Via the Kansas City Star (
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12533392.htm - registration required)
One day after losing an appeal of a murder conviction, Arkansas castrated rapist Wayne DuMond was found dead in Missouri prison cell Wednesday, apparently a natural death caused by vocal cord cancer.
DuMond was paroled from an Arkansas prison and later convicted of murder in Missouri. His death came after the Missouri Supreme Court denied his appeal Tuesday.
More under the fold (including his link to Governor Mike Huckabee)
DuMond, 55, was castrated while awaiting trial for the 1984 rape of Ashley Stephens of Forrest City. He was initially sentenced to life in prison. But in 1992 then-Gov. Jim Guy Tucker commuted the sentence to 39 1/2 years, making DuMond eligible for parole.
(..)
Shortly after taking office in 1996, Gov. Mike Huckabee said he intended to reduce DuMond's sentence to time served - about 11 years at the time. The governor ended up rejecting DuMond's parole request, which would have freed DuMond without conditions. He signed the decision moments after the Arkansas parole board granted DuMond a parole on condition that another state take him.
The full story involves how the anti-Clinton forces used Wayne DuMond as a way to attack Clinton. Basically, in their POV, DuMond was framed for raping 17 year old Ashley Stephens, and he was castrated too. So eventually they got Huckabee to let the guy out early.
What happened after that?
Wayne DuMond killed again, once convinced, and suspected in another murder.
It's hard to justify what Huckabee did. The rate of repeat offenses for sex offenders has to be one of the highest out there.
Here's some other links on Wayne DuMond:
Village Voice with a pro-DuMond story (January 2001)
Kansas City Star with a news article after DuMond was arrested for murder (July 2001)
I don't expect Mike Huckabee to advance very far in the 2008 primaries. But, if he does, remember the name Wayne DuMond, because if there is justice, that name will come back to haunt him.