More than 40 years ago, a young policeman named Walter Barclay was shot and paralyzed while tracking down a prowler in Philadelphia. This weekend, Barclay died from cardiac arrest caused by a severe urinary tract infection -- a result of his injuries all those years ago.
Now, authorities are trying to decide whether they'll press a homicide charge against the shooter, William Barnes, who already served a sentence for shooting the officer.
Photos of Barclay, Barnes via The AP.
Personally, I think Barnes only made a down payment on his debt to society, and I'm ready for him to pay the remaining balance. But I am also fascinated with the cause-effect question that's being raised. In a society where we already have difficulty keeping convicted criminals in jail (witness the fatal Connecticut home invasion recently) I wonder how complicated it might become. I blogged about this case, too.
Posted by: Ron Franscell | Thursday, August 23, 2007 at 10:01 AM
i think thats getting a little ridiculous.
its like... say your hit by a car, everything gets settle blah blah blah and years later you die of a complication that was likely from the accident... is the driver now a murderer?
its not exactly the same since its not a gun and not intentional (i hope) but its the same principle
Posted by: me again | Friday, June 06, 2008 at 06:36 PM