On 11/27/1994, Ryan Heath Dickson and three others (Dane Dickson, Freddie Medina and Jeremy Brown) robbed an Amarillo grocery store run by Marie Surace, 60, and her 61-year-old husband Carmelo Surace.
During the course of the robbery, Ryan Dickson, just 17 days past his 18th birthday, shot Mr. Surace once in the chest. His wife was then shot in the face even though she had placed all the money from the store register on the counter for the robbers to take. The robbery netted $52 in cash and an undetermined amount of beer.
In both a taped and written statement, Ryan Dickson admitted to shooting both victims. All three of the others involved in the burglary also testified to that fact that Ryan was the shooter.
There is no doubt about Ryan’s guilt.
And yet it has still taken nearly 13 years for justice to be served.
If the crime had been committed 17 days earlier, he would now be serving a life sentence, despite the fact that he would have known right-from-wrong and the consequences of his actions just as clearly 17 days earlier.
From the Texas Attorney General of Texas:
Ryan also has an extensive juvenile record, including burglary and an aggravated assault when he attacked one of his caretakers with a knife.
Some people are just no good, and the world is a better place without them. Ryan Dickson is one of those people.
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UPDATE — He’s dead:
His final words:
I am sorry for what I did and I take responsibility for what I did. I am responsible for them losing their mother, their father, their grandfather and grandmother,” he said from the gurney. “I never meant for them to be taken.
Never “meant for them to be taken” [killed]? What did he “mean to happen” when he shot Marie Surace in the face?
I’m opposed to the death penalty, but I heard something interesting today. Can’t remember the exact figures, but in a recent poll, a pretty good majority of Americans believe Bin Laden should be executed if he’s caught. In same poll, Europeans would not execute him.
In this particular case, I also think he should be executed, because I believe there would be no end to the terrorist attacks if he was sitting in some U.S. prison. As a matter of fact, I heard the former head of the CIA Bin Laden group (can’t remember his name) say that we should never capture him..we should kill him on the spot if we ever get the chance again. I agree.
Left by dianne on April 26th, 2007 at 12:28 pm