Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Education Kills?
There's a very well written story in The Washington Post this morning. It's about a man on trial for murder and rape who may not ever stand trial.
The victim was sixteen year old Brittany Binger, a girl just trying to make it in the world. Her dreams were a steady job and a stable home. She was raped and murdered, scratching her killer before she died.
His name is Oswaldo Martinez. He's deaf and illiterate. He has never had any education and has virtually no concept of what language is. He doesn't know sign language. He can write his own name, but that's about it.
So he cannot communicate with his lawyer. So he cannot reasonably defend himself, so he has to be institutionalized while they try to overcome his disability.
Meaning he's going to get an education for the first time in his life.
All so that he can stand trial and face the death penalty.
It looks like an open and shut case. They matched the semen and the skin underneath the Brittany's fingernails to saliva from a bottle left at the scene and a bottle of beer he drank. They have a trail a bloodhound found, and video tapes putting him at the scene at the time, as well as all the places the bloodhound had found his scent. They also have a picture taken a few days after the murder with an abrasion on his face, appearing to match a fingernail scratch.
Violence against women is a horrendous crime. Education is the best way to combat it.
But in this case, education may be the one thing that kills Martinez.
The victim was sixteen year old Brittany Binger, a girl just trying to make it in the world. Her dreams were a steady job and a stable home. She was raped and murdered, scratching her killer before she died.
His name is Oswaldo Martinez. He's deaf and illiterate. He has never had any education and has virtually no concept of what language is. He doesn't know sign language. He can write his own name, but that's about it.
So he cannot communicate with his lawyer. So he cannot reasonably defend himself, so he has to be institutionalized while they try to overcome his disability.
Meaning he's going to get an education for the first time in his life.
All so that he can stand trial and face the death penalty.
It looks like an open and shut case. They matched the semen and the skin underneath the Brittany's fingernails to saliva from a bottle left at the scene and a bottle of beer he drank. They have a trail a bloodhound found, and video tapes putting him at the scene at the time, as well as all the places the bloodhound had found his scent. They also have a picture taken a few days after the murder with an abrasion on his face, appearing to match a fingernail scratch.
Violence against women is a horrendous crime. Education is the best way to combat it.
But in this case, education may be the one thing that kills Martinez.
Comments:
Post a Comment