The Scoop: It’s a crime not to execute Reid
It’s cruel irony a convicted killer such as Paul Dennis Reid snatched life away from his victims in a matter of seconds, yet it will take years and years of legal wrangling to execute him. It makes the old days sound appealing when a group of men would round up a sturdy rope and exact justice in a much swifter manner.
Reid came close to dying Tuesday morning. He was so close, he even dined on his so-called last meal that included prime rib and German chocolate cake. But since Reid wasn’t put to death, all that last meal means now is a man who killed seven people ate a better meal than I did on Monday.
A court of appeals postponed the execution before Reid could receive the ultimate punishment for murders he committed in 1997. Now it’s expected to be years – maybe close to a decade considering our legal system – before Reid is again scheduled to be executed. And that’s if it happens at all.
While capital punishment is a touchy subject, I’m certainly not going to speak out against it when you consider Reid killed seven people – all teenagers or young adults. He slashed the throats of two of his victims, girls age 16 and 21, who worked at a Baskin-Robbins in Clarksville. He isn’t the sort of guy you want to have over for dinner.
When folks talk about the inhumanity of the death penalty – the barbaric nature of having our government kill a person – I couldn’t disagree more. I find it repulsive we give convicted murderers so many rights and privileges when they are the ones who totally disregard the laws of our society.
Reid is the perfect example. He was convicted of a string of robberies in Texas and served eight years of a 20-year prison sentence. Because of overcrowding, he was released in 1990.
After moving to Tennessee to pursue a country music career in 1995, it took Reid two years to resume his career in armed robbery. Only this time he added murder to his crimes.
This is a life-long criminal we’re talking about. There’s no reason to keep him behind bars until he dies when he’s 82. And there’s certainly no reason to ever release him.
The state was correct in trying to kill Reid Tuesday morning. Since I believe Reid will receive his ultimate judgment only when he dies, I have no problem speeding up the process.
Reid was given his choice of execution (he picked lethal injection over electrocution). He was given comfort from clergymen. And he was given a last meal fit for a king.
So show me the inhumanity. I can’t see it.
The inhumanity took place when Reid killed two Captain D’s employees execution style during a robbery. He did the same thing to three McDonald’s employees, then stabbed a fourth employee 17 times. That man miraculously survived and testified against Reid.
I firmly believe every man, woman and child in this country deserves a fair trial. It’s unfortunate that due to high-paid defense lawyers, some people get trials that are more fair than others. It’s doubtful a person such as O.J. Simpson, for example, would have enjoyed the same outcome from his trial had he relied on the public defender’s office.
While it’s difficult to say justice was served in O.J.’s case, it’s just as hard to say justice is being served in the case of Paul Dennis Reid. That’s especially true when thinking about the family members of the people he killed. Instead of an execution, they must now face years of legal battles which will serve as nothing less than an emotional hand grenade.
Reid has been tried and convicted for his crimes. The only crime that’s left is the fact his execution is now years away.
(James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)