R.I.P.Tori, you never had a chance

I hate Rex Murphy,but he totally hit the target here. Hard to find a better case for bringing back the death penalty:

Canada Mourns Tori

Rex Murphy Point of View
May 21, 2009

It is a horror past most peoples' reason that an adult - or adults - would conspire to do harm, and do it, to a child. Adults can have their feuds and fights with each other, and they do; gangs can 'hit' the members of other gangs, and they do. And these too are deplorable circumstances, and send a circle of grief and pain to a lot of people not directly involved .

It is however, terribly different - a journey to a totally vile arena - when we learn of adults who do injury and terror and death to a young child. You do not have to be religious to accept the biblical words on someone who would "bring offense" on "the little ones", that "it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea."

For close to a month now, the town of Woodstock - all Ontario in fact - and to a good degree, the whole country too, have been, up until yesterday, waiting for some news on the fate of poor Tori Stafford - joyful, pretty 8 year old Tori Stafford - who was abducted after leaving her school - up until yesterday, because then the news came out that the innocent little girl was very likely killed within hours of her abduction - news which closed the doors on all hope for the many citizens of Woodstock, who have been searching and waiting since the woeful story began. Some of young Tori's closest relatives, her father and others - and it is piercing to watch - seem (and who cannot understand their situation?) unable to let go of hope.

People are white-hot angry and numb almost in the same moment. What combination of selfishness, cowardice, indulgence and rabid perversity inhabits a person to plan such injury on the helpless and the innocent; to steal a life before its dawn is over; to violate the peace of mind of parents and loved ones and vacate the harmony of an entire community? Hungry dogs in the street have more conscience.

Toronto went through a very similar - and equally terrible - vigil: that one was four bitter months in length, four years ago, when Cecilia Zhang - three days before all of her 10th birthday - was taken from her family's house. Poor Cecilia's body was found by a hiker. It's four years ago to us, the public - but I am sure it's yesterday to Cecilia's parents. These assaults, so terrible and repulsive in themselves, leave craters in the hearts of parents and family, almost as terrible to contemplate. I fear that yesterday's news must again have burned the hearts of those who were close to Cecilia.

And they radiate gloom and menace, I think, to nearly everyone. Yesterday's newscasts out of Woodstock tell the story: people - not even relatives - tearing up on camera; the police - for all their experience with the worst side of things - in this case wearing some of the shock and pain of everyone else.

It is the grotesque inequality between those who execute such crimes and their victims - the mercilessness of targeting the helpless and innocent - and the robbery of a whole life, that appalls and staggers us. Each new instance of violence visited upon a child calls up, unabated, a great wave of sympathy for the victim and utter revulsion towards the perpetrators. Thank God that it does, that we never get "adjusted" get "used" to such savagery.

Neighbours and friends are the best ones to offer genuine comfort and support to Tori's parents, but all of us, I am sure would wish to be part of that wave of sympathy to these two who are now grieving . We surely share their sorrow that one so young and unacquainted with the world was so cruelly and early taken from it.

For The National, I'm Rex Murphy.

That hit the nail on the head.

I'm very disgusted with are the police. First, the local gendarmes didn't treat it as suspicious, then the OPP take over. On CTV AM this morning, Tori's mom said that the police continually named her as the "prime suspect". No wonder it took so long to get the investigation to where it is today -- the stupid OPP, yes I said stupid, wasted time digging into the mom, and not concentrating enough on the case. Its called tunnel vision.

I don't know when hunches and gut-feelings replaced good old fashioned police science, but it happened in this case.

They are searching for her remains along my route to work in Fergus. The problem is that there is so much wildlife and dogs in the area that she is likely spread from Guelph to Orangeville by now...

Poor little thing never had a chance against these cruel people. Hangin's too good for 'em.

The whole situation is sad. Very sad.
And no -- we will not understand the mind set. And when we do, that may mean we have become something.
The cruelty is comparable to me only with what happens to children elsewhere in the world.

I am puzzled tho ---
-- I have either missed something or it just has not been said.
How is it they know for sure she is dead?
If they have gotton a confession it seems strange that it did not include her whereabouts.

Amber alert??
OK , I understand 60,000 kids go missing each year, but come-on, she was seen walking away with an unidentified person.

It is sad little Tori -- that this system failed you.

The "Amber" alert was named for the loss of a little girl. (Not fool proof, but it does work.)
Perhaps there will be something named for Tori that will allow her death not to be in vain.

Those responsible should be executed. If they bring back the death penalty, I would gladly push in the needle, or spring the trap door, or even pull the trigger to rid society of these vermin. I wouldn't shed a tear.

Marty Wrote:

Last edited by Marty on Fri May 22, 2009 11:59 pm; edited 1 time in total

The little 18 year old bitch has confessed and is trying to help the cops locate the body.

She led Tori to the slaughter, then f##king hang her too.

Remember Tori the next time the liberals push for another election. If more of you Eastern types voted Conservative, these two murdering scumbags would be walking the green mile by now! icon_twisted

I'm an eastern type, and I never voted liberal in my life. I believe that we actually need a military in Canada! icon_exclaim

I am with Salty, never voted Liberal either. Canada will never have the death penalty, sadly, that train left the station.
This guy, Tori's uncle tried to grab the shit bag, cops should have let him:

Wonder what kind of sentence he would get. I would vote for not guilty on temporary insanity.

I guess he'll have to bunk with Paul Bernardo because there is no way they can place this scumbag in general population. I would bet he already has a price on his head.......Even those in prison hate child molesters....The bitch has the same problem ....

Whoa guys

Something stinks here.

The local gendarmes and the OPP fucked up the investigation from Day 1. They concentrated on the mom and her boyfriend, and all of a sudden, information comes that the grainy video portrays one of the accused. Now this accused women is whistling Dixie. She, allegedly, was the one taped with the young lass. The OPP is desperate for good reviews.

This accused woman is way too forward with her help -- I don't know, but considering the success rate of Ontario police against Homolka and Bernardo, I would suggest everyone take a chill pill, and concentrate more on the female accused and the lack of professionalism of the OPP.

Sorry, but i calls them as i sees them

I have to be careful here since the BIL is a OPP bigwig. I asked him about the mother and his attitude was that she could be involved but they were actually more concerned with those she knew. Which in retrospect was exactly who it was. He said that they would rattle the mother's chains to see if anything came out. As we have seen, indeed she was involved in that it was someone she knew and had sold drugs to. I don't doubt for a second that she sold drugs to that murderous bitch at some point. She seems like the type that would. That gave the bitch the opportunity to find her prey. Lets hope someone kills both of them in prison.

The uncle failed to prepare and plan... the right weapon could have solved the problem and there isn't a jury in the country who would make a guilty finding.

A lot of police forces are suffering from poor public image and this I attribute to the social experiment of hiring based on ethnicity. Quality control doesn't exist and there are a lot of really dim folks running around with badges and guns. The people wearing uniforms and doing these investigations were not necessarily the most qualified applicants...

That being said I have a lot of contact with police officers in my line of work and there are some excellent officers out there however they are overshadowed by the convenient hires who make everyone look like useless plugs.

The uncle failed to prepare and plan... the right weapon could have solved the problem and there isn't a jury in the country who would make a guilty finding.

Gotta disagree with you Ian.

The jury would because they would be finely selected.

An example would be made of him for sure.

The vigilante system won't come back over this type of incident.

When we are on the doorstep of anarchy then frontier justice will have it's place.

Even I would have stopped the Uncle. (And I do believe you would have too). Not because we would not have agreed if he busted that pukes face in half, but because we know they would hang him quicker than the puke himself.

It is regretable that there was no discreet individual a thousand yards off with a keen sense of windage.