No Mercy's Link
Previous to this fallout, Luke had a stellar reputation and was poised to become the local Sheriff. I have a high school buddy that still lives there and Luke responded to a "domestic dispute" in his home and was professional and respectful. I'm sure during his years in law enforcement, there were many similar stories. Many locals apparently wrote letters and spoke for leniency on his behalf.
My father was friends with his future in-laws and remembers his wife as a teenager and visiting their home. He leaves a beautiful wife and kids as he spends his time behind bars. It looks like the 40 year sentence gives him a shot at parole after 10 years served but there are some other charges that will be ejudicated and may add to that sentence.
There are some pretty rough characters where he's at now that grew up with sisters and mothers who were abused. Couple that with him being former law enforcement and the next 10 years may be a living hell when the other inmates find out his case background........
I hope the teenage girls who were abused and traumatized find healing and peace in their lives and the county/city will probably help monetarily since much of the crimes were committed "on duty."
None of us really know what hell would be like other than descriptive metaphors in the scriptures like "fire and brimstone" and "unquenchable flames." We're also told, "Thou shalt not judge" but I believe that's taken out of context most of the time as well. We are all required to make at least partial judgements all time......Like who we associate with and what situations we allow ourselves to be in which often involve evaluating other people. I believe the scriptures warn against making "final judgements" about people since we neither understand what that entails or the full circumstances. Finally, Jesus warned that whatever judgement we "mete out" or prism we view people will be meted or reflected back upon us.
Those jury members were given as much information as humanly possible without reading Luke's mind and gave an earthly/partial judgement upon him. The judge rejected the leniency pleas and requests and lent his judgment as well. I'm satisfied that earthly justice was carried out and if it wasn't satisfactory to our Creator, it can be "adjusted" in the next life.
What would be fantastic would be to turn the moms of those girls loose on him for a bit, thhen when they'e done, the dads........
Not to mention the trust lost to any LE they will ever have to deal with in the future.
I watched a movie once where a good cowboy was caught by some bad cowboys. They tied him to a table, face-up. They put a wire cage with the bottom cut out of it on his stomach - in the cage was a rat - they made a small cut on his stomach (enough to make it bleed) and told him the rat hadn't eaten in 3 days. (since it was the movies and he was a good guy -- he did get away) That might be a fitting punishment for him -- only put his junk through the hole in the cage so the rat has a fitting starting point.
