| Follow Up - Life In Prison |
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| Written by Daniel White | |
| Thursday, 18 May 2006 | |
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We first reported back in December of 2004 (Robbers murder clerk, chase down & kill fleeing witness) the story about the young mother who was gunned down, along with the store clerk, in a Cleveland delicatessen. Now, one of the robbers has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in their deaths. On that fateful night, Rebecca Cordoves was driven to the store by her husband to buy baby formula for their newborn. When Rebecca found herself in the middle of an armed robbery, she ran for her life and was shot in the back. Under current Ohio law, she would have been required to take the same action, even if she was armed and could defend herself. Ohio's proposed "Stand Your Ground" legislation hopes to change that. Stand Your Ground laws, also referred to as "Castle Doctrine," allow you to legally defend yourself or loved ones in any place you have a legal right to be without the duty to retreat (see Stand Your Ground in Ohio). As the law currently stands, you are required to attempt to flee before defending yourself; placing you in the same situation Rebecca Cordoves found herself in. Ohio law does not have a duty to retreat when you are attacked in your own home. The same should apply wherever you are. Requiring an attempt at fleeing, or even to pause to consider whether you are "allowed" to try to save your own life or should try to run away, does nothing but increase the likelihood the criminal will be successful in his crime. Stand Your Ground legislation is sweeping the country, and it should be passed in Ohio as well. After all, if it saves just one life, it is worth it. |