Boys (and Men) Do Cry: Teena Brandon Case Revisited
His crimes were immortalized in the hit movie “Boys Don’t Cry,” starring Hilary Swank in her career-making role as Brandon Teena, a transgendered child who preferred life as a male until it was discovered he was born female.
For more than 10 years, John Lotter has faced death in Tecumseh, Nebraska’s electric chair for the 1993 triple murder that spawned the movie. He was sentenced to death for killing “Teena Brandon,” Lisa Lambert and Phillip DeVine, after Brandon reported that Lotter and another man had raped her.
Something has changed, however—and once again Teena Brandon seems to be the one victimized by the outcome: Lotter (and nine other men) may not be meeting their maker any time soon—or ever.
In a February 2008 ruling, the state of Nebraska agreed that electrocution, which is the state’s only means of execution, can be considered “cruel and unusual punishment,” and is not the way in which men condemned to death should die.
A bullet to the head, maybe? Gas, perhaps? Lethal injection?
No matter how you look at it, there is a strange dichotomy here: Those sentenced to death are actually waiting to hear how they will die.
Or are they?
This is where that ultimate argument-maker—the death penalty—gets fun. In deciding that electrocution might be “cruel” and unusual—let’s give them the latter and just argue the former, no?—punishment, one might beckon to think that we are beginning to care how we kill people. That the idea that killing another human being because he or she killed is maybe not the answer.
Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning told the AP, “They’re still sentenced to death. Their punishment remains death and the punishment has not changed.”
Ahem … We get that, Counselor.
There’s even a “Save John Lotter from The Electric Chair” movement out there on the good old trusty Internet. Check out this open letter, which, incidentally, has been signed by 2267 people as of this writing:
To: The State Of Nebraska
Dec. 31st 1993. Around 3a.m. Two men by the names of Marvin Thomas Nissen And John Lotter. Both entered the home of Lisa Lambert. There was three other person’s whom was in the home that night. One of witch was Teena Brandon. (Boys don’t cry) (Whom I like to call Brandon.) The Other persons have disclosed names. I unfortunately cannot mention either one. One in witch is Lisa’s minor son. For The other individual. I have no legal permeation to mention his name. These two men both took equal part of the triple homicide; that took place that dreadful evening. How ever! Mr. Thomas Nissen made a plea barging. The plea barging stated that Mr. Nissen would not have to face the death plenty, and agree not to live in the same prison as one John Lotter. John Lotter whom awaits the death plenty. Mr. Lotter is now on death row. In the state of Nebraska when A PERSON is found guilty of murder. A human will be put to death by the way of the electric chair! This is an OUTRADGE! No state should still have the ELECTRIC CHAIR As a punishment! SOMETHING MUST BE DONE! We all know it is wrong to MURDER! But why is it okay to SENTANCE a man to DEATH? That to me is also MURDER! What does such an inhuman sentence as the ELECTIC CHAIR prove TO SOCIETY! Is this justice? NO!! This Petition was developed so we the people can change John Lotter’s sentence from the death plenty to LIFE IN PRISION! I feel as though He should have the same sentence as Mr. Nissen. If you think so too. Please sign this petition. Perhaps this could be the begging of the Ridden the Electric chair in the state of Nebraska for GOOD!
Okay, not the most impressively written missive and maybe a stronger argument for school budgets being cut, but that is for another time…
We live in a different age, people. Maybe it’s time we take a look at how we punish those responsible for the most heinous acts of murder and come up with different ways to accomplish the same results.
I’m all for paying more taxes for more prisons. But maybe there’s another solution?
Interestingly enough, Lotter told the AP in a prison interview that he doesn’t “buy suggestions that lethal injection is more humane than electrocution. A drug that paralyzes the body likely just hides the suffering,” he said.
“You put a cover over it. How is that humane? Being dead is dead.”
Funny that this murderer now cares how one dies.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:56 am
What exactly is a fair and humane way to kill someone on death row?? All I know is that what ever method used, it is far better than how victims die. I can’t understand why our government and Supreme Court[s] continue to entertain all the BS about what is inhumane about the DP. Either abolish it all together, or make a freaking decision, once and for all, which method[s] are appropriate and be done with it.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:32 am
“Cruel and unusual.” Right. Of course they never worried about the people they murdered.
Why should anyone give a blue flying F*** if they feel a little bad when we send them to the Hell they so richly deserve?
July 7th, 2008 at 10:56 am
I didn’t realize there was a movie about this case, but I had read about it at Crime Library. Very sad story.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:16 am
The movie was violent and I couldn’t watch all of it. It got good reviews and I think Hillary Swank won some award for it.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:28 am
I agree with the state, that the government should not torture criminals. If electrocution falls under this category, then it should be removed as a means of execution.
This petitioner is a moron. The only “OUTRADGE!” here is how little the life of the victim’s matter.
I don’t follow his argument either; if the electric chair is cruel and unusual fine, but how does this rational translate to a sentence commutation?
July 7th, 2008 at 11:28 am
It’s now up to 2269 unbelievable. I have seen the movie and it is very sad. Did I sign it? HELL NO!!
July 7th, 2008 at 11:31 am
“You put a cover over it. How is that humane? Being dead is dead.”
yeah, that a-hole should know. These cowardly murderers that commit these horrible crimes most always start whining about “cruel and unusual” punishment once their date starts coming up. I’m wondering why John Lotter feels that the crimes HE committed against Teena Brandon, Lisa Lambert and Phillip DeVine don’t classify as cruel and unusual. Cowardly hypocrite.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:44 am
I understand your point. With all the debates, time, and money spent on prolonged trials and appeals, why do we keep the DP? When I see some of the prisons that have extreme restricted environments, death by prison seems a true reality. But it is the other factors — the commuting of sentences that allow some of the most ruthless and cruel of criminals to feel they should also have another shot at the free world, as well. They have found religion, and/or, if they are notorious enough, they have benefactors to give them references and support for life outside prison that props up that appeal. The celebrity many prisoners feel when they beat the odds and keep on living after committing unthinkable crimes. If they keep their lives, they should never see anything but a small prison cell and very limited contact with the outside world 24/7 for the rest of their lives. It is justice. It is how societies demonstrate the value they put on the loss of the victim and accesses some degree of punishment for their suffering.
I still think the DP should be used but only for the most horrific of crimes and where guilt is an absolute. There are such case. Now, how? — I have no idea. We humanely euthanize animals everyday, or that is the hope. What knowledge can we take from that?
It is a telling factor that these brutal killers can become so worried about their own lives after stealing the now and forever from their victims. No remorse or empathy for their victims — just self indulgent worry for themselves.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Compassrose says:
“It is a telling factor that these brutal killers can become so worried about their own lives after stealing the now and forever from their victims.”
This is so true–and even more absurdly insulting is that they find those on the outside to take up the same cause. Or, in some cases, those on the outside find them.
What type of pathology is this?
July 7th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I was just going to say basically the same thing A. I don’t know if it is so much the murderers, at least at first. After being in the penal system for a little while, the bleeding heart liberals and other activists [and family members]get ahold of them, that is when they decide they want to fight for their cause. It juse galls me that they have the nerve to do so after brutally taking another life.
July 7th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Compartmentalization? Maybe?
July 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I cant believe that 2267 people signed a letter that was written that way. I have seen better writing on the “I Can Has Cheezburger” website.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I agree with Sophie. Either use the DP or get rid of it altogether.
Furthermore, I am in favor of the death penalty whether the criminal is convicted on circumstantial evidence or if there is a video of the crime being committed followed by a confession and backstory.
I am in favor of the death penalty for child molestors and sex offenders (true sex offenders, not some poor guy that got locked out of his house and had to pee in his backyard) on the first conviction. It’s not like they are going to “get better” or be “rehabilitated” and it most likely isn’t their first offense, anyway.
Punishment is supposed to be a deterrent. When I punish my child for an infraction, it is not intended to just keep him still for the duration so he can go out and commit the same infraction. The point is to make him not do it again.
If we are not working to deter crime, we might as well just let them all go now, because they’ll all get out eventually. We might as well take that prison money and put it to good use elsewhere.
I also think that once they have been sentenced to death, it should happen soon, not 30 years later. In the “olden days”, when one of those judges wearing a wig sentenced someone to death for the commission of a crime, he said “And may God have mercy on your soul”. Well, there was a reason for that. Death was imminent, not some event in a shadowy, uncertain future. It was practically the after-lunch entertainment.
I know people say that some criminals should rot in prison and have to live with the memories of what they had done. Those people say that killing the criminal won’t bring back the victim and the survivors won’t feel any better. I have to ask those people: Is it more humane to put a lifer out of his misery or is it more humane to let them wallow in the memories? Will the survivors feel better knowing they have sentenced someone to mental torture?
I mean, really, “humane” is relative . . .
July 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Lol Melissa.
I envision this petition making a couple of rounds during happy hour at the local Tavern, and maybe under the beer tent at the county fair.
That sounds about like 2267 signatures to me.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Lisa, being for the DP is one thing. Your idea is WAY to strong. Too many innocent people have been convicted for that idea to even be remotely reasonable.
Death should NEVER be considered entertainment. If thats really the way people feel about it then what exactly makes us better than them?
Further, there is no proof that DP is a deterrant, and dont even go there with well HE will never do it again, because thats a lame answer.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
It isn’t a deterrant. More so, those people do not sit and wallow in the memories of what they did to the victems. Most of them could care less. They are sociopaths. They didn’t care when they did it and they won’t care for all eternity. They only feel sorrow for their own situation. In fact for the most part they enjoy the memories of what they did. The death penalty is just a way to rid society of those that cannot be salvaged. I am not talking about cases that are questionable. I am talking about cases with concrete proof and confessions.
I don’t feel putting a sedative in a person and putting them down is inhumane. The electric chair, most definately. Even still the electric chair is what some criminals have earned.
This story is terrible. The one thing that is not mentioned often is the innocent friend that was just visiting who was killed. These guys didn’t care. They wanted to kill and they did. They used the fact that he was a she to rationalize what they did.
In the movie they use some of the real interview with Brandon at the police department. Listen to that interview. The PO who took her statement was a complete A-hole. He treated her like a piece of crap. He could have stopped this from happening if he had of taken this crime seriously to begin with. Instead he treated her like she got what she deserved the first time around.
This is a horrific crime. They did it. They confessed to it. They should die for it. I can set up a gurney for the state of Neb. to help get rid of them in a humane manner.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Melissa,
LOL!! Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything about “him” not doing it again.
I’m not saying it should go back to the times when it was considered entertainment and you are right: Those who think it is entertainment are no better than the murderers.
As far as innocent people being convicted – ok- I’ll agree with you that there have been some cases where this happened.
My question to you is what would it take for someone to deserve to be put to death? What would they have to do, in your mind, to warrant the death penalty?
It seems to me that the current system is obviously not effective. Do we want to actually deter crime? The current system indicates “no”.
People (and by “people” I mean generally speaking and not trying to state facts and statistics) talk about prison overcrowding, so they let prisoners out. Then they complain about letting them out, where they continue their criminal activities. But when you talk about putting to death the ones that have committed death penalty level crimes, everyone starts hollering about how we can’t put people to death because it’s inhumane.
We can’t have it both ways. Do I believe that putting someone to death will “make everything better”? No. But *SOMETHING* has to be done and pussyfooting around about what is and is not humane regarding the punishment to which the criminal has been sentenced is not accomplishing anything except more dissention and drama that separates the non-criminal members of society.
See, If there was a better way (I mean one that actually worked, not one that just made people feel good because they didn’t put someone to death) I would be all for it. But We can’t have chain gangs (in general) because that is not “humane”. (Yeah, some places/sheriffs do, but it’s contested) The work that was done by the chain gangs could not be trusted as quality because, after all, they are criminals and it would cost too much in manpower to guard them while they worked.
So, what’s left? They are not productive members of society. We can’t let them out because they are a danger to society. We can’t punish them in accordance with their sentences because that would be “mean” . . .
Where do we go from here? Yeah, it’s a big problem that won’t just be solved by a snap of the fingers, but we have to start somewhere – and that somewhere is deciding to either use the death penalty or not. If the decision is to use it, then establish a standard for what warrants the death penalty, how they will be put to death, when they will be put to death and then stick with it.
July 7th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
TxMichelle,
I agree that they aren’t going to be wallowing in misery over the memories – the criminals themselves don’t even have that much humanity within them, yet they cry for humanity from the society they have attacked, offended and injured.
Also,
I believe that if someone screws up, they should take the consequences. If they screwed up enough that the consequences are the death penalty, well . . . what can I say? Mercy and Justice walk hand in hand. Justice ensures that people do right – Mercy steps in when people try to do right and fail – not when they blatantly do wrong and glory in it.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
We can put animals to sleep with an injection because they’re aggressive or people won’t adopt them but we can’t put a murderer to “sleep”? DP should be quick, provided the evidence is there to support the DP. Most of DP cases linger for another 15+ years in appeals. Same thing for Susan Atkins who a compassionate release because she has brain cancer! She wasn’t compassionate when she killed pregnant Sharon Tate. She was lucky because DP was overturned and was eligible for parole!
July 7th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Look, I dont cry when the worst of the worst get the DP. But the fact is, its fallible. REALLY fallible.
I dont even care if it hurts, because well if they did it, then they obv caused a lot of pain too. My issue is that its makes us no better, innocent people get caught up in it, and again, it doesnt WORK.
Send em off to an island, lock them up in a cell without contact with others. We are the only “civilized” country that still uses it. Its just so bizarre to me that we are allowed to legally murder, but we say hey, well they deserved it.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Susan Atkins got out?
July 7th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
I understand where you are coming from Melissa.
It is faulty. I am sure you all have read about Dallas county here.
The problem is overzealous LE who want to do politicing instead of policing. With the technology we have you would figure that things should be airtight. They are not because humans use that technology.
I still believe that we should have labs NOT associated with the counties in which the crime occurs to retest evidence immediately. There should be none of this appeals nonsense based on bogus “rights” cases.
Like I said. In cases such as these where they have confessed and the evidence is overwhelming they deserve to die.
I don’t feel bad for them.
I wish I could feel the way you do Melissa.
Lisa in OK,
You pretty much said it. It is amazing to me though how many people do show compassion for this type of person. That someone would write a letter (especially this poorly written) in defense of these monsters is beyond me.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Dont get me wrong. I would NEVER protest a death penalty, I would NEVER EVER do that to the victims family.
If I had to do a private vote, then obv. you know what it would be, but I would never ever disrespect the survivors. I am not a zealout.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
I agree there is a disconnect when it comes to the fact that innocent people are caught up in the death penalty.
However, for the ones who, like Melissa and Michelle mentioned, are caught dead to rights, have confessed to it and there is hard evidence to support the claim that they have committed the crime, there should not be any stop-gap measures or psychological escape routes that redirect the criminal from their chosen path that culminates in a swift death by way of whatever method has been chosen to administer the punishment. Whether the *criminal* finds his punishment inhumane should not trouble us. Much in the same way that I am not troubled that my 8 year old son considers his bedtime too early.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Here is the thing about confessions. Sometimes they are false, and coerced. It happens WAY more than you would want to believe.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Well, true, but, as far as this discussion, we agree on the above points about the death penalty being based on hard evidence. Hard evidence requires more than just a confession.
July 7th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Oh I know you are not a zealot Melissa. I hope I didn’t suggest that in my post. I meant people such as the above idiot making these two out to be the victems.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Do you think this “open letter” writer is on the level? It’s hard to believe someone could be that illiterate. He couldn’t have gotten past the second grade. I doubt this write-in campaign will go very far.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:08 am
It’s so badly-written that I think it has to be a joke. What is legal permeation? Getting screwed by lawyers maybe?
July 8th, 2008 at 7:11 am
He has no permission to mention the witches son?
July 8th, 2008 at 7:13 am
It’s a derivative for the lating word Jalapeno! LMAO
July 8th, 2008 at 7:44 am
There is a story here that goes much deeper than this person’s attempt to petition the state of Nebraska to commute Lotter’s sentence to LWOP — or I hope they meant without parole. Grammar aside, what this person does not understand about the process of the law, plea bargains, and the death penalty is quite revealing and scary considering 2,267 people signed the petition obviously unconcerned or, worse yet, unaware of its errors. The lack of education is more than just misspelled and incorrectly used words.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:53 am
It’s weird, I watched this movie just 3-4 nights ago. I had seen parts of it before. I also saw a documentary on this story. They talked to the murderers from prison, they also talked to the mother that had taken Brandon in for awhile.
What a tragic story. Wrong place, wrong time, definately wrong group of people to become involved with. What they did to Teena was just despicable. Bunch of no-brain rednecks. I can’t even stand to look at his face. Thank God they didn’t kill that baby too.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:54 am
No doubt Compassrose.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:56 am
You said it, Scarlett. After reading the story, I don’t know if I could bear to watch the movie. It’s just too upsetting.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:20 am
The movie is disturbing but excellent and a well earned R rating. It does cut to the heart of the issue and exposes the underlying unease many people feel when they encounter a situation they feel challenges their security or value system. Like someone mentioned, the police seemed to find Teena/Brandon an offensive anomaly and disregarded her problems. If she would be “normal,” none of these issues would be happening. The movie does show how narrow and unsophisticated many of these people were. And judging from this petition, many still are. It is sure not a problem limited to or exclusive to Nebraska.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I just find myself wishing that Teena had lived in a place where people weren’t so backward and could accept people for who they were. I think it was wrong for Teena to deceive her girlfriend, and I see why it angered the girl’s friends, but I have NO IDEA why they thought this justified their rape and murder of her and her friends. And it breaks my heart that the police took the stance that they did. Did the police get reprimanded for that? I hope so.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I don’t know if they were reprimanded. It is a small town with small town mentality. I beleive the sheriff that conducted the interview was the deputy sheriff. I could be wrong though.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Hillary Swank won Best Actress for the movie I believe. She did a FANTASTIC job of portraying Teena Brandon. Aphrodite Jones wrote a book on the story MANY years ago before the movie and that is what it was based on I believe.
When I saw the Boys DO cry headline on cnn.com I guessed it was John Lotter calling foul. I agree with the others either use the DP or rule it out completely. None of this well this isn’t right but this can be etc. Use it or don’t.
I also agree it is interesting how these very well proven killers (hard evidence) have the gall to care about how they die after what they did to get them the DP. I am mostly anti-DP. I am like Melissa that I won’t protest if someone gets it but I’m not going to advocate it either. I’d rather see the guys rot in jail thinking every single day about what they did. Life without ANY possibility of leaving the facility except in a body bag is my preferred sentence.
Lotter has WAY too much time on his hands obviously.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:06 am
The movie is excellent, but hard to watch. Incidentally, my best friend worked at the mortuary where Teena’s body was brought after she was killed. My friend had to prep the body. She said it was extremely sad, but Teena actually looked peaceful in death. I don’t think she ever had much peace in life.
As far as the DP is concerned, wouldn’t break my heart one iota if they kill this guy. And if he has to sit in prison for the rest of his life, that’s ok with me too. As long as he is never free again. It really irritates me how everytime a murderer gets life in prison or death, there are a spate of websites and blogs proclaiming this person’s innocence, asking for donation for their defense to get them out of prison. You can find websites supporting people who are truly monsters. I just finished the book A Rip in Heaven and was appalled to find a few websites accusing the victim of lying and proclaiming the innocence of the perpetrators. It is truly infuriating to me that there are so many “killer groupies” running around out there.
July 8th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
what remorse are either of these killers displaying?
oh…that’s right…Lotter is expressing remorse for HIMSELF! And only himself.
if either of them were remorseful about what they did they would WANT TO BE DEAD, because people who are truly remorseful would not be able to live with themselves regardless where they are put
“cruel and unusual” hmmm??
like leaving the child of Lisa Lambert to witness the murders and to be left with the bodies? To have had to grow up with the legacy of his mother’s murder and those of her friends, living with the knowledge that he was there and could have been killed too, hearing the story about how when the police entered the home he was clutching his dead mother…and Lotter is worried about cruel and unusual punishment????
I’m so sick and tired of these violent murderers sniveling and whining about their sentences, guess what jerk offs??? WE DON’T CARE! Society as a whole DOESN’T GIVE TWO SH*TS about you, the only thing we care about is making sure you are never comfortable or free to harm another person again! We care about justice being served, we care about the wake you left behind when you chose to take the lives of others, there are far more many victims than just 3, I totally agree that Nissen shouldn’t have been able to cop the plea and should be getting put to death right along with Lotter, see that’s not the option he wants, the petition states it’s only fair he gets life because Nissen did and then goes into it’s rambling about the “ELECTIC” Chair being cruel and unusual…hey! I know, let’s start a petition to get Nissen put on death row too!
How many years has this man been on Death Row??? close to 15 years?
why? why would he deserve 15 more years of life when he robbed 3 people of theirs? why would he be allowed to “appeal” for “mercy” when those he killed did and his cold blooded heart killed them and left a BABY in the carnage!
enough already, juice them up, string them up, be done with scum like this and cleanse this world of this trash!
July 8th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Oh, boo hoo John Lotter! He didn’t think it was ‘cruel and unusual punishment to brutally murder Teena Brandon and the others in that house that night. Their lives weren’t important, but his is.
Regardless of the execution method used, it would never be as painful a death as what his victims had to endure. I really don’t give a shit if Lotter goes to the electric chair.
California has put a moratorium on all death sentences because DR inmates use the old and tired worn out ‘cruel and unusual’ punishment arguement. That is getting real old! Other states have followed suit and have done the same thing.
Why should we be concerned about the condemned inmates well being? Why should we commute their sentences to LWOP so that they get free college educations, vocational training, music classes, art classes and the same comforts that the rest of us enjoy at taxpayers expense? Once put to death, they would no longer feed off the taxpayers.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I dont think you read it right Tina. He still has a death sentence. They are discussing electrocution.
And besides that, DP inmates cost WAY more than LWOP inmates.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
All the more reason to put a wiggle in it and get it done.
July 8th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
That isnt going to happen. And like before stated, the FACT that there are innocent people on it should leave out the wiggle.
July 9th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
lol! Ok. No wiggling.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Let that f_cker fry!!!!!!!!!!
August 9th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The petition is a JOKE. Have you seen what’s there? Almost everyone there HATES John Lotter and they want him to FRY. They want to pour gasoline over his crotch and down his throat and throw the switch…And they want to do that with Tom Nissen and Sheriff Laux on John’s lap! Then they all want to roast marshmallows over them. Sounds good to me! John Lotter wants FAIRNESS? OKAY, then – GIVE HIM THE VERY SAME TREATMENT HE GAVE HIS VICTIMS. Bring in 2 men to rip off his pants in front of a crowd, and then let each man ram his penis up inside of John, and beat him. John should experience fear and pain in every fiber of his being. He should never know laughter or love again. Loneliness, doom and empty days should be his only friends. Then, let those men stab John and shoot him as he once did. Those are the things he helped do to his victims. He cared nothing about how he treated his victims and how they died. John hated Teena Brandon enough to violently rape her and put her in her grave. If he received the same treatment, that would be fair. John Lotter should be thankful that he will be executed according to state law. At least he’ll die knowing that he deserves to die for what he did. Teena Brandon would never have had consensual sex with a male, and she reported a rape that was ignored. I hope the justice system makes sure Lotter pays for what he did with his own life. It would be nice to see that, and even Nissen and Laux fry, too. They’ve got blood on their hands. It’s a shame what happened to those victims and their families. It’s a shame that Lotter and Nissens families have to go through this nightmare of what they did, too.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
If they can’t decide how to execute Lotter, how about using the same method he used on his victims. What’s fair if fair. These killers certainly never cared about the pain and suffering they inflicted on their victims prior to their death, why are they whining now. Take your medicine Lotter, be a man for once.
November 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
If he was bad enough to do the crime, and he was sentence to the death penalty, then he should man up and take his punishment like a big boy.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:10 am
On January 25, 1989 my older brother was shot and killed. Thoughts about the death penalty have entered my mind constantly since then. Here is what I know. The death penalty, regardless of your view is not in place for the victim or the crimimal. It is in place for the ones left behind. That would be the victim’s family and the criminal’s family. Let’s face it, electrocuting a man to death is not going to rehabilitate him. Nor will bring the victim back. But it will give closure! All I kept thinking about when my brother was killed, was LET IT END! But no, it doesn’t end. You have to go to court and listen to it again, then you’ve got to hear it on tv, in the papers, at the gorcery store, EVERYWHERE! If life in prison is equal to death, then let death be swift. So that we can have closure and get back to the business of living. The murder of Brandon, Lisa, and Philip occured 10 YEARS AGO!! I can’t believe their families are still dealing with this. Put them to death and end the pain for everyone! F@#K the criminals, It’s “INHUMANE” for the families. Am I the only one who feels this way?
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 am
On another note. If you go to the petition website, you can view signatures. The majority of signatures are from people against his cause. I wonder how many “true” signatures he has?
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
BS…. if someone kills someone and is convicted of it and sentenced to death … i think they should be put to death the day theyre sentenced… lotter shouldve been LONG gone instead of wasting money keepin his sorry ass alive … i work for Pennsylvania higher education assistance agency… do you know that to keep ONE prisoner in jail for one year, we spend the same amount it would cost to send THREE students through college..now times that by however many years his ass has been there… plus all the other bastards locked up for burtally murding innocent victims … thats crazy ..and its a waste! ….point is, if you commit a crime .. you should be punished … if that crime was death, then you should be put down just like theyd put down an animal for injuring a human… he should be put to death in the most painful torturing way possible if you ask me…. and thats how i feel about this situation …
August 12th, 2009 at 5:28 am
How can anyone sign that petition? I think that Lotter is the worst human in the world; he is not even human, he is not even an animal (animals never do what he did), he is just SHIT, RUBBISH! And what we do with rubbish? we eliminate it! so, that’s what the court must do with that piece of shit!
Lotter does not have the deserve to be alive, does not have any human right, because he is not a human.
Brandon Teena forever in my mind! We miss you Brandon!
February 7th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
This is off the topic of discussion, but it is related and I think it is important.
Brandon Teena saw himself as a man, lived life as a man and wished to be recognized as a man. His wishes should be honored, and he should be referred to as Brandon or as Mr. Teena, and masculine pronouns should be used when referring to him otherwise.
To do otherwise is to minimize Mr. Teena’s status as a transgendered person and the role of hatred toward the transgendered in his murder.