As obstreperously opposed to the death penalty as I remain, it is nevertheless difficult to feel uncomplicated emotions regarding the execution of John Allen Muhammad.
To bastardize Orwell, all serial killers are equal, but some serial killers are more equal than others. (Yes, serial killer. Describing Muhammad simply as "the sniper" seems entirely too anodyne a depiction; there is something clinical, invoking war or a presumptive target. Certainly, there were targets; namely the innocent people who were caught in his crosshairs, but the people chosen were random. This obvious fact augments the horror of what happened, as is often the case with inexplicable acts of violence).
Whether or not Muhammad deserved to die is part of the story, and a question that one might answer based upon an already established point of view regarding capital punishment. But, for me, the ugliness of this particular case is exacerbated by the killer's lack of culpability; his disinclination to even speak about what he did. Remorseless, expressionless, and unmoved, it is his refusal to reach out, or be reached, that will likely make closure that much more difficult for the families and loved ones of his victims.
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