Montana governor to consider clemency for man convicted in murder of teen girl

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Montana governor to consider clemency for man convicted in murder of teen girl
Reuters
By Laura Zuckerman
12 hours ago

Reuters) - Montana's governor on Friday said he will give careful consideration to a clemency request from a man convicted of murder in the 1979 bludgeoning death of a teenage girl in a case that has spurred debate about severe penalties for teen offenders.

Barry Beach was convicted in 1984 by a Montana jury of deliberate homicide after confessing to authorities that he beat to death Kimberly Nees, a 17-year-old classmate at Poplar High School in northeastern Montana, with a wrench and tire iron after she refused him sex, court document show.

Beach, who was 17 at the time of Nees’ death, was sentenced to 100 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

The state Board of Pardons and Parole has twice turned down Beach’s clemency requests but the governor has the right to grant clemency regardless of the board's actions.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/montana-governor-consider-clemency-man-convicted-murder-teen-200324705.html

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[montana_hazeleyes]

1. If Beach is truly guilty of this crime,

quite frankly I don't care if he was " only" 17. Kids well under the age of 17 know you do not murder.

Murder by beating her to death with a wrench and tire iron for refusing him sex? He knew what he was doing. Does her 17 year old life that was brutally ended matter?

[secondvariety]

2. Of all the people

he could give clemency to, he's considering this guy. Unbelievable.

[sorefeet]

3. I have been folowing this

fore a while. His confession was coerced. He maintains his innocence. They already let him out once for 18 months. Just another innocent human being warehoused in our more than corrupt prison system. Amnesty International has already got over 150 people off of death row and released from prison. If there are that many given the death sentence, then how many people in general prison population are stuffed in our prisons that are innocent????

[secondwind]

4. I'm not surprised to read this . Law enforcement always needs to find their man, whether by

hook or crook or coerced confession of a 17-yr-old.

[Archae]

7. Couple real questions here...

If he is innocent, then who did beat the girl to death, and why?

And why was he let out for 18 months?

[cstanleytech]

8. The first question is kinda silly to ask seeing as if sorefeet knew then the guys lawyers

would probably know and the guy would probably not be in prison right now.
As for the 18 month release that is a good question.

[Lunabell]

5. NO!

This isn't your typical "Oh boy I fucked up" teenage crime. He beat her to death after refusing sex. This is a heinous, dangerous monster. He needs to never get out for the sake of the community.

[sorefeet]

6. How long have

you been following the case?? It points towards his innocence. I think the Governor will give him Clemency. Because he didn't do it. You do realize how corrupt the justice system is don't you? This was 30 years ago and a legal fiasco. Or like the Republican campaign. A circus.