Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Zabet often calls me morbid, but I feel a need to mention this...(see, I don't just rant about the evil people do to animals)



I often think of myself as unflappable when it comes to the truly horrendous things one person can do to another. But sometimes even I can be surprised. Last week a young woman (18 years old) was found in a dormitory room at Western Kentucky University. She had been stabbed and set on fire, sustaining third degree burns. Her roomate was not home at the time and no one else was hurt in the fire. She later died of her wounds. They have made an arrest in the case, a young man whose family is apparently quite prominent in the region. Tuesday's paper told of a witness who says he saw this person rape, stab, spray hairspray on the woman, and set her on fire. I remember thinking, "how could anyone have witnessed it and not stopped it, or at the very least alerted the authorities?" Today a second arrest was made--I guess the police agreed.

I think I could understand a rape and even, in theory, murder. I could even understand setting a body on fire to hide the evidence. But to torch another human being who was very much alive--I just can't wrap my mind around it. Which is good, I suppose. But sometimes it's just a crazy world. As an older man at Walgreens said, honey, there's some real sickos out there. Having had my share of sickos in my life (although as far as I know, they weren't murderous), I hope I can avoid them in the future.

Oh, and by the way, a thumbs down to the media who printed the tidbit about the girl having started recently at a strip club as a dancer. 1) That may have absolutely nothing to do with the case, and will only tarnish her reputation in the minds of some and 2) I don't care what she did for a living no one, and I do mean no one, deserves to be treated like that. And I fear there are some who in their minds would rather think she did.

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