Is capital punishment appropriate for child or serial killers?

A 28-year-old man has been charged with abduction and first-degree murder and an 18-year-old woman has been charged with abduction and accessory to murder after the fact. There have also been reports of two other attempted child abductions in the area where police are searching for Tori’s remains, though it is not yet known if they are related. The woman accused in the abduction has led police on a wild goose chase to locate the girl’s body. Police suspect the girl, who was last seen being led away from her school by woman as caught on security cameras on April 8, was killed sometime later that day.

West Island parents are probably wondering how safe are their kids and what they can do better to prevent something like this happening here. The Missing Children's Network, leading into National Missing Kids Day on Monday, held a child ID clinic at Fairview Pointe Claire shopping centre on Saturday. An updated child ID booklet can help police in the event a child is lost or goes missing because it speeds up the search process as a distraught parent may have difficulty describing his child’s appearance, and a recent photograph of their child can save precious minutes to make a difference. The Missing Children's Network also suggests talking to your kids about safety, setting clear age-appropriate guidelines and using everyday situations to reinforce safety concepts.

Meanwhile, many are outraged by what has happened to Tori and are asking if those accused, once convicted, will be punished enough. A mother and grandmother, while watching their respective toddlers, were overheard discussing the case at a Pointe Claire park last week, suggesting perverts who murder children, or even serial killers, should face the death penalty. Why lock up inhuman people who can never be rehabilitated (like Paul Bernardo or Clifford Olson) and will never be released from behind bars? Wouldn’t it be better to stop wasting taxpayers’ money on incarcerating these sadists for 30 or 50 years?

Some argue capital punishment could be considered for certain cases, such as serial killers and killers of children. However, the concern over wrongfully convicted people being executed is legitimate as there have been a few high profile Canadian cases of murder convictions being overthrown after decades of misguided justice. While executing creeps who rape, torture and murder will not bring a child back, some believe the punishment should fit the crime.

Emotions run high following incidents such as Tori’s abduction and apparent murder but they can lead to some action. When Frank and Jocelyn Toope were murdered by three teens in Beaconsfield in 1995, public outcry suggested tougher penalties for young offenders and Ottawa took notice. The murder of Tara Manning in Dorval in 1994 prompted new legislation opening up rules for police to collect DNA evidence.

Tori’s case should spark debate as well, on everything from capital punishment to research into what turns people into psychotic killers, and even doing more to protect children from perverts.