To Kill or Not To Kill

A story out of Oklahoma has been all over the news today, about a botched execution at their state prison... you may have heard about it already, but what happened was that a prisoner scheduled to die (in the first double execution the state has seen since 1937) had a horrible reaction to the new, injected toxic concoction. His vein burst, and he eventually died of a massive heart attack, after writhing and clenching his teeth before witnesses. 

When I read this, I was incredibly shocked and disturbed. Surely, no one deserves to die that way. The death penalty is something that I've never agreed with, regardless of the crime; I don't believe in an-eye-for-an-eye, and I am certain murder in response to murder does not bring peace or healing. 

But then I read about his crime. The prisoner, Clayton Lockett, was convicted in 1999 of murder, rape, kidnapping, assault, battery, burglary, and robbery, most notably of which involved him shooting twice and then burying alive a 19 year old girl, after raping her friend. She undoubtedly suffered incredibly at his hands. Charles Warner, a man who would have been the second execution of the night (had Lockett's gone according to plan) was on death row for the rape and murder of an 11 month baby girl. 

I'm a mom of girls. And if one of my daughters had been the victim of those men, thinking about it now I can't help but feel that the only justice I would be satisfied with would be the death penalty. Of course, I can't presume to know how those parents feel, but I know my own heart and the fact that I don't think I would ever be able to rest until the killer was dead.  

So here I am. One of so many undecided about the death penalty, opinion changing based on the circumstances. The only thing I know for sure is that I don't know what the right answer is. 

What do you think?

To kill or not to kill, particularly when such heinous crimes are involved? What is your idea of justice?