Pursue death penalty in torture slaying

In what can only be described as sickening, the Salt Lake County Attorney's office declined to pursue the death penalty against Ferosa Bluff, Andrew Fedorowicz and his wife, Suzanne. The three are charged with the torture slaying of Bluff's 3-year-old daughter, Rebecca. To make matters worse, bail was set at $500,000 for each defendant. The reason bail was so "high" was because prosecutors feared they would flee to their native Canada.

What is wrong with this picture? We begin with the issue of bail. Were this New York or California, bail would not be an option for noncitizens precisely because of the risk of flight. In addition, the recommendation of the investigating detectives that charges of aggravated murder be filed went unheeded.In New York or California, they would not only be held without bail, but the death penalty would be the only option the district attorney would even consider. Aggravated murder in Utah carries the death penalty, and the D.A.'s office dropped the ball in going against the recommendation of the investigating officers.

Granted, cops are not lawyers. Their initial police training only lasts about 14 weeks or so, whereas lawyers go to law school for three years. But these detectives were experienced officers. Lead detective Steve Jentzsch said, "This is one of the worst actions I've ever seen taken on a child."

The county attorney stated that it was important to get a conviction in this high-profile case; so much so, it decided not to pursue the death penalty on this matter. That sets a dangerous precedent. If the evidence the police acquired is sufficient for a conviction with a life sentence, it should also be strong enough to get these people in front of a firing squad or a date with the needle. Utah allows condemned prisoners to make a choice.

While I do not support the notion of sentencing by opinion poll, the majority of Utahns would support the death penalty in this case. Having lived in Utah for a total of seven years, five of them as an adult, people are especially sensitive to the issue of child abuse, particularly when sexual abuse enters the picture and there are whips and straps and the like involved. Such was the case with Rebecca Bluff.

In 1988, Arthur Gary Bishop was put to death by lethal injection for the kidnap murders of a number of young boys in Salt Lake City back in the early 1980s. The law clearly called for it and a jury agreed. Less than five years after his conviction, Bishop was strapped to a gurney and made to pay the ultimate penalty for his crimes.