To be honest my first thought upon reading this revolved around the idea that "No life was taken" Well you know what...that really depends on what you mean by "taken". Is that girl still alive? yes but I doubt very much you can argue that her life wasn't taken from her. Her innocence, her childhood and her soul was stripped away in a single act. Parts of her that she will never gain back and if she does it will be a long hard struggle.
On the other hand I'm not a proponent of Capital Punishment even though emotionally I could give a rats ass if this guy fries. Seems to me that what needs addressing more than anything are the laws concerning Child abuse, rape and molestation. They should be swift and severe. The fact is that there is no "cure" for pedophiles/rapist so why are they allowed to go back out? Everyone knows they will do it again but that seems to be what they are allowed to do.
So I guess I'm trying to say I agree with the decision but I do so with much trepidation.
