What is going on?! I feel for this guy!

[sanantone]

Most murders involve people who are familiar with each other, so other types of murders are considered a bigger danger to society. Other types of murders often come with enhanced sentences. Depending on the state, one can face the death penalty if one commits a murder during the commission of another felony i.e. robbery. Murdering a public servant is usually a death penalty-eligible crime. Murdering someone simply because he or she belongs to a certain group poses a broader danger to society than the more frequent murder of passion involving friends, acquaintances, family members, romantic partners, business partners, etc. who are having some kind of dispute.

The murder of James Byrd Jr. was so shocking to the conscience, it's the reason why Texas has a hate crimes law. He and Matthew Shepard are also the reason why federal hate crimes laws were strengthened. Imagine having a group of men beat you, urinate and defecate on you, and being alive while being dragged until your arm and head severed from your body solely because of your skin color. It was reminiscent of the thousands of lynchings that occurred from the end of the Civil War until the 1920s. I'm of the opinion that these types of crimes deserve a stronger deterrent and that the severity of punishments is a reflection of a society's values. The severity of a punishment also tells people the degree to which something is socially unacceptable.