Murder Can't Be Erased

Froma Harrop on Sep 11, 2025

Some offenses are so heinous they can never be wiped from the record-- criminal or moral. There's no normalizing first- or second-degree murder. Not by having done the time with good behavior, not by getting a college degree, not by apologizing. Other crimes don't, in themselves, warrant a life sentence, but put enough serious violations together, and the perpetrator needs to be taken off the streets.

The right is in uproar over the unprovoked fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian immigrant. Iryna Zarutska was returning home from a night job on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her accused killer, Decarlos Brown Jr., has a history of mental illness and a long rap sheet including armed robbery, felony larceny and breaking and entering.

I oppose the death penalty and will spare my MAGA friends the statistics showing far higher murder rates in Republican-run places than Democratic ones. But we can agree that career criminals have no business being out among us.

There need to be more jails, and for the mentally ill -- many of the worst offenders -- psychiatric facilities with bars.

Some "debts to society" should not be stamped "paid" by completing a prison sentence. Or by expressions of regret, however heartfelt. There's the case of Joseph D. Emerson, a former Alaska Airlines pilot, who tried to shut down the engines of a plane in midflight. He expressed regret to the passengers and thanked the crew members who restrained him.

Emerson explained that he took psychedelic mushrooms two days before the flight and suffered serious depression. Were his actions understandable if he was high on mushrooms? Understandable, perhaps. Forgivable, no.

This was attempted murder of a planeload of people. May he be treated for his mental disorders -- but behind bars.

Emerson's lawyer no doubt advised him to admit he bore responsibility and was "trying to progress and become better." Emerson and his wife also started a nonprofit to help pilots recover from mental health issues. A nice gesture.

It's true that no one died, a credit to the crew, but didn't an attempt at mass murder merit more than 50 days in jail, five years' probation and community service? That was the sentence ordered by Oregon. Emerson awaits Federal sentencing.

There was some odd reporting in The New York Times on an immigrant from Jamaica, whom the Trump administration deported to Eswatini, an African country formerly known as Swaziland.

The headline was "Man Who'd Served His Time in U.S. Is Deported to an African Prison." The article explains that Orville Etoria had earned a bachelor's degree while serving his 25-years-to-life sentence, got a job at a men's shelter and was working on a master's degree in divinity.

You have to read two-thirds down to learn more about what Etoria was in prison for: He entered a leather goods shop in Brooklyn and pumped three bullets into the head of a complete stranger. He already had a long record of attempted murder, robbery and kidnapping. He may have been a model prisoner. He may have suffered from schizophrenia. He may have been in the country legally with a green card. And it may have been wrong for the administration to send him to Africa when Jamaica was willing to accept him.

But his crime wasn't shoplifting. It was murder two -- an intentional killing of an innocent. If one seeks examples to question the fairness of deporting immigrants to third countries, there are far better choices. An immigrant who commits murder should be sent home. End of story.

Sure, some inmates who get psychiatric treatment and seem to be flying right can rejoin society. Killers shouldn't be among them. Their victims will never come back.

========

Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

----