Krider’s decision not politically motivated

I read with interest that prosecuting attorney Jim Krider will ask for the death penalty for Barbara Opel. Why would he do that? All she did was allegedly recruit her daughter and three other youngsters to kill someone.

Krider asked for the death penalty for Charles Finch who killed Sgt. James Kinard of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, and for Richard Clark who raped and killed little Roxanne Doll, and for James Elledge who killed a woman at a church in Lynnwood.

The Herald article intimates that in the Opel case, Krider was motivated by political gain. So, what was Krider’s political motivation in the other three cases?

I am a wife and a mother of three kids. I want them to have confidence that serious crimes will be punished. I’d say Mr. Krider is about all we can count on to take a tough stand against crime here. Without the threat of severe punishment, Snohomish County becomes a target of the criminal element because criminals will know they can get away with a slap on the wrist.

I think The Herald ought to take a hard look at Mr. Krider’s record – measure it against the times in which we live since Sept. 11, and ask ourselves – is this a time for courage in criminal justice or will we move backward to making the perpetrator the victim and the victim be damned?

Everett