far too often we hear of these exceptionally henious crimes - and almost always these worst of crimes are never sentenced appropriately. we see the rapist getting a few months in jail…and then the guy with a possession of weed get 10 years. there is no consistency or fairness in criminal sentencing lately.

i stumbled across this article and realized that FINALLY someone is doing something about this!! this new research project, the depravity scale, is helping to make a standard to discover the worst of the worst crimes so that the worst criminals will be punished accordingly.

check it out

Left by rebekah on May 15th, 2006 at 2:24 pm

I just want to say that I live in Houston, very close to where they were murdered and at the time, I was the same age as they were. I remember the story so clearily and I know froma family of HPD what was done to them and I can never forget what those girls went through. I only wish that those responsible could suffer the same fate that the girls suffered. I would gladly hold one end of that shoe string and stomp on some of their ribs even though I didnt know the victims. I can only hope they suffer be it if not in life then in death. Many prayers to the family members and friends.

Left by Anonymous on May 15th, 2006 at 3:16 pm

well in that case when pepel under eaghteen commit thees kind of atroshus acts i theenk thay shuld be forced to spend the rest of thaer lives in the prison and have to be the littel bitches of aney prisoner that want to do with them what thay will.

Left by MuhammedShahiri on May 15th, 2006 at 3:43 pm

Nope, it’s been stayed.

His attorneys argued that getting a needle stuck in your arm is “unconstitutionally cruel”.

How about getting your face smashed in, your neck stomped on and a belt wrapped around your neck after being raped by a gang of neanderthals for an hour?

If the deaths of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena weren’t “unconsontitutionally cruel”, than none is.

O’Brien is lucky he will get off so easy. The sooner this cowardly bitch takes his last breath, the better we will all be.

Left by Carter on May 15th, 2006 at 4:01 pm

O’brien has a stay!

Candy will be wetting her panties over the escape of another child rapist and murderer. This news must make you feel great Candy. Congratulations!

Left by Ben on May 15th, 2006 at 5:18 pm

read more | add new comment | source |full article | [IMG delicious] | [IMG digg] | [IMG reddit] | [IMG technorati]

Left by austinsnews.net | Calibrating for hype on May 15th, 2006 at 9:39 pm

Coming from a country that does not have the death penalty and seeing people like this get off so easy, it really makes me sick. I would vote for the death penalty in a heart beat ( which is ironic really as these animals do not deserve one)

Left by Paul Smith on May 16th, 2006 at 7:07 pm

I feel so bad for the families of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena right now. I cannot believe that O’Brien got a stay and I completely agree with what Carter said above.

As for you Candace, I know you’re reading this and calling us all names while you draw little hearts all over your love notes to your death row boyfriends. What exactly is it that has you confused on the guilt of any of the guys who brutally raped, sodomized and murdered these girls? Was it their confessions, the jewelry they stole off of the girls’ bodies, the other half of the belt found at O’Brien’s house? Are you really that clueless as to believe that they deserve to live? If anyone truly deserved to die for the actions they commited, it is these 5.

Left by Tori on May 17th, 2006 at 9:47 am

The stay has been lifted and they will set a new execution date. Quick! Someone put candy on suicide watch! lol!

Left by Anonymous on May 17th, 2006 at 4:18 pm

be may candy if she beleves in them so much then when thay get thaer last wishes thay shuld al have a hour or two with her and tell them go for it boys she is all yours…..be may she will not be so kind harted to them after fifteen or twentey minuts or so.

Left by MuhammedShahiri on May 17th, 2006 at 9:05 pm

Candy will not respond, she is too busy writing letters of congratulations to her lover.

Left by Ben on May 19th, 2006 at 6:01 pm

There are 5 elements to effective communication - LISTENING - is one of them. You may consider that you can often learn something from everyone you meet and talk to - to do that you have to listen.This will be my last post . I did attempt to create a new thread to this discussion on the previous page, the response was not an answer to the question i posed but the usual name calling that littered almost all of the previous page - DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD TO PUT PEOPLE DOWN - it really doesnt work so give it a rest an engage your brain and your fears.What are you people afraid of.I pose questions cos i want to know what you think - what do i learn from fragile egos trading feeble insults - not much and nor does anyone else. Why do i ask questions, cos i want to learn, to grow,to become wiser. To JERRY i didnt attempt to insult you - you were insulted - you dont have to pretend you werent - no one likes to be insulted - i doesnt make you weak to admit it. I did it deliberately to provoke a response - I knew the word sensitive would annoy you, and it did to be sensitive does not mean you are weak - and even if it did, so what - we all have our weaknesses - and were all afraid to let anyone know. “i didnt insult anyone, did i” on my last post, was not a denial, it was a question - i haad hoped you would tell me why you felt insulted - i wanted to know how it made you feel - but i accept i blew it by forgetting the question mark - and yes i accept i am a hypocrite - me more than most - cos im full of contradictions. Why do i care what you think or feel - Why do i care what jose medellin was thinking when he killed Jenny aand Elizabeth - cos im trying to understand how and why it happened - im tring to make sense of it. Why ? You could easily argue, there is no sense to it, thaat there is no explanation - and what does it matter anyway, the girls are dead. The problem is i do have an insight into how and why it happened - i posed the question to hear what you thought - the spin as you put it was to give you the structure and evolution of how it happened - the real question was what made him capable of doing it. i hoped for some feedback - cos i beleive we all have an insight into why he did it - we dont want to admit that cos were afraid we may be labelled - but also because he is a human being like us, and that makes us uncomfortable. Jose Medellin will never apologise or show remorse for what he did, because he cant. What made him capable of this degree of violence, was one thing - his mind. That night in the park, for one hour in his life, he was king of the world -rape is not a sex crime - rape is about power and control - he was God. He wont take that back - why kill the girls - to keep them quiet - no - he wanted the world to know what he had done - he didnt need to kill them - he wanted them dead - only God has that power, but this night he was God - so what does all that mean - what does it tell us. What drove Jose medellin was anger - rage - hate, and he expressed it through his actions, through his behaviour - by physical and verbal aggression - we can all relate to that - not to the extreme degree that he did - because we have never experienced that degree of anger,rage and hate. Who was he enraged by - Jenny and Elizabeth, NO. They were just his victims. He was angry with the world, with a society that rejected his kind - his only place was with his gang, and that wasnt enough - he wanted to be someone, to make his mark - there is little difference between being famous or infamous - the objective is to be remembered. Nobody forced Jose Medellin to do what he did - not the world - not society - not his circumstances - he chose to do what he did and he knew what he was doing - there is no mitigation for it - no justification and probably no resolution to it - but we all want the things that he wanted - we all want to leave our mark - but we alaso know we probably wont achieve it - were not prepared or capable of doing what he did - we could never get that angry or brutal - but we are capable of being cruel, uncaring and downright nasty to each other for little or no good reason - the previous page is a testament to that - so maybe we should try to just be more considerate - more honest and open - aand less afraid of the fact that we are all flawed.Prison Officer Bob.

Left by Anonymous on May 19th, 2006 at 6:34 pm

Forgot to sign above post - Bob.

Left by Anonymous on May 19th, 2006 at 6:40 pm

I soundly and completely reject your bleeding heart drivel, Bob. Pay close attention. Many young men feel dejected in their lives. Many young men have faced the exact same hardships as your buddy, Medellin. Big fucking deal. Here’s the difference. Medellin made THE CHOICE that night to rape, torture and murder two children.

The reason? Because he is a coward and a moral degenerate, period.

Stop blaming society for his despicable, deplorable actions. He alone is responsible for the actions he made that night, just as you and I are responsible for the actions we make. The time has come for this lowlife scumbag to pay the piper.

You asked if putting “people down” makes us feel good. You want to know what will make me feel good? For the families of the innocent, Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman, to receive their painfully long overdue justice. That will make me feel fantastic.

And if you truly are a “prison official”, learn how to spell the word “because”. Even if you aren’t, learn it. It diminishes your argument to come across as a 9 year old playing on daddy’s computer.

Left by Carter on May 20th, 2006 at 9:15 am

Bob needs psych help.

Left by Anonymous on May 20th, 2006 at 9:38 am

The vile nature of the crimes cries out for a punishment more severe than a lethal injection but that is the best that can be done. Yet the outrage of the crime itself is dwarfed by the behavior of the thug hugger community.

There are the pen-pal sites that portray monsters as sweet natured persons.

There are the excuse makers who seem to think that every thug on death row has been framed. The latest claims that some pain might be felt by the convict is an insult to the memory of the victims and their survivors.

A stranger who stumbles accross the facts of the case cannot help but be angry. There is an anger that innocent persons received such brutal treatment to satisfy the whims of some thugs. Then there is the anger that the crime has gone so long unpunished. Even more outrage is prompted by the acts of a perverse but noisy few who seek mercy for monsters.

How much of this can the public take?

Left by Arthur Downs on May 21st, 2006 at 6:25 am

Bob sure likes the sound of his own voice.

I notice Candace is keeping quiet. She is probably one of those pen pals who only likes White guys, the Nazi shit more than likely does it for her

Left by Danny on May 21st, 2006 at 1:52 pm

Six pages of thug love for O’Brien. Now he can continue with his wedding plans.

Left by Anonymous on May 22nd, 2006 at 9:27 am

wow that link is horrid, full of candy and her illiterate friends talking about how horny killers get them yuk yuk yuk

Left by Ben on May 22nd, 2006 at 4:56 pm

There are plenty of other posts on Prison Talk -site.
O’Brien seem to be a hero. They are pathetic.

Left by Mike on May 27th, 2006 at 5:39 pm

Not on anyone’s side here but ummm….question people??? You say Candy is a white guy lover or whatever but in case you haven’t checked lately, her boyfriend is Hispanic

Left by Anonymous on June 1st, 2006 at 10:11 pm

While the crimes were so sadistic and evil, the mindset of the killers seems almost rational when juxtaposed with those who voice feelings of affection for them.

What prompts such a desire to retain subhuman monsters upon the surface of the earth? Perhaps an understanding of such aberrational attitudes is best left to the psychiatric profession.

Left by Arthur Downs on June 2nd, 2006 at 3:29 pm

I don’t even know what to say in this heart breaken story ,it’s just so hard to believe that we live everyday with poeple who are able to do these kind of things to our babies the pain well never go away i know for a fact my baby brother was killed by a boy who was 17 yrs old just because of a boy who was in the car with my brother they started shooting at the car and struck my brother who didn’t even know why they were shooting at him he was olny 14 yrs old and now i sit here and think how can i heal my pain and sorrow that i have to deal with every day of my life ,when the boy who killed him well be out in 25 yrs to go on with his what about my brother.

Left by lisa hernandez on June 5th, 2006 at 6:08 pm

Sorry about the death of your brother, Lisa. Wish there was something more I could say to you to make you feel better. I think it’s good for you to talk about your brother and not let people forget about the fact he was cheated out of his life and how it will never stop affecting you and your family. Take care.

Left by Anonymous on June 12th, 2006 at 3:08 pm

Fathers day is Sunday the phone wont ring there wont be a card in the mail,and I wont be having dinner with my daughter yet another year,of course I’ll never have dinner with her ,she was murdered by this filth that I keep reading about.
What you hear about is the appeals and the execution dates and such,Birthdays, Christmas, Fathers day and thanksgiving thats where the rubber meets the road in my mind nothing else if I take the time to wallow in the details of horror I could not function for the hate and anger buried deep inside escaping to destroy any semblance of civility I have left.So you good people sit there and write your opinions too numerous to read about how significant this tragedy is to you ,I was just trying to remind myself why I find myself alone in sorrow on fathers day when I stumbled on to this site I hope no one is offended by how I feel.The whole thing is a endless source of grief for me.

Left by mickey on June 16th, 2006 at 11:07 pm

hmm gotta reply lets hear it now ,mickey.

Left by mickey on June 18th, 2006 at 12:11 am

I didn’t think so.

Left by mickey on June 18th, 2006 at 12:13 am

Sadly this animal will not feel the fear and terror that these two children did. He has had years to come to terms with his fate, they had one hour knowing all the time what their fate was. The only people to come out on top are fat cat lawyers appealing this monsters conviction. To the families of these children my heart to you. From Gordon London, England. Xxxxxxx7

Left by gordon from london england. on July 10th, 2006 at 4:28 am

There are no fat cat lawyers working in death row defence work Gordon!!!! They get paid a pittance…many funding the work from their own pockets.

You are right about one thing though….there will be no winners on Tuesday evening. Just more pain, hurt and heartbreak for yet another family.

My heart goes out to the Pena family, the Lopez family, the Ertman family and the O’Brien family.

Left by Lynn on July 10th, 2006 at 12:11 pm

There are no fat cat lawyers working in death row defence work Gordon!!!! They get paid a pittance…many funding the work from their own pockets.

I guess it depends on how you define pittance. I have several friends who handle capital cases. The pay is $130/hr plus expenses or a lump sum of $141k to $327k depending on the complexity made in 11 payments .

The families of Elizabeth Pena and Jennifer Ertman have made it quite clear that they will be much happier when the murderers of their daughters are executed. I couldn’t care less about the families of O’Brien, et. al.

Left by Anonymous on July 11th, 2006 at 9:22 am

Yippppiiiieeee. Today is the day! I remember this story like it was yesterday - but it isn’t yesterday. It’s taken 13 long years to get here. I know that this will not bring anyone back - but the death penalty is supposed to be a “punishment” for crime and it’s finally going to happen!!!!!! Yippppiiieeeeee………………………………

Left by Carol on July 11th, 2006 at 10:56 am

I agree wholeheartedly with Carol. Yippppiiieeeee! Good riddance to bad rubbish. Too bad the rest of them including the one’s that beat the DP aren’t right alongside him. Amazing how cowardly these bold killers are when it comes to their own death. They fight tooth and nail to delay the arrival of the Grim Reaper. Too bad they didn’t feel that way about their victims.

Left by Father Time on July 11th, 2006 at 2:03 pm

I completely agree, these so called gang members are cowards!!! Who cares about what they will feel, as far as I’m concerned they should suffer the way Ertman & Pena did.

There are no winners in this, but they must all pay for their crimes; I think they should be executed, no matter how old they were at the time. They all need to take it like a MAN, step up to the plate Bud!!! It’s time, and I’m glad. These girls did not deserve this, they had their entire life taken away, for what?

My heart goes out to the Pena & Ertman families, and as a mom, if O’Brien has a mom, what can I say, your children are your children and you will or should always love, but gee’s I would be ashamed of my son for the way he lived his life. You don’t have to have money and an education to be a good person and live a good life, we’re in complete control of our destiny and now it’s time to pay the price, with his life.

I have a real problem with people who say that God will forgive our sins. Really, He shouldn’t; what these so called men did is un-forgivable; they should suffer forever!!!

Left by Patricia on July 11th, 2006 at 3:21 pm

One of the ‘fan clubs’ for Derrick includes a message: ‘Do not execute him, he is a wonderful person’.

By what perverse standards can such an evil conglomeration of protoplasm as Derrick O’Brien and friends be considered ‘wonderful’?

I am a very tolerant person. I have rescued snakes in the middle of roads and don’t mind the possums sharing the cat food for my pets. I donate to charities and have done a variety of volunteer work. But for the likes of Derrick, the only effort that I would join would be tying of a hangman’s not if more appropriate punishment for his kind was restored. Perhaps if the Derricks of the world were raping and murdering the daughters of thug-hugging judges and the liberal politicians who gave them their jobs we hight see the pendulum of justice swing the other way.

As for those who want to keep Derrick around for a while, remember that there is a reason why we flush toilets.

Left by Arthur Downs on July 11th, 2006 at 7:26 pm

O’Brien was an interupted serial rapist/murderer. At age 18 he already had 3 notches on his belt. If he had not been caught when he was, he would undoubtedly murdered more innocent people. If he had received life or lwop (if he had been eligible), he would still commit murderer — either inside prison and/or when he was released. The only thing stopping him was keeping him isolated on death row and executing him.

Left by Anonymous on July 11th, 2006 at 8:11 pm

I dont usually post in blogs, or read them either for that matter. I happened across this article about this particular murder and became curious, not being from Texas, its the first Id heard of it. So I did research and concluded that if there ever was a justification for the death penalty, this crime (and criminals) is the one. Only those who dont approve of the death penalty in general would object to this spawn of the devil execution. There are just no words of comfort suitable to say to those kids families, even after this long time, Ill just say I hurt for them when I read of the terrible suffering they had to endure. Which brings me to a hypothetical question> I wonder what the effects would be of leaving out the first part of the Lethal injection (the one that sedates and renders unconscious) and just using the other 2 drugs, maybe that would be more what these animals deserve. Make no mistake, their soul is required in hell, I would just like the trip there as painful as possible

Left by Whoamule on July 11th, 2006 at 8:30 pm

The curare paralyses your diaphram. You wouldn’t be able to breath and would lose consciousness. The potassium stops your heart. Again, without oxygen, you would quickly lose consciousness. The potassium would probably cause a burning sensation, but again, without oxygen, you lose consciousness and any discomfort would not last long. It is still a lot less painful then most of us will experience in our own “natural” deaths.

Left by Anonymous on July 11th, 2006 at 9:46 pm

well they killed derrick as Elizabeths biological father I dont feel like the right people are being punished but whats new, I would say the world is better off without him but what do I know?I think life in isolation would have been fine but as stated you never know there might be a revolution and he might have been released .So now everyone can rest well the world is safe there will never be another horrific acts a result of this deterent execution as a matter of fact it is so much safer that we should forget about history and let all our children go to the park at nite and play with strangers.(not)I could have watched the execution but for what, fathers day will be the same christmas will still be a lonely time and I will still wonder about the possibillities of a future unfufilled.any way its just another sad day in my life damn it.

Left by mickey on July 11th, 2006 at 10:11 pm

I’m closing this post to further comments. However, you can still add your comments to this post on O’Brien’s execution.

Left by Robbie on July 11th, 2006 at 10:46 pm