The death penalty ..

[abaris]

I freely admit that my position isn't rational; I am against the death penalty precisely because I know that it is unfairly sought and applied, it results in the death of innocent people, and that the blood of those innocents is on all our hands. But when I read stories like the one in the OP, my emotions get the best of me.

I hear you.

That's why I said in my previous post, that I probably wouldn't have any problem killing someone, who hurt my loved ones.

But that's just our emotions. The law should be entirely stripped of emotions and simply stick to the task of protecting society. Which can be just as easily done by locking offenders away.