In January 2011, Jared Lee Loughner plotted, laid in wait, and then opened fire on former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords and a group of her constituents. He killed 6 and wounded 13 that day. Last week the survivors had the opportunity to deliver a statement in court.

Surviving victims and family members had the chance to make victim impact statements. They could confront the offender and inform the court about the pain and loss caused by the crime.

According to victimsofcrime.org, a victim impact statement (VIS) may be written or oral. It may include the following:

• Physical damage caused by the crime.
• Emotional damage caused by the crime.
• Financial costs to the victim from the crime.
• Medical or psychological treatments required by the victim or his or her family.
• The need for restitution.
• The victim's views on the crime or the offender (in some states).
• The victim's views on an appropriate sentence (in some states).

Victim statements become part of the official record and may be considered by parole boards, probation officers, or correctional institutions. They are also heard by judges before sentencing as in the Loughner case.

Mavanell "Mavy" Stoddard, who had been shot three times and watched her husband die in her arms, made a statement in front of Loughner. "Jared, when you took my precious Dorwan, you ruined my whole life" (WSJ). After expressing the grief and loneliness of losing her love, she said, "We will never let you win. You will not take our spirit" (ABC). In fact, before ending her statement, Mavy told Loughner that she forgave him.

Rep. Ron Barber called for increased awareness and knowledge about mental illness, but he also condemned the shooter's actions in his statement. "You must pay the price for the terror, injuries and deaths you caused".(Barber.House.Gov)

Although Gabby Giffords did not make a statement, she looked Loughner in the eye while her husband, Mark Kelly, made a lengthy statement about pain, lost dreams, and gun control. Standing by his wife, Kelly added, "You may have put a bullet through her head, but you haven't put a dent in her spirit and her commitment to make the world a better place"(ABC).

After all the statements, Judge Larry A. Burns of the U.S. District Court in Tucson sentenced the killer to seven consecutive life sentences plus 140 years in federal prison. "Mr. Loughner will never step outside a prison," the judge said (WSJ). A sentence being handed down 22 months after a mass murder is incredibly quick.

A plea saved Loughner from facing a jury trial and possible federal death penalty. State prosecutors decided not to seek additional charges to spare victims a longer judicial process. Also, the methodical nature of the crime, made it impossible for defence lawyers to seek a complicated insanity plea.  Rep. Barber said, "I am grateful that all of us will be spared the painful ordeal of a lengthy legal process followed by unending appeals" (Barber.House.Gov).

In this case, victims had their say and justice was swift.

Resources:

Giffords Faces Ariz. Shooter for 1st Time in Court, ABCNews, 11-10-12
Loughner Sentenced to 7 consecutive life terms, AZCentral, 11-9-12
Victim Impact Statents, The National Center for Victims of Crime, accessed 11-11-12
Loughner Sentenced to Life, The Wall Street Journal, 11-8-12
U.S. Rep. Ron Barber's Statement at the Sentencing of Jared Lee Loughner, Barber.House.Gov, 11-8-12
Mass Killers Aren't Necessarily Psychopaths, Psychiatrists Explain, The Huffington Post, 8-14-12
Updated: List of Injured Victims in Arizona Shooting Released by Pima County Sheriff, The Washington Post Blog, 1-14-11

My husband and I have ordered seed from the Stock Seed Farms in Murdock, Nebraska, many times over the years. We even drove there once to pick up seed and admire fields of prairie grasses such as Big Bluestem and Little Bluestem. Like most Nebraskans, we were shocked to hear that owners Wayne and Sharmon Stock had been murdered in their home in 2006.  There were more surprises during the investigation of those murders that shook law enforcement and citizens in Nebraska.

Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) has produced a one-hour documentary on the case investigation and the evidence initially used to hold two innocent men in jail. It shows the involvement of ex-CSI chief David Kofoed, who has since been sentenced to prison. Kofoed maintains his innocence.

I have to agree with Judge Rehmeier's statement in the Lincoln Journal Star: "Nothing should undermine the confidence in the system." The evidence tampering for which Kofoed was found guilty threatened the lives of innocent men and jeopardized the hunt for the real killers. It also made it harder for other law enforcement investigators to prove their credibility.

The good news is that the innocent men are now free, the guilty are in prison, and Kofoed is no longer working CSI. If you are interested in crime, justice, or murder mysteries, watch NET's CSI on Trial online or on your television.

• CSI on Trial (schedule and links), Nebraska Educational Telecommunications, 2012
• Extended video excerpts and documents from the investigation (Available mid-November 2012)
• "Ex-CSI chief Kofoed sentenced to prison," Lincoln Journal Star, June 01, 2010
• "Was Nebrask Couple's Murder Revenge or Random?" ABC 20/20, September 3, 2010
  

Like other states, Nebraska is experiencing "exceptional" drought. The September 11, 2012 U.S. Drought Monitor map shows the extent of the emergency.

I don't know how to get more rain to fall on parched ground, but I have found another kind of RAINN Day to promote as a way of combating sexual violence.

"Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted," according to RAINN, The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. Of those victims, 80% will be under the age of 30, 44% will be under the age of 18 (http://www.rainn.org/statistics). College students are encouraged to host events to raise awareness of sexual violence on RAINN Day, Thursday, September 27, 2012.

Consider conducting an event of your own. Some of last year's RAINN Day events are highlighted in Cosmopolitan.

For instance, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 40 umbrellas were painted with sexual assault information and placed on the ground in the grove. The Undergraduate Student Government at Boston College wore matching t-shirts printed with "Sexual Assault Awareness Day" and the local hotline number. Elsewhere in the nation, campuses held raffles, symposia, screenings of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and activities such as chalking statistics on campus sidewalks.

Do your own RAINN dance on your campus or in your community. Check out the RAINN website or call these numbers for more information on preventing or responding to sexual violence.

• Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Website: http://www.rainn.org/
• National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233) or 800-787-3224 (TDD)