Frank Robertson's Blog

The Florida Supreme Court has just ruled that a 24-year old man convicted of killing a retired police officer in Pensacola should not be executed, but serve life in prison without parole instead. This is sure to anger death penalty supporters, but there are mitigating circumstances.

The shooter interpreted the "A" on the retired officer's University of Alabama cap as a sign that he was the "Antichrist." Ryan Green also claimed he was the "son of God." Yet, the jury didn't buy his insanity defense. In fact, it recommended the death penalty by a vote of 10 to 2.

In reaching its decision to reduce the sentence to life, the high court cited Green's history of mental illness and no prior criminal record. That, I'm sure, is of little comfort to the victim's family. At the same time, I believe there is a greater underlying message.

I suppose you could argue that anyone who takes another person's life is, at the time, "out of his mind." Yet, when someone is delusional enough to believe he is the "son of God," that's something different entirely. The great sadness here is that Ryan Green clearly didn't get the treatment he needed to be a functioning member of society. Some where along the way, I wish his family or friends had intervened. The retired policeman might still be alive and Green might not be incarcerated for the rest of his life.