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O U C H
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:20pm
by Trytostaydead
This is rather harsh, is it not?
Man Gets Life in Prison for Spitting
Thu Jul 3, 7:53 AM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma man arrested on suspicion of beating his wife faced year in prison and a fine. But when he spit in an arresting officer's face, he got a life sentence instead, officials said on Wednesday.
John Carl Marquez, 36, was convicted of "placing bodily fluid upon a government employee," a felony that can carry a life sentence because of the possibility of transmitting a potentially deadly disease.
State judge April Sellers White sentenced Marquez this week even though Marquez and the officer tested negative for any communicable disease.
Marquez also was convicted of assaulting a police officer, and a jury recommended the maximum sentence because he had previous convictions.
Marquez, arrested several months ago, could have received one year in prison and a $3,000 fine for wife beating, according to the Creek County court clerk's office.
His lawyers said they plan to appeal.
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:23pm
by Faram
Okay I can safly say this.
Only in America and no I DONT mean that in a possitive way.
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:24pm
by StarshipTitanic
JUSTICE! More trash needs to be locked up.
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:27pm
by Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi
I have an idea: Why don't you test the officer for disease and then give the guy life if the tests turn up positive? Why don't we give people life sentences for driving because you might run over something?
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:32pm
by Darth Garden Gnome
That is truly absurd. Don't get me wrong, the asshole deserves all the jail time in the world for being an abusive husband, but life because he spit on a cop?
I'm with Asst. Smi on this one.
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:38pm
by Stravo
The crime is lacking the prerequisite of intent here. This law about spitting should really only apply if the person knew or should have known that they were diseased and THEN chose to spit on someone. If you or I know we are negative and then spit on someone, we are NOT putting them in danger. This is not right there must be more to this or the law is fatally flawed, partcilarly the punishemnt phase - LIFE IN PRISON?!
Sorry, I'm all for strict law enforcement and I am pro prosecution in many cases but this is absurd. I also think it says ALOT about our society when a man can beat his spouse and face a max of one year but spit on a police officer or any government official and face life in prison. What values are we promoting here?
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:41pm
by InnerBrat
Eugh. he deserves life for being a wife beating bastard, so he gets no sympathy from me.
Posted: 2003-07-03 12:50pm
by Hethrir
The trouble i see, is that they are giving him longer for spitting on a police officer than for beating a woman!
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:03pm
by Zoink
Hethrir wrote:The trouble i see, is that they are giving him longer for spitting on a police officer than for beating a woman!
Its OK as long as he didn't spit on her.
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:04pm
by Stravo
Zoink wrote:Hethrir wrote:The trouble i see, is that they are giving him longer for spitting on a police officer than for beating a woman!
Its OK as long as he didn't spit on her.
No because the law specifies government official so someone with AIDS can spit on you or me and lord knows what will hjappen but if we were a postal employee WATCH OUT!!
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:07pm
by Sea Skimmer
I'm finding it hard to locate sympathy. Anyway, is life actually life in that state or 20 years?
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:16pm
by StarshipTitanic
While the law is extremely stupid, I still think the punishment is appropriate for him.
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:37pm
by Death from the Sea
It is dumb he got sentenced for the spitting thing, but that life sentence will keep him from beating women so it is a good thing in the end. Basically they got him on technicality and I think it is about time the system got the badguy on a technicality instead of the badguy getting off on one.
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:43pm
by Stravo
Excuse me, but is everyone missing the point here? What if you were protesting GWB or the war and you spit on a Police officer or better yet a Postal employee who stopped to jeer you. You get LIFE?! Is that even remotely fair??
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:47pm
by Faram
innerbrat wrote:Eugh. he deserves life for being a wife beating bastard, so he gets no sympathy from me.
Yes he is an asshole but he did only get 1 year for beating his wife.
But then he spit on an officer ang got life...
In a fair and good world he would get life for beating his wife and 1 year for spitting on the officer.
Posted: 2003-07-03 01:47pm
by Hethrir
You would be better off taking your anger out on your wife...now that is screwed up!
Posted: 2003-07-03 02:11pm
by kojikun
honestly, i think the spitting part is maybe a BIT overboard, but i can understand why a law is required. various diseases can be transmitted through saliva which can become highly deadly upon contact.
Posted: 2003-07-03 02:25pm
by Jadeite
According to a thread about this on SA, the guy had a pretty long list of crimes, including assault on an officer.
Posted: 2003-07-03 04:17pm
by Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi
Jadeite wrote:According to a thread about this on SA, the guy had a pretty long list of crimes, including assault on an officer.
Then why did they give him life for spitting on a police officer? Isn't that like arresting a 9 year-old driving down the road in a stolen car at 125 miles an hour because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt?
Posted: 2003-07-03 04:35pm
by Tsyroc
innerbrat wrote:Eugh. he deserves life for being a wife beating bastard, so he gets no sympathy from me.
I don't know. 20-25 years as some bubba's unwilling Prison Bitch seems more than enough punishment but you are right he is verging on needing to be permanently removed from the rest of society.
If this guy is shuch a constant irritant to society maybe he should be getting life before he ends up doing something that makes us wish he'd already been doing life.
Right now I'm think the best bet all around is that this guy's got a major case of the "oh shits" when he got a life sentence. Now, while he is waiting for an appeal I hope he is contemplating what "life" could mean for him. If that is the case I hope some sense sinks into his skull and that his sentence is reduced on appeal. If all he's doing right now is getting angry and defiant then I hope he's good at making liscense plates.
Posted: 2003-07-03 04:39pm
by Tsyroc
Stravo wrote:Excuse me, but is everyone missing the point here? What if you were protesting GWB or the war and you spit on a Police officer or better yet a Postal employee who stopped to jeer you. You get LIFE?! Is that even remotely fair??
Not it's not, except in the case where you knew that you had a cominicable disease before you did the spitting.
Personally, I'd be more inclined to let the Police officer or Postal employee beat the ever living dog shit out of this guy for spitting on them. They are just doing their job and they do not have anything to do with policy. If a protester wants to go try spitting in GWBs face as a protest then go for it, but don't fuck with the civil servants.
Posted: 2003-07-03 04:42pm
by Tsyroc
Sea Skimmer wrote:I'm finding it hard to locate sympathy. Anyway, is life actually life in that state or 20 years?
Since it's Oklahoma when they say life they probably mean life or damn close to it. Still, 20-25 years before you are eligible for parole is a pretty hefty sentence too.
Posted: 2003-07-03 05:18pm
by Yogi
It could be that they simply used the spitting as an excuse for locking him away for life. Similar to Al Capone and Tax Evasion.
Posted: 2003-07-03 06:10pm
by David
He shouldn't have gotten the sentence for spitting on the officier since he didn't have a communicable disease, but as others have said I have problems feeling any sympathy for the asshole.
Posted: 2003-07-03 06:13pm
by Montcalm
As others already mentioned on this thread "Bubba will have a big sympathy for the fucker.