."
It's so difficult for me not to feel resentment and anger toward the black community. That may not be a popular thing to say, but I have formed my own opinions from my experiences and observations.
Waiting with baited breathe to see what will happen to our ghetto fabulous friends who killed Mr. Kelly. Life without parole anyone?
eflat7 2 years, 9 months ago
Heartbreaking...
buddysmith 2 years, 9 months ago
if two people entered a bank with the intent on robbing it, and one of those people pulled a gun and shot and killed the bank teller, wouldnt they both be charged with first degree murder and bank robbery? my point is in the course of a trial couldnt all the thugs be charged with killing this little girl? so really it wouldnt matter who pulled the trigger would it? i know there are some lawyers that respond on here so help me out with this one!
camesh 2 years, 9 months ago
Lawyers seem to have a guilty look on their faces !! Lets hope Currie slowly rots in prison and rats slowly make a meal of him.
theonewithsense 2 years, 9 months ago
That's funny. The lawyers do not have a guilty look on their face. They drug this out for 3 years getting paid the whole time. They knew from day 1 that this would be an easy plea case. The only thing they care about is money in their pocket. It doesn't matter what it takes or who gets hurt.
None 2 years, 9 months ago
The one on the left is thinking, this was an easy one ~ while the one on the right is thinking, we could have made more money on this case....
Anyone know with good time and gain time how long it will take Currie to max out his sentence? I'm not talking about parole, max out....
None 2 years, 9 months ago
Nevermind folks ~ Read and weep: Rather than coping and pasting all of this information here's the answer to my question.
http://sogweb.sog.unc.edu/blogs/ncclaw/?p=165
USAgirl 2 years, 9 months ago
Its to bad that someone that can kill a little girl can get sympathy b/c of the color of skin. I wish i could have taken her place i would have had my gun (millie) and it would have had something for their faces. I know that sounds mean but when it is life or death and you are the one being attacked you would do the same if you had the chance. Bad things happen every day and when it happens to kids its worst I know she is in a better place and will never have to deal with the pain that life brings. I just hope they have fun in jail with people that are a lot worse than them and yes there are people that are worse. In this day in age everyone needs to own a gun and know how to use it in a safe manner. I'm sorry to have to say that but its true.
WorkingClassDog 2 years, 9 months ago
This will make it easier for our great Madam DA to take the easy way out on the others. They already took care of the shooter,Right ? Now after we guard,feed, pay the ambulance chasers, wipe the noses and supply the medicine and medical care for the co-defendants for the next several months or possibly even years in our county jail as pretrial inmates, she can make it seem like she is doing all of us a favor by accepting pleas from them and letting our welfare system support them and whatever offspring they produce, instead of the Department of Corrections supporting them or possibly eliminating them from our society altogether. Meanwhile we take very good care of them so the lawyers get rich on our dollars and she can continue to drag her feet and convince everyone how hard she has worked and how much she cares. Do we not pay her to prepare and try these cases? Just wondering, has anyone has ever actually seen her in action as a prosecutor in a major case?
Sure hope she is ran out of office before Stewart is tried . But in this county it will for sure be several years so the witnesses can all die off and give them another reason to take a plea. God help anyone in jail in our county that may possibly be innocent, they could loose a large part of their life waiting to prove it, by the time lawyers on both sides get around to taking care of business.
SouthernPinesGirl 2 years, 9 months ago
To pilotreader: I was reading the comments because i was as appalled as everyone else that someone could kill a child in cold blood. I was sadden and hurt when it first happened and i'm still sadden and pray for Emily and her family. I am a black resident of Southern Pines and i can assure you that there are a lot of other good, hardworking black people who were as hurt and appalled as everyone else. I would like to say that i think that it is unfair that the entire black community now has to take the blame for crimes commited by criminals that had no respect for people or life. Criminals are found in all colors but harboring resentment towards the entire race is biased and unfair and i wanted to share my feelings and concerns about your comments. May God Bless you Emily! You and your family are in my prayers.
GeorgiaMan 2 years, 9 months ago
I totally agree with Southern Pines Girl the comments of PilotReader are way out of line. Damning an entire community because of the actions of a few is wrong. The majority of the residents of Moore County (white, black every color) work hard, and do the right thing.
These killers could have very well been white - What would have been your comments then?
Just keep this in mind the next time the DA comes up for re-election. This was a case that should have gone to trial a long time ago, and the jury would have found him guilty and sentenced him to the Death Penalty.
pilotreader 2 years, 9 months ago
@Georgia Man & Southern Pines Girl: I do not disagree that there are hard working people, decent people in all ethnic groups. I cannot, however, overlook the trends of the black community. Statistics and factual information do not lie. It is what it is. There is no secret that the young black community is struggling. This is why we see many of the crimes gracing the front page of the Pilot that we do. I'm not PC and I could really care less if that ruffles your feathers. You're right Georgia Man in saying that these killers could just as easily been white. Realistically though is that what you are seeing in the paper everyday? No.
truthiswelcome 2 years, 9 months ago
Agree with you @ Georgia Man & SoPinesNo1. Amazing Ms DA! Our sheriffs dept. Detectives and Deputies do a great job, and then the suspects get a slap on the wrist. Yes, for terrorizing and killing a little girl, life in prison is nothing. Ms DA just released the Bullard suspect that had been waiting for a couple of years in our jail for the death of his infant daughter. You had to have the results of the brain scan for these years, what were you doing in this case? Another plea deal, and SOMEONE got away with murdering a baby. Why such a long wait on the Pinelake killings? You are spending our money making deputies drive the murderer to and from Raleigh for each court appearance. Open & shut case. You have 20+ eye witnesses. Also voters, please inform yourself about the Judges. Know the record of their decisions and sentences given. Lastly, parents, please raise your children. Let them know right and wrong. Don't spare the rod if need be. Please do the best you can. God Bless us everyone.
lady2010 2 years, 9 months ago
@ pilotreader your comment is not correct you must haven't read crime reports nor do you watch the news. I am an probation officer. All people commit crimes but if you would like me to give you the facts i will. 2 out of 3 child rape case are commit by an white person. Most serial killers are white not black, so on that note i think that crime is all over the world not just in the black community.
cortcs 2 years, 9 months ago
"I am not cruel or anything like that."
Really? I would be interested to know what this man considers cruel.
legit 2 years, 9 months ago
pilotreader: Just to make sure you understand somethings. We as a community do not under any circumstances agree with what this young man has done. We are appalled that this has happened. To make sure we are all on the same level of understanding that a crime is a crime whether it is committed by any race. I have mixed feelings about the sentence because as a mother of 2 teen boys who without a shadow of a doubt has raised them to be upstanding citizens in our community this hits close to home as it should in any race. I don't look at the race when a crime is committed. I look at the crime.
Amazed 2 years, 9 months ago
Ms. Krueger would not have been able to get the confession if not for the plea deal. It is quite possible that had this case gone to trial, one or more of these cold-blooded killers would have gotten off on some technicality. It's been many years ago but I read the book Dead Man Walking which was later made into a movie with Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. In that book they show that it costs taxpayers more money to send an inmate to deathrow than it does to house an inmate for life due to all the costs associated with the appellate process. I think Ms Krueger did the taxpayers as well as the Haddock family a favor.
pilotreader 2 years, 9 months ago
"@ pilotreader your comment is not correct you must haven't read crime reports nor do you watch the news. I am an probation officer. All people commit crimes but if you would like me to give you the facts i will. 2 out of 3 child rape case are commit by an white person. Most serial killers are white not black, so on that note i think that crime is all over the world not just in the black community. "
This post speaks volumes about the condition of our probation/parole system as well.
theonewithsense 2 years, 9 months ago
serial killers account for about 200 out of the 18,000 murders a year in the USA.
Here is a list of the current inmates in our jail for murder.
http://www.moorecountync.gov:81/dcn/inmateGrid.aspx?s=1&c=MURDER
currie is no longer on the list
RmeMP 2 years, 9 months ago
let me first start by saying that i am in no wasy racist - period.
but the fact of the matter is, politcal correctness (PC) is a huge part of what is wrong with this country as a whole.
if you look at the link posted by "theonewithsense", and if it correct, then we see a trend that can not be ignored. the only 2 white men in custody for murder are both older gentleman, every single other person being held on murder charges is a young black man.
i know race is a touchy subject due to our horrible history in this country - i do, i get it; but the facts are the facts. i, along with many others, would love for everyone to be able to get past skin pigmentation, but the fact is that as long as we stay PC and have groups that perpetuate the advancement on one race over all others - we will have racism...
Amazed 2 years, 9 months ago
Currie is in the custody of NC DOC
pilotreader 2 years, 9 months ago
@Legit "To make sure we are all on the same level of understanding that a crime is a crime whether it is committed by any race. "
I don't believe that anyone would argue with that reasoning. However, statistically speaking, this type of crime is more often committed by someone who is black. It angers me to consistently see young black perpetrators on the front page of the Pilot and on WRAL. I'm glad to hear that you are taking your responsibilities as a mother/parent seriously and raising good children. I wish that your values were more consistent than they appear to be within other black families.
Thank you @theonewithsense and RmeMP for not burying your heads in the sand and talking about (not around) real issues.
legit 2 years, 9 months ago
No one said that racism was dead but if we as the human race that adhere to the laws of man look at things as a crime and not as what color did what. I believe we could start a change. Just think if no blacks where here and it was all white and the same senseless stuff was happening would there be so many comments? All I am saying, yes the facts are there but face it in every race someone is doing the same thing. Lets stop looking at race and downing each other and give a justifible punishment for the crime and only the crime. Crime has nothing to do with race. Its all about the stupidty of the person that is doing the crime.
MoCoJur 2 years, 9 months ago
2 things to consider: John Chappell's wife works in the DA's office. That explains why the DA gets the favorable press. This will not happen when Michael Parker is elected DA.
pinewoodnc 2 years, 9 months ago
The one thing that is so very tragic about this heinous crime is that there was absolutely no reason to have killed this precious child. Once they were inside and discovered that the child was there, they could have just fled. The chances were that the child would most likely not been able to identify them or have seen them long enough for identification. That is what is so hard to understand. B&E is bad enough, but to so viciously murder an innocent child is beyond comprehension.
I find it very difficult to not endorse capital punishment on individuals that blantantly murder children. Certain crimes are so deplorable, that the punishment should fit the crime. Murder of children (when there is no doubt of guilt) is such a crime that warrants the death penalty.
People that wish to find excuses for criminals that murder should think about how they would feel if it were their child. It just seems that some of our society today is more concerned with the rights of the criminals and not the victims.
Zarah 2 years, 9 months ago
Oh, let's really get real. How many women are in the jail charged with murder? None. How many women are in the jail charged with sexual offenses? None. How many women out of 122 are there at all? 13. Yes, there does seem to be an obvious problem here.
Tarheelgal 2 years, 9 months ago
Instead of focusing on the color of the skin of the offender in this or any case we should be focusing on making the punishments fit the crimes. Make going to prison a punishment not 3 hots and a cot with cable workout equipment laundry service etc. For the murderers go back to public hangings and televise these on pay per view put the money aside for victims assistance funds. Better yet send these criminals as property of Uncle Sam on the next plane to Afghanistan, Iraq and bring troops home. The problem with the system is the system is set up for the criminal in no way do we want to violate there rights well commit the crime you have one right to a fair trial above and beyond that they shouldnt have any rights! The problem is people are so busy focusing on race that they dont focus on the real problem the justice system. Until we as a country decide to stop treating the criminals with kid gloves there is nothing to deter them from commiting more crimes. And this is not the politically correct solution but its one that would work.
lady2010 2 years, 9 months ago
@pilotreader and @RmeMP I guess we are only speak of Moore county because this is that county paper but if you want to talk of numbers both of y'all are wrong you would be surprise if you search the murder rate in the united states because by far the black community isn't at the top of the list. By all means what these guys did is wrong but for you to say that this isn't did by all people you are wrong. And for you to say that the two in there are older. That is even more reason that shows they were cruel and evil because they knew better. He went in an rest home and killed many of people for what? secondly white youth's are known to kill even there parents i dont know of any black case of this kind. Any thoughts on that? We as people shouldn't look at the color of these kids skins or anyone else . The problems isn't just the parents it is the schools and dss. Because if they were cutting class , there parents should have been told. and if they were told and nothing change then DSS should have been told. whether or not any of this happen. If everyone would have played there part this might not happen.
lady2010 2 years, 9 months ago
@legit you are right 100% but some people wont believe until by there own race .
theonewithsense 2 years, 9 months ago
From the FBI, murder offenders are equally likely to be black or white (white includes Hispanics). I'm not sure what lady is talking about, because by race blacks commit more murders than anyone else (at least they did in 2004).
That's just raw numbers. If you account for percentage of the population, then those numbers go up dramatically. Population should be accounted for if you are justifying "murder rates by race" like lady was suggesting. Blacks make up 12-13% of the population, while committing more than 50% of the murders. It's just a fact.
See table 2.5 http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius_04/offenses_reported/violent_crime/murder.html
semaj 2 years, 9 months ago
both families lose in this battle! The Haddock family lost Emily. His family lost him! It's not about race! My nephew was killed in '87 by a white man and I'm black and he struck a deal and received a 4 year sentence for manslaughter. What was that saying to our family about the judicial system! He was 9 years old and we still wish for him 23 years later! His killer is out and living! there was no apology to us for what he'd done, no regrets, no remorse! at least he apologized for his actions. we didn't get that! he has to live with that the rest of his life! yes he has those accomodations that we're paying for and that gets me a little heated when that money could be going for something else. to both families I apologize for what has happened and may the God of peace and grace be with us all!
pilotreader 2 years, 9 months ago
You can't argue with facts, numbers and statistics as much as you all would like to. I'm not the bad guy in this for saying what I've said. I hope it makes you angry that someone is saying it. I hope it makes you so angry that you tell everyone I said it. Maybe the message will be spread and black parents (not schools & DSS-I really can't believe you said that) will start to take an active role actually raising their children to be ethically and morally responsible contributers to society. I still stand by my original post. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of young black punks committing a disproportionate amount of crime like this. I'm sick of the excuses. I'm sick of the denial. I'm sick of the ramifications.
BullyDad 2 years, 9 months ago
The comments so far have been heartfelt and filled with emotion as will always be the case when an innocent life has been taken. I want to get past one stumbling block and look for some answers. Let's clear up the color issue. My Blood is RED, the same as the young and innocent victim here and also the same as the killer. The LAW should see no difference in the color of the victims or the perps. The LAW however, never has to run for office. The fact that our court officials have to cater to the voting masses dictates that political correctness must raise its ugly head. We, as the people that pick our Judges and DA's must screen them better. We must DEMAND colorblindness and strict interpretation of the LAW. Next we must turn our eyes to the LAW itself. Our LAWS were drafted by lawyers who were looking out for Lawyers. They can and should be re-drafted to look out for the LAW abiding citizens. We have an outline for this; it's called "The Constitution". The "LEGAL" system has bent over backwards to protect the rights of the criminals and has almost completely ignored the rights of the LAW abiding citizens. We must look to our legislature to do this which means we must hire (elect) representatives that share our views to protect the rights of the citizen over the rights of the criminals. Once we have these issues resolved, it is up to the INDIVIDUAL to chose which side of the LAW he wants to be on. I'm not saying the scales should be tilted to one side for the LAW abiding citizen, just balanced so the criminals can't be in a position to make deals with the Court and have an upper hand in the legal proceedings. I believe that once criminals are held accountable for their actions and they can't wheel and deal for a better outcome (in most cases using a court appointed lawyer) the "System" may again serve as a deterrent to crime. Nowhere in this solution does skin color come into play. When a loved one is taken it does not matter the color, the pain is the same.