Gaile Owens doesn’t deserve to die
If it’s OK for Mary Winkler to live as a free citizen and have custody of her kids, it isn’t OK for Gaile Owens to be executed by the state.
Owens is the only inmate in Tennessee prison history to face execution after accepting a prosecutor’s offer to plead guilty with a life sentence.
Though there is little doubt that Owens was severely abused by her husband, the jurors who decided her fate never knew about it. Owens never testified and hasn’t sought publicity for her plight, out of respect for her children. She even declined to appear on Oprah when approached by the program. Owens is remorseful for her crime and from the outset pled guilty. She signed a plea agreement to serve a life sentence, which the prosecution refused to accept when her co-defendant rejected the same offer.
In my opinion, this isn’t someone who deserves to die for her crimes, but my point of view isn’t the one that matters at this point. Governor Bredesen, please do the just and equitable thing and let Owens live.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Ok, I don’t know the details about Ms. Owens case. But I do know about the Winkler case and it would be great if people would stop treating/comparing the Winkler men to a bunch of hee haw looking beer drinking fools who beat their wifes on the weekend. There was never any 911 calls or police reports filed against Mathew. To this day Mary can’t produce a single person that would testify under oath that they ever saw her with bruises,black eyes,scratches or whatever during her time with Mathew. To this day all Mary has is two extremely intelligent defense attorneys(who btw arent beneath dreaming something up in their head to get a client off), along with a few friends and family who claim she told them that Mathew talked down to her. Thats all Mary has, along with those infamous high hills and wig. The Winkler men and Mathew’s mom have been slandered into the ground and it remains to this day an outright disgrace!
December 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pm
The Sunday Tennessean had a great article comparing these similar cases. Once you read this you won’t help but notice the incredible inequality and injustice that Gaile Owens is experiencing.
Both were abused, had kids, didn’t tell anyone, and both blamed themselves for having “killed” their pastor husbands. Both were examined by the same psych.
Gaile hired someone, while Mary killed her husband, Mary stole, Gaile suffered, Mary went on Oprah, Gaile declined, Gaile’s sexual abuse was must more aggregious than Mary’s as well.
This makes no sense to me. I pray for her release and restoration of her family.
January 1st, 2010 at 5:30 pm
Good and Great point Rob. Don’t know the whole story, but know you. Hopefully the good Governor…no, surely, the good Govenor will do the right thing. The death penalty doesn’t make sense morally. The way it is applied is a crime.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Thanks for taking time to comment, y’all. I’m not sure whether justice was done in the Winkler case or not, but I think it will be an injustice if Ms. Owens is executed by the state. Hopefully compassion will prevail.