The Scarlet Letter Redux

[Seagoon]

Hi Guys,

Spotted the following squib this morning as I was going through the news. Personally, I believe that Mr. Stockelman should have been sentenced to death after he was found guilty of raping and killing a ten year old girl, but I'm just an outmoded biblical fuddy-duddy. Stockelman, who plead guilty, was identified as the killer by a DNA evidence.

Anyway, apparently his fellow prisoners also thought there should be more of a stigma attached to his particular crime....

Convicted child molester has victim's name tattooed on forehead
(AP)

Anthony Stockelman is serving a life sentence in Indiana for molesting and killing a ten-year-old girl named Katie Collman.

And now, prison officials there want to know how he got a tattoo across his forehead that reads "Katie's Revenge."

They won't say what -- if anything -- Stockelman told them. A prison spokesman also says they don't know how a picture of the crude tattoo was taken and wound up on the Internet.

Katie's father heard about it from friends, and figures other prisoners are responsible.


Before


After

[Goomba]

I hope thats for real.

Should make stigma a legal punishment again, for human bacteria like this guy.

Extra dessert for the inmates responsible.  WTG.

[Mickey1992]

Wait, I'm confused.  Are you saying that he got this tatoo against his will as punishment from other inmates?  I never thought of that yesterday when I read the article.  I just thought he was an even more) sick ***tard and did it himself.

Very interesting.

[Ack-Ack]

He's lucky that's all they did to him.  The general inmates usually kill those types of prisoners.


ack-ack

[Maverick]

The letters look very straight with no wobbles in them. I'd be a bit leery of thinking that it was done against his will. Then again I'd rather a different tattoo be used. Small circles of diminishing diameter centered on his forhead.

[storch]

^   any personal anecdotes to go with that statement ackack?

[Seagoon]

Apparently the Tatoo was done during an assault by other inmates, and the photo circulating on the web was an evidence photo leaked by guards who were apparently less than sympathetic. Two of them have been fired over the incident.

I've spoken with guys who've done time in maximum security prisons, and can confirm that if other prisoners want to do something to you badly enough, almost anything can be done. That is one of the major catalysts for joining a prison gang, or other group inside - mutual protection.

Here are the Details from a local Indiana TV station - WISH TV:

...
A photo of what is identified as Stockelman's forehead and eyes appeared online on a blog that focuses on news reports about crimes against children and women. The tattoo covers nearly his entire forehead, has "KATIE'S" in large letters and "REVENGE" below in smaller letters.

The blogger says she received the photograph in an e-mail last Saturday. She says the e-mail also claimed a distant relative of Katie's who also is at Wabash Valley had given Stockelman the tattoo. She said it was not clear how many others were involved in the assault.

Prison officials would not confirm the account of how Stockelman was tattooed but said an inmate has been identified as a suspect.

Prison spokesman Rich Larsen says two guards also have been fired for making "unauthorized copies of an evidence photo."
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5475162&nav=0Ra7

[lukster]

A society that doesn't have the resolve to execute a man who raped and murdered a 10 year old girl doesn't have what it takes to survive imo.

[Angus]

Well, screw that SOB anyway.

[Pongo]

Originally posted by lukster
A society that doesn't have the resolve to execute a man who raped and murdered a 10 year old girl doesn't have what it takes to survive imo.

wow.
I think you may be right.

[2bighorn]

Death penalty?  Hanged by Mistake... No thx

February 2005

Charles "Chuckie" Hickman, 20, of Crothersville, was arrested late Wednesday night after confessing to police that he was involved in the death of Katlyn "Katie" Collman, 10, police said.

"Some of the information (some people) provided us was not correct information," Indiana State Police Sgt. Jerry Goodin said. "Maybe they didn't give us the correct information because they were lying to us or maybe just something in their memory wasn't right. But it's important to know that we will be pursuing charges of false informing of folks who gave us false information. I can't emphasize how important this fact is."

"Cops say Hickman allegedly kidnapped a 10-year-old girl, Katlyn Collman, raped and killed her. Cops had originally arrested another man in connection with the murder, but DNA samples cleared him and he was released. Now they say Hickman is the right guy, and they have a DNA match to prove it."

[Seagoon]

Hi 2Bighorn,

Police work is obviously difficult, it's seldom the case that the actual killer immediately comes forward and in high profile cases, you can expect a few genuine nutcases to turn in false confessions.

The argument that the possibility that one could make a potentially deadly mistake means one shouldn't act at all would effectively put an end to every indirect fire mission, and use of medicines that could produce a potentially fatal reaction. Not to mention putting a swift end to sports like Skydiving or careers like Steve Irwins.

In any event as a society, we need to be willing to do that which is just, even when there is the potential for something to go wrong. When a man rapes and kills a young girl, he has earned the death penalty and it is not justice to refuse to carry it out. These days we get sentimental about the "rights" of the perpetrator and essentially dismiss the rights of the victim to receive justice. In essence we broke our societal covenant with that young girl. And no, jail is not worse than death, even with a tatoo on your head, especially given where Mr. Stockelman is likely headed after he shuffles off this mortal coil.

In any event, Hickman's confession was eventually dismissed as obviously false and the DNA link to Stockelman was confirmed. Even Stockelman's brother and wife believe he did it. At this point no one believes Chuckie.

To quote members of Stockelman's family -

Stockelman’s youngest brother, Marvin Stockelman, 31, said he was glad his brother stood up and admitted what he did.
“I believe he’s sorry,” Marvin Stockelman said.
...
Stockelman's wife and sister-in-law also were at the court for Friday's developments, WLKY NewsChannel 32's Andy Alcock reported.

"It's really unfortunate to be married to someone for eight years and have no idea who he was," Tabitha Stockelman said. "He was a sick kid-toucher."

Added sister-in-law Becky Drucker: "I don't think he's the type of person who would do that. But he is the type of person who would stand up and take responsibility for something like this, so that's what he did."

Regarding, Chuckie's story -

 Charles “Chuckie” Hickman’s confession that he killed Collman and that others were involved threw police off the track for nine weeks, Siedl said, but Hickman’s story changed often and could never be collaborated. Hickman was arrested after confessing to Collman’s murder on Feb. 2, 2005, but he was released after Stockelman was charged with her murder on May 20, 2005.

Siedl also said Stockelman told investigators he was in Crothersville on the day Collman disappeared, moving items from his mother’s home at 405 Kovener St. He also told investigators Collman walked by the house, the two talked, she came inside and they went into the bedroom, where she was molested.

Paulita McGuire, a DNA analyst with the Indiana State Police, testified that DNA samples taken from a cigarette butt found at Cypress Lake and from Collman’s body matched Stockelman, and that no one else on the planet could have the same DNA.

Collman’s mother, Angie Neace, also took the stand, something her husband said was very hard for her to do.

She testified that her daughter was eager to go on an errand to the Dollar Store for her on the day Collman disappeared, and that was the last time she saw her daughter alive. That was at 3:10 p.m. on Jan. 25.

Neace said she began worrying about why her daughter had not come home at about 4 p.m. and started looking for her.

Nieger said Hunt told police she saw Collman with the man in the truck between 4:20 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. the day she disappeared.

[2bighorn]

Originally posted by Seagoon
The argument that the possibility that one could make a potentially deadly mistake means one shouldn't act at all would effectively put an end to every indirect fire mission, and use of medicines that could produce a potentially fatal reaction. Not to mention putting a swift end to sports like Skydiving or careers like Steve Irwins.  

Hmmm, voluntary risk, sorry but that argument just doesn't fit.
Justice is not about taking risks and reaping rewards, but the upholding of what is just, impartial and fair, the act of determining rights or guilt based on facts.

Originally posted by Seagoon
In any event as a society, we need to be willing to do that which is just, even when there is the potential for something to go wrong. When a man rapes and kills a young girl, he has earned the death penalty and it is not justice to refuse to carry it out.

I did not argue the deserved punishment for a child rapist and murderer.
What I do argue about is ability of our legal system to determine guilt without a doubt and as long as our legal (can't force myself to call it justice) system is broken, I can't support death penalty.
Justice can not be served with collateral damage.

As for the case of Stockelman, fact remains, he escaped death penalty because of guilty plea deal. If it was so clearly cut case, supported by ironclad evidence (DNA), why did the prosecutor feel the need for such a deal?
Similary, just year and a half ago, everybody was convinced Hickman was the guilty one.
If not for few lucky turns in investigation, he could easily be the one to hang instead.

[ASTAC]

Two of them have been fired over the incident.

Why? Because they released photos that the public SHOULD see?

You see my friends..our Government and our laws/policies are just as bad as this rapist/killer..in fact I'd go as far to say that the US Goverment and most state governments are the biggest rapists/killers on the planet.

[eagl]

You're out of your mind Astac...  Apparently the photos were evidence, and releasing them could make it impossible to prosecute whoever assaulted the guy in prison.  Because (you do know this, right?) it's still illegal to assault someone even if they're already in prison...

But maybe you're right, we should throw out our entire legal system because fair trials are only for certain people, right?  I mean, if a crime is committed but the victim isn't part of the right group, then why prosecute at all?  And if the evidence is mishandled and taints the trial process, well then we can just safely assume the accused is guilty since he's "not like us", right?

Or maybe we can protect the integrity of our legal system (what portion of it is left) by prosecuting the retards who posted evidence from an ongoing investigation onto the internet just to be cool...

I have lots of cool photos that I shouldn't post on the internet due to various contracts and non-disclosure agreements I've signed...  Would the government be to blame for firing and prosecuting me if I started posting them just so I could play big man on the intarweb or because maybe I have access to photos that you think you *should* see?