I don’t get it. This woman is presumably damned sorry that her stupidity got her daughter killed. It’s a tragedy she’ll have to live with for the rest of her life, so WTF is gained by imprisoning her for 25 years? Seems unlikely that she’s potentially a repeat offender, so nobody is safer because Mariann Belair is in prison. This is just jackass sentencing, the very definition of cruel and unusual. Giver her probation and let her get on with her ruined life.

  • atrielienz@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    On the one hand, yes. But on the other hand what if it had been someone else’s child? The law should treat people with equality as well as equity. How much of this death involved her negligence?

    • Snapz@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      “Belair testified at her trial that she removed a loaded 9mm handgun from her diaper bag and placed it on the couch next to her in October while she was home with her 4-year-old daughter, Lawrencia Perez-Belair, and her 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter.”

    • shalafi@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Then how the hell did she get hit with murder 1?

      EDIT: I should note, murder 1 is premeditated, this clearly was not the case.

      • atrielienz@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Not gonna lie, I have no idea, all I read was some of the article. I didn’t watch any court proceedings or anything related to her sentencing. I’m just pointing out that while I do think she probably will never be able to forgive herself for this, she’s not the only person who lost a kid, or a family member that day, and if it was her negligence or lack of positive control over a firearm in her possession that was the main cause of this death then that’s on her.

        If I had to guess she probably didn’t have a team of lawyers either. I don’t trust the justice system to be a fair or just institution because too often it just isn’t. But, I can certainly see why people who are tired of children dying to poor gun control measures would want to serve up consequences for someone whose negligence led to the endangerment of two children and the death of one of them.

    • Doug Holland@lemmy.worldOPM
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      3 months ago

      All of this death involved her negligence, and you’re right that if it had been someone else’s child it would call for a different response.

      But I don’t know what, except that I wouldn’t want to be a judge.