No.
The reason I oppose life imprisonment isn't because I believe everybody should always get out of jail at some point. I simply believe the possibility should exist. No matter how heinous the crime, I have to believe that everyone has within themselves the possibility to redeem themselves.
Of course, the more heinous the crime, the harder the burden of what constitutes redemption should be, and in a case like this it might be effectively insurmountable, but still.
Wouldn't the ability to appeal your case satisfy the need for a possibility to exist?
What do you mean by the ability to appeal? Appeal is supposed to rectify mistakes made in the initial trial, but it's not supposed to be used to assess whether someone has reformed.
Here's another story on it:
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article109736002.htmlIt can be tough to say that there are some people that are irredeemable and irreformable, but if anyone is, this guy is definitely one of them.
Incidentally I also read that the main reason the prosecution fought so hard for a relatively lax plea bargain is to spare his daughter the trauma of having to testify and recount all that.