Arthur Schroeder 82, of Marysville, was killed in his home on Jan. 25. As if to suggest that it might somehow be a mitigating factor in the crime to which he fell victim, each Herald article regarding the case (five so far) has alerted us to a sordid but unrelated fact; he was a registered sex offender who spent 18 years in prison for crimes committed between 1980 and 1983. Two suspects have now been arrested for the murder and we have been provided no evidence that their motives were related to his past behavior. At this point then, any reference to what took place some 30 years ago is absolutely irrelevant; it has no bearing whatsoever on the murder and current investigation. It may be unlikely that Mr. Schroeder deserved our respect. Reporting however, which needlessly places focus on one’s personal failings at the time of his murder, thereby appearing to imply that a brutal crime is of diminished consequence, isn’t worthy of respect either.
Dan Postema
Everett
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