Minister confesses to old murder; flock praises him

[Darth Wong]

Flock forgives minister who confesses to 1994 slaying

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- The youth minister who confessed to a 1994 killing is being widely forgiven by members of his former congregation, who say they admire his courage in finally surrendering to police.
art.inman.jpg

Calvin Wayne Inman, 29, confessed to a slaying he committed nearly 14 years ago, police say.

Calvin Wayne Inman, 29, remains jailed without bail since he was charged Wednesday with capital murder in the stabbing death of a convenience store clerk during a robbery. He was 16 at the time.

During Sunday's service at the 800-member Elim Church, congregants praised the recently ordained Inman as a born-again role model taking responsibility for his sin.

"He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24. "I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step."

Inman went to authorities on February 5 and admitted that he stabbed Iqbal Ahmed, 64, nearly 14 years ago in suburban Pasadena.

According to police, Inman said he and a 13-year-old friend planned to rob the convenience store. When Ahmed asked to see identification before giving them tobacco, Inman stabbed Ahmed in the chest with a kitchen knife, police said.

Inman resigned from the youth job in December.

"The debt he's paying to our society is teaching our young people to do the right thing," said Cheryl Ellis, a member of the church's youth staff. "To lock him away someplace and say he owes it to society is robbing the next generation of a mentor."

Robin Thac said her 17-year-old son was active in the youth group that Inman led.

"I am thrilled my son has a role model to accept responsibility the way Calvin has," Thac said. "There are way too many men who don't accept responsibility."

Police have said Inman's friend, now 28, has acknowledged being involved in the robbery but not the stabbing. Because of 1994 juvenile laws preventing prosecution of people 13 or younger, police said they could not charge the friend.

Look, it's good that he came clean, but making a "role model" out of the man, and telling the police that he should be let off scot free so he can "mentor" others? That's fucking sick.

[Kuja]

Fucking sick, indeed. I don't think there's a better way to phrase it.

But hey, he killed a brown person and said he's sorry, so everything's okay. God Bless Texas.

[Gaidin]

Must move out of this state after grad school...those people's reactions are ewww....

[Flagg]

He can be a perfectly good mentor to fellow inmates in prison and should probably be allowed to take part in some kind of youth crime aversion program. I'm not a big fan of the whole "born-again" role model thing, that's for sure. You don't just get a pass because you "find Jaysus!".

I'm still kind of mixed on this, though. I think he should go to prison for his crime, but at the same time he's clearly not the "same" person he was when he committed the crime. The very fact that he turned himself in when he was apparently in no danger of ever being caught by police for the crime shows that. So I think I'd urge some sort of leniency, and possibly even just have them try him as a juvenile.

[wautd]

It's not that I'm suprised about the low standards of rolemodels for born agains but damn

[Crossroads Inc.]

Yeah... See, the thing about accepting responbsablity, is it only works.. if your PUNISHED. I mean does anyone think saying "GEE! I just commited Grand Thef and stole a millon bucks! But, Im fessing up to it to accept what ive done!" would fly in a court room?

Which brings me to this

"To lock him away someplace and say he owes it to society is robbing the next generation of a mentor."

Cause, yah, theres just NO way he could be a 'mentor' from , inside prison ya know?

[Eleas]

"I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step."

I find it particularly interesting that apparently, in this asshole's ideal world, a murderer wouldn't even have to confess to any living being in order for everything to be OK again.

[The Spartan]

"He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24.

No. Really. He's not. Really.

According to police, Inman said he and a 13-year-old friend planned to rob the convenience store. When Ahmed asked to see identification before giving them tobacco, Inman stabbed Ahmed in the chest with a kitchen knife, police said.

Such noble reasons for murder.

I know this is Texas and all but this is out there even for here. And had it not been their youth pastor I'm reasonably certain that, had you asked them, they would have been howling at the moon for him to be locked away forever if not executed.

[SpacedTeddyBear]

"He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24. "I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step."

The Bible also says "thou shall not kill".

I'm pretty sure the victim's family is would be glad to know that his murder is being praised by his church members.

[Glocksman]

"He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24. "I don't know how many people would do what he did. The Bible says you just need to confess to God. Calvin took an extra step."

The Bible also says "thou shall not kill".

I'm pretty sure the victim's family is would be glad to know that his murder is being praised by his church members.

They're not praising the guy's murder, they're praising his murderer for having the guts/conscience/ethics/whatever to confess to the crime.

He's certainly no hero, but confessing to a crime you got away with scot free does demonstrate that you've developed some character.

[Darth Wong]

And now he can demonstrate that character by "mentoring" troubled young men in prison, which is where he belongs.

[Pablo Sanchez]

This actually recalls some of the criticism that was levied at Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, during the campaign, about his practice of pardoning people solely on the basis of a pastor's recommendation. It also reminds me of some of the reasoning behind Bush's total refusal to discuss his cocaine and alcohol problems.

On this site we mainly mock fundamentalists and other religious whackos for their stupidity vis-a-vis science, but they have a genuinely warped world-view at all levels of consciousness, including with respect to guilt and responsibility. The congregation in the article probably genuinely believes that their Pastor bears no responsibility for his heinous crime, because he has been "born again" since then. Just like the people Huckabee freed from prison (some of whom went on to commit serious crimes again), and just like Bush himself. Once somebody is born again, they are literally a different person entirely and anything they did before they found Jesus doesn't even count anymore.

At least these mooks are smart enough to recognize that you can give your heart to Jesus, but if you kill a man, your ass still belongs to the state. So whereas they're calling him a hero for some insane goddamn reason, at least they're not agitating for him to be freed altogether. Although I'm sure the fact that the victim was named Iqbal Ahmed helps a lot.

[TithonusSyndrome]

You don't just get a pass because you "find Jaysus!".

Or do you?

[Flagg]

You don't just get a pass because you "find Jaysus!".

Or do you?

That just went to the main page...

[TithonusSyndrome]

You don't just get a pass because you "find Jaysus!".

Or do you?

That just went to the main page...

Shit, that's weird, it works for me. This is what you ought to be seeing.

[Flagg]

Or do you?

That just went to the main page...

Shit, that's weird, it works for me. This is what you ought to be seeing.

Ok, I see it now. Weird. The old one works now, too.

[Glocksman]

And now he can demonstrate that character by "mentoring" troubled young men in prison, which is where he belongs.

Exactly.
While his coming forth is a mitigating factor during sentencing, it doesn't absolve him of the crime.
How much of a mitigating factor is up to the judge to decide.

[DPDarkPrimus]

The shitbag robbed the world of a mentor already, back when he stabbed a man.

[Dark Primus]

Forgive? What the slag?

"He's a hero, really," said Kelley Graham, 24."

WHAT!

"The debt he's paying to our society is teaching our young people to do the right thing," said Cheryl Ellis, a member of the church's youth staff. "To lock him away someplace and say he owes it to society is robbing the next generation of a mentor."

WHAT!
And I thought murder gave 20 years, not forgiveness.
What about the victim's family should they not be allowed to say anything in this?

So killing someone and wait 14 years to admit it can make you a hero. Yepp that makes sense.

[Death from the Sea]

The guy is being charged with capital murder (as he should be) and the accomplice was released with no charges because at the time of the murder the accomplice was 13, which was too young to be charged with a crime at that time.

A judge will not decide this guys sentence but instead a jury will.

This "born again role-model" is a huge turd and has been a regular at the local jails. His coming forward was not courageous or about accepting responsibility, it was about him feeling guilty. He told detectives he could no longer live with the guilt.

I say give him life in prison (no chance for parole), if not the death penalty.

[Darth Wong]

He's been a regular at the local jails? What kind of trouble does he get into?

[Death from the Sea]

He's been a regular at the local jails? What kind of trouble does he get into?

I get to read his criminal history, but they put out a wanted poster for the accomplice after Inman turned himself in. The wanted poster narrative said that Inman had an extensive local history and so did the accomplice, so it was likely we would come across him.

I can check when I get back to work after my weekend is over. I would bet that he is a burglar and a crack-head though.

[Death from the Sea]

crap... I mean to say that I did not get to read his criminal history yet.

[Death from the Sea]

I happened to see the detective that worked the case on my way home from an extra job and he said the criminal histories (for both guys) consisted of drug charges (he did not specify what kind of drugs), burglary, criminal trespass, public intoxication, theft and DWI.