A neighbor gave his life, to defend a convicted sex offender.

[blackblade]

It's called an historical case.

I'm reminded also of a case up near Grande Prairie, AB, where I spent several years. Apparently, some girl accused a family friend along for a trip near Fox Creek or wherever the hell, maybe along the Highway 2 route instead, of following her into a ladies' bathroom and assaulting her. The camera records - the cameras were trained on the doors of the gas station washroom - didn't record him going in, so he was thankfully acquitted. Maybe it was the Vegreville truck-stop. I just can't remember.

Why did she make this false accusation? Only she will ever know, sigh.

We have odd laws here. A 16 year old can leave school, drive, have sex, shack up, rent their own apartment and have a full-time job. (Did all this myself). But if they commit a crime, they're treated more or less like little kids.

Alberta is kind of backwater like that. At 16 you can drive. But drink or smoke? Wait till you're 18.

Federally, You're a minor until you're 18. Which makes 17 year-olds in their mothers SUV the amongst most dangerous part of living in Alberta. Privatized Liquor stores ensure that they're probably able to get booze too. We're also a short drive from BC, where weed pretty much grows in the wild. People are also getting clever and reporting police checkpoints over twitter, making DUI spotchecks much less effective than they used to be.

I also worked full time by ~16 or 17. But I'd been working since grade 10 (would've been 15 by that point?)

[Deleted]

Why the fuck are they letting murderers out on day release?

It's a funny world we live in...

[Sliske]

Just because the person being murdered in front of you is a sex offender (replace sex offender with any other thing that is viewed bad by us and our society) doesn't mean i'd just let it happen. Not many people deserve to be beaten to death. I'd probably stop a soldier being a taliban man to death if i could. I'd rather them have a trial than attempt to inflict justice onto them with my fists.

[Lynarii]

The only thing that separates the wanna-be vigilantes from the criminals they so despise is that the wannabes are too cowardly to commit their crimes. They're just as much monsters on the inside, reveling in the thought of a person dying by their hands.

Even the worst people in this world, the serial killers and the child-rapists and the like, are better arrested, tried, and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law than beaten to death on the street by some random jackoff. If a person absolutely has to die, and unfortunately sometimes that's the case, it had damn well better be because that's the only reasonable option available. Not because someone off the street thinks it's fun to watch someone else bleed out.

As far as the OP is concerned, the guy who died was a hero. The guy he defended may or may not have deserved the defense, that's not for me to say, but to watch a murder and do nothing makes you no better than a murderer yourself.

[Al Gorefiend]

Nobody deserves to be murdered. I think of it to be the absolute worst way to die, to have to look at a stranger you don't even know take the most precious gift your parents gave you. As for the murderer, this is why I, as a police officer, don't like the idea of parole or day release.

[Deleted]

Even Hitler? Saddam Hussein? Get a grip.

Psst, There were two Iraq wars...second chance

Did the neighbour know he was a sex offender? probably not.

Lifer on day release kills.....I think there will be strong support for out government to tell the European Court of Human Rights to go piss off, since they want the lifers without chance of parole to have chance of parole.

[blacklamb]

Honestly, I understand the guy intervening, it was probably pure instinct to go help someone who couldn't defend themselves. Too bad this piece of shit never gave the little boy he hurt the same consideration, so I can't say I would lose sleep over him dying. He didn't deserve that kind of sacrifice, that's for sure.

[Polybius]

Honestly, I understand the guy intervening, it was probably pure instinct to go help someone who couldn't defend themselves. Too bad this piece of shit never gave the little boy he hurt the same consideration, so I can't say I would lose sleep over him dying. He didn't deserve that kind of sacrifice, that's for sure.

And how do you know he hurt a little boy?

[Solzan Nemesis]

Even Hitler? Saddam Hussein? Get a grip.

As for what happened... If I knew about his crime prior to what happened, I'd have left them to it. One less sick fuck in the world isn't going to affect my day.

Yes and fact I have all ways said, that I would give Hitler a 2nd chance.

[Akylios]

I actually wouldn't risk my life to defend anyone but my family.

I'd do a lot of things to defend strangers, I honestly would, I just would not do so at the risk of my own life. I'm not going to leave my children without a father and my wife without a husband for a stranger or someone I barely know.

[Sunseeker]

Most people seem to be of the mindset that if you even look at a child crosswise, they should be shot, hung, quartered, stoned, beaten and then crucified, and possibly decapitated and disemboweled, and maybe flayed too.

People kinda go stupid when they hear a kid was involved.

[Crissi]

Yes and fact I have all ways said, that I would give Hitler a 2nd chance.

He was actually a pretty decent artist. Hope that art school that turned him down feels bad now >.>

[Solzan Nemesis]

He was actually a pretty decent artist. Hope that art school that turned him down feels bad now >.>

Well not sure how they feel. Though last year in collage I did a report on a piece of art Hitler made.

[Stir]

I actually wouldn't risk my life to defend anyone but my family.

I'd do a lot of things to defend strangers, I honestly would, I just would not do so at the risk of my own life. I'm not going to leave my children without a father and my wife without a husband for a stranger or someone I barely know.

Your rationale is sound, but when confronted with such a situation, pure instinct will take over. Fight or flight; you don't have a rational choice between the two.
And yes, those instincts will be triggered when other people are in such a situation as well. We're a social species, after all.

[Polybius]

Most people seem to be of the mindset that if you even look at a child crosswise, they should be shot, hung, quartered, stoned, beaten and then crucified, and possibly decapitated and disemboweled, and maybe flayed too.

People kinda go stupid when they hear a kid was involved.

Right? It's like they need a punching bag as a catharsis to their estrogen and testosterone. It only shows their animalistic and uncontrolled loathe inside of them.

[Arayaa]

But my question i suppose, to this moral dilemma is - would you defend a neighbor who was a convicted sex offender? But for all intents and purposes had been reformed and had lived the rest of there life quietly, and without incident.

If this was true, or at least I believed it to be true, I probably wouldn't treat him any differently than anyone else. That said I think if I saw someone with a knife or gun I would probably be too scared for my own safety to intervene in full - maybe just yell from a distance or something.

"We are continuing to treat the death as murder"

That really shouldn't have to be said. If it was ever not on the cards, that's appalling. There is no way in the world we should be lightening the crime if the person only kills someone who intervenes. Intervening should be encouraged in these circumstances, but rarely is.

[TheSerialSniper]

Inappropriate assault of a 10 year old boy could simply mean that he spanked a 10-year old boy that probably was not his kid and his parents didnt like it.

Side Note: I do not agree with spanking. That is just an example him being a convicted sex offender without even being a perv.