John Lotter
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May 31, 2024
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Uploaded by elortiz94
John Lotter, the "Boys Don't Cry" Killer (Chapter 5, page 103)
Think About It
Should Lotter’s case be further examined to see whether he is eligible to be executed? Why?
One can categorize or presume Lotter's criminal acts as determinism. Schram & Tibbetts (2020) define determinism as an assumption where specific factors determine our actions rather than free will or weighing the pros and cons. However, John's case shouldn't be examined to face
the death penalty. The defendant committed his acts through free will, and he knew the difference between right and evil. For instance, Lotter and Marvin Thomas Nissen force Brandon
Teena to display his private areas. Later, both perpetrators took Teena to a remote vicinity where he was sexually assaulted. After the horrific act, Lotter and Marvin threatened Brandon not to say anything. Some might perceive John was only following his partner's orders since Nissen initiated the assault and both were drinking. However, Lotter knew he had committed a horrendous crime after wanting to murder Brandon after he had filed a report to the police of the sexual abuse. For example, Murderpedia (n.d.) relates that John confess to Nissen that it was substantial to find Brandon and get rid of him a day after the crime. John Lotter could have score less than a 70 IQ, but he was still capable of making his own decisions, even poor judgments. Would your response change if you were a U.S. Supreme Court justice, and you were supposed to follow precedent and abide by the cut-off of an IQ score of 70?
If I were a U.S. Supreme Court justice, I would want a change if I had to abide by the IQ score of 70. Instead, I would like to test morality to understand if individuals know the difference
between doing right and wrong. Someone doesn't necessarily need to be intelligent to have morals.
Would your response change if you were a relative of one of Lotter’s three victims?
My response will be the same in requesting a change over the 70 IQ below the score. The
legal system can know if an individual committed a crime intentionally. For example, Derrick Todd Lee was a serial killer with an IQ score of 65 and was waiting for execution until he suffered a heart attack in prison. According to Rasmussen (n.d.), Lee was tied to seven homicides but only stood trial for two. Although Lee was sentenced in Louisiana, there weren't any issues concerning his IQ score. The court system was able to bring a verdict in Lee’s trial and know he committed such atrocities. Therefore, requesting a change will be necessary to find justice and for family members to know justice was served.
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References
Associated Press. (2018, April 4). “Boys don’t cry” inmate’s IQ too low to execute attorneys say.
NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/boys-don-t-cry-inmate-s-iq-too-
low-execute-n862686
Murderpedia. (n.d.). “John Later.” Murderpedia. http://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/lotter-john.htm.
Schram, P. J., & Tibbetts, S. G. (n.d.). Introduction to Criminology. Third Edition.https://platform.virdocs.com/read/1530051/18/#/4/2[s9781544375717.i2297]/
12[s9781544375717.i2306]/4[s9781544375717.i2307]/8[s9781544375717.i2308]/
4/2,/1:0,/1:0
Rasmussen, Aaron. (n.d.)."Baton rouge serial killer' Derrick Todd Lee was an unremorseful "smooth talker." Investigation Discovery. https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/serial-killer/baton-rouge-serial-killer-
derrick-todd-lee-was-an-unremorseful-smooth-talker