{"id":1738449,"date":"2022-11-14T16:11:20","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T21:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1738449"},"modified":"2022-11-14T16:18:29","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T21:18:29","slug":"nikki-goeser-john-r-lott-jr-when-protecting-criminals-comes-at-the-expense-of-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nikki-goeser-john-r-lott-jr-when-protecting-criminals-comes-at-the-expense-of-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Nikki Goeser &#038; John R. Lott Jr.: When Protecting Criminals Comes at the Expense of Victims"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnikki-goeser-john-r-lott-jr-when-protecting-criminals-comes-at-the-expense-of-victims%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1738449&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/2022.11.14-04.11-thepoliticalinsider-637268ab74c2f.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em>By\u00a0Nikki Goeser\u00a0&#038;\u00a0John R. Lott Jr. for RealClearPolitics<\/em><\/p>\n<p>It took four years and nine months before Nicolas Cruz was finally sentenced for the murder of seventeen people in the horrific Parkland massacre.<\/p>\n<p>So much of the legal system focuses on fairness to the criminal; but the damage to the victims and their families as they wait for trial is tremendous.\u00a0Those who have to testify or give victim impact statements must continually think about what they will say at trial. There is also uncertainty about the verdict and whether the murderer will\u00a0be\u00a0punished.<\/p>\n<p>In the Parkland case, the victims were denied the closure of Cruz\u00a0receiving\u00a0the death penalty.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/report-paul-pelosis-hammer-wielding-attacker-is-an-illegal-immigrant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Report: Paul Pelosi\u2019s Hammer-Wielding Attacker Is an Illegal Immigrant<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We have seen the consequences of trial delays firsthand. Nikki Goeser, the co-author here, helplessly witnessed her husband, Ben, murdered in front of her by her stalker on April 2, 2009.\u00a0The murderer had long been obsessed with her. Nor was there any\u00a0doubt about who the murderer was. Hank Wise shot her husband to death in front of 50 witnesses and was filmed on\u00a0a\u00a0restaurant\u2019s\u00a0security video.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Incredibly, Nikki is still dealing with the legal fallout from that case. The murderer has continued stalking her, and a new trial,\u00a0originally\u00a0scheduled for\u00a0the third attempt on\u00a0Nov.\u00a08,\u00a0now won\u2019t occur until January\u00a02023.<\/p>\n<p>There was no doubt that he had carefully planned the murder in advance.<\/p>\n<p>The night before the murder, he had posted on social media:\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"subscribe\" class=\"email-signup inarticle\">\n<h4>Support Conservative Voices!<\/h4>\n<h5><strong>Sign up to receive the latest<\/strong> political news, insight, and commentary delivered directly to your inbox.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Predator vs. Prey. I know who you are, run. Where will you work where I can<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>t find you? At home, at dinner, in your sleep, every f***ing waking moment. This is going to be very painful. You<\/em><em>\u2019<\/em><em>ve pissed me off now. You are about to see my bad side. What kind of life do you have now?! You are forever un-forgiven.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In the stalker\u2019s truck in the restaurant parking lot the night of Ben\u2019s murder, police found two more guns (a shotgun and rifle), ammo, a baseball bat, binoculars, gloves, rope, and a knife.<\/p>\n<p>This was a clear-cut case. But the trial was delayed several times and didn\u2019t happen until three years later, on April 9, 2012.\u00a0Nikki knew she would have to testify. As each trial date approached, she had to prepare herself and relive the horrifying events.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/fact-checking-5-biden-warnings-about-dangers-to-democracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fact-Checking 5 Biden Warnings About \u2018Dangers to Democracy\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Victims worry about whether they will do a good job. What will the defense attorney do to them? Nikki couldn\u2019t put it behind her. We know the nightmares that she had to live through. Nightmares that she has continued to live with to this day.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the murderer didn\u2019t get the punishment he deserved. He didn\u2019t get the death penalty or even a life sentence. The death penalty is available in Tennessee, but the\u00a0district\u00a0attorney in Davidson County opposed using it. Despite all the evidence of premeditation and planning, the liberal judge reduced the sentence to\u00a0second\u00a0degree murder.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The murderer is still obsessed with Nikki, and she fears his release.\u00a0He\u00a0had her lawyer\u2019s address and had been sending her letters before his 2012 trial. Nikki begged the prosecutors and others to stop him, but they didn\u2019t help, so she told her lawyer to stop telling her about the letters.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in October 2019, when she researched her book \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/smile.amazon.com\/Stalked-Defenseless-Control-Stalker-Husband\/dp\/1709192208\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=35D8GS78OTRI7&#038;keywords=stalked+and+defenseless&#038;qid=1636267321&#038;sprefix=Stalked+and+De,stripbooks,231&#038;sr=8-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"Hyperlink0\">Stalked and Defenseless<\/span><\/a>,\u201d she reached out to her lawyer and discovered that the murderer had sent many more love letters from\u00a0prison\u00a0\u2013\u00a0including Valentine Day and Christmas Cards.<\/p>\n<p>She also discovered that the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) had awarded the murderer three\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0half years of early release\/good behavior credits even while he continued stalking her from prison.<\/p>\n<p>When Nikki approached TDOC\u00a0about\u00a0revoking\u00a0those credits, we were\u00a0both\u00a0told they would do nothing because they didn\u2019t want to upset the\u00a0\u201cprisoner rights groups.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We tried a two-pronged\u00a0strategy. We paid lawyers over $12,000 to help convince prosecutors and police to bring stalking charges. We also spent over $14,000 publicizing her book\u00a0with\u00a0the hope that the publicity would help generate prosecutors\u2019\u00a0interest and get TDOC to do the right thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/this-is-not-bail-reform-this-is-insanity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">This Is Not Bail Reform, This Is Insanity<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hiring lawyers got us nowhere. Being on national news shows also didn\u2019t do the trick. Few people have the contacts or resources we have, but it seemed hopeless despite all our efforts. Finally, a federal prosecutor got involved when a local television news show in Nashville (<a href=\"https:\/\/crimeresearch.org\/2021\/02\/news-4-nashville-lawmaker-proposes-life-long-orders-of-protection-what-may-become-known-as-nikkis-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"Hyperlink1\">WSMV-TV<\/span><\/a>) carried Nikki\u2019s story in July 2020, shortly before the statute of limitations was to\u00a0expire.<\/p>\n<p>But it has been over three years since she learned of this stalking. A trial scheduled for\u00a0Nov.\u00a08 is delayed for a fourth time until some still-to-be-determined date in January. Again, these delays take an emotional toll. Nikki must again mentally prepare herself for testifying, reliving her fears and dealing with nightmares in stressful anticipation of trial, only to have the trial delayed again.<\/p>\n<p>Part of the delay has been due to the murderer claiming insanity. His lawyer claims he is too obsessed with her to be responsible for his actions. His defense during the murder trial was that he had delusional disorder and\u00a0erotomania, the delusional belief that their target of obsession loves them and that there is a relationship.<\/p>\n<p>The murderer has also made threatening comments about what will happen if\u00a0Nikki\u00a0finds another person in her life. Understandably, Nikki is extremely fearful about his future release, knowing what he has already proven he is capable of.<\/p>\n<p>It has been thirteen years since Nikki\u2019s stalker murdered her husband. Yet, she still lives with that horror. Trial delays may occasionally help to ensure a fair trial for the criminal, but they always put victims and their families through hell over and over again.\u00a0With so many people becoming victims of crime these days, we need to realize that the damage to victims often lasts many years after the crime.<\/p>\n<p><em>Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Nikki Goeser is the executive director for the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/crimeresearch.org\/\">Crime Prevention Research Center.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>John R. Lott Jr. is a contributor to\u00a0<em>RealClearInvestigations<\/em>, focusing on voting and gun rights. His articles have appeared in publications such as the<em>\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/em>,<em>\u00a0New York Times<\/em>,<em>\u00a0Los Angeles Times<\/em>,<em>\u00a0New York Post<\/em>,<em>\u00a0USA Today<\/em>, and\u00a0<em>Chicago Tribune<\/em>. Lott is an economist who has held research and\/or teaching positions at the University of Chicago, Yale University, Stanford, UCLA, Wharton, and Rice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">The opinions expressed by contributors and\/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Political Insider.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By\u00a0Nikki Goeser\u00a0&#038;\u00a0John R. Lott Jr. for RealClearPolitics It took four years and nine months before Nicolas Cruz was finally sentenced for the murder of seventeen people in the horrific Parkland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1738452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1738449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1738449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1738452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1738449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1738449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1738449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}