On Oct 18, 2004, Arthur Shelton murdered his roommate Larry Hooper because Hooper was an atheist. After the murder, he called 911 and turned himself in. He later told police that, "In the eyes of the law I was wrong and will probably spend the rest of my life in prison, but in the eyes of God I have killed an evil person -- the devil himself."
Shelton was convicted of 2nd degree murder with mental illness mitigating and sentenced to 25 - 45 years.
According to statements made by Shelton's family, his religious beliefs were no different than their own, and not much different from the beliefs of many mainstream Christians. The major difference is that he ACTED on his beliefs.
So... was Shelton criminally insane or criminally religious? What are your thoughts?
source:
http://www.parallelpac.org/murder.htm
2007-09-10 03:14:11 · 24 answers · asked by marbledog 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Actually, the legal definition of insane for criminal law is fairly narrow. It means being unable to know whether your actions are right or wrong. The fact that he said "In the eyes of the law I was wrong..." means he was not criminally insane, and therefore could not use that defense.
However, mental illness can still be considered as a mitigating circumstance during sentencing.
Good news for Shelton: He has almost no chance of having an atheist roommate for the next 25-45 years. Atheists are under-represented in prisons.
2007-09-10 03:47:20 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
I think the judge was right, but it's always hazardous to determine whether someone is mad or not from this distance.
From the report you've attached, there's some suggestion (in his behaviour with the police) that Shelton was suffering from a manic or hypomanic episode that would have been mitigating, but not sufficient to allow a not guilty verdict.
I suspect this crime was a result of a combination of irrational religious belief and actual acute mental illness. Often a frightening and lethal cocktail.
2007-09-10 13:09:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Criminally insane... or criminally religious...?? Both... When people do crap like this and say it is justifiable to God, they are saying that God would justify a murder of someone who could potentially turn to God in the future... now why would any God justify that? They misrepresent God because they are misled, misinformed, mentally ill... and that is why so many people get the wrong idea about God and true Christians. This person was not a true Christian, he just claimed to be. I can claim I am a black woman... doesn't make it true. He should be tried and found guilty of murder and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, period.
2007-09-10 03:55:29 · answer #3 · answered by ϑennaß 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It was morally wrong and legally wrong.
The Shelton family statements implying that 'many mainstream Christians' believe this way is strange.
Always a sad thing to read / hear of someone taking another life. It's creepy to read / hear it justified here.
2007-09-10 03:33:26 · answer #4 · answered by super Bobo 6 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Depends on what she's like, but I've got a feeling that a totally devout Christian girl wouldn't marry me.
2016-05-21 02:18:23 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Criminally religious.
Not insane since he knew it was wrong in the eyes of the law.
How would it have gone for Larry if he had killed Arthur and proclaimed "but he believed in something that doesn't exist so I had to put him out of his own stupid misery"? I'm sure he wouldn't have been given the mental illness relief, but rather the HCl acid bucket and sack of NaCN.
2007-09-10 03:28:18 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
John 12:47
And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world
I've heard Christians express views that let you know that they know nothing of Christ.
He sounds very like the quartet of guys that broke my teeth and cut up my hand while trying to stab me. My boyfriend at the time was in the hospital for two weeks and had three operations to survive the attack. All this happened because they found out we were Witches at the time. Of course they were the beer drinking tobacco chewing armchair quarterback kind of Christians that would be totally scary in any religion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh-1JVctSOY
♥Agape♥
♥Blessed Be♥
♥=∞
2007-09-10 10:19:44 · answer #7 · answered by gnosticv 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I didn't know there was a difference./ haha Criminally religious. Known too many of them myself. Some would destroy the world to prove their god. What I have read in the bible says that god fights his own battles. That people don't need to do that for him. I just really don't understand what is happening to people. So much hate.
2007-09-10 10:08:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have been wrong many times in my life, but here is what I think about this : anyone who murders another human is insane. So, he already was under the influence of the narcotic , religion, and mentally insane. Does that justify his behaviour? Absolutely not. But think about the mentality it takes to take away someones life, all they ever were, all that they will ever be. Insane, yes. Culpable, yes.
2007-09-10 03:27:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
I would classify him with all the radical islamic terrorists, murderers of the great inquisition, murderers of the Salem witch hunts and the abortion clinic bombers. By the way, you do realize this is absolutely no different than the Incas who killed maidens to sacrifice them to the sun god?
2007-09-10 03:34:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋