Part of Me Wanted Him to Die

A couple of days ago, the Albany (NY) Times-Union ran an article about a panel on the death penalty at the annual Legislative Conference of the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators. One of the panelists was Steven Mollette, father of a murder victim. From the article:

Steven Mollette of Peekskill was forced to face the issue in a Schenectady County courtroom in December 2006.

Mollette's daughter, Unishun Mollette, was 19 when she was killed by bullets meant for someone else as she sat in the back seat of a car in Hamilton Hill in September 2003. Kenneth Portee is serving 50 years to life.

"I sat in that courtroom every day during the trial and there was no question in my mind he was guilty," Mollette told a gathering of about 50 people at the session held in a concourse meeting room. "Part of me wanted him to die, too. But during the sentencing his daughter and mother were there and the compassionate side of me came out. I thought I did not want that man's mother to go through what I went through."

Mollette said he believed less money should go to vengeance and more to preventive measures.