Two men, who were required to register as sex offenders, were murdered this week. Each murder is a tragedy. Together the murders should serve as a wake-up call that vigilante violence against registrants has returned.
The first murder took place on Monday in a Delaware prison when Phillip Langell, who was 69 years old, was stabbed, punched and strangled by his cellmate. The cellmate is a 55-year-old skinhead convicted of multiple violent offenses and sentenced to life without parole.
Perhaps I have watched too many prison movies during the pandemic because what happened to Mr. Langell is similar to scenes in some of those movies. Scenes in which prison guards literally stage fights between inmates and bet on the anticipated results. If that is what happened in this case, it would have been easy to predict that an older, weaker man, like Mr. Langell would be killed.
It is notable that the murderer in this case has already confessed that he killed Mr. Langell and that he will receive no additional time in prison because of that murder. Therefore, the murderer will pay no penalty for taking an innocent life and it is even possible that his standing within the skinhead community will be elevated.
The second murder took place two days later in a northern California town thousands of miles away when a neighbor walked into the home of a man required to register and shot him to death in his own home. The man who was murdered, Ralph Mendez, was 55 years old and had lived a law-abiding life after his release from prison 10 years ago. In fact, a different neighbor described Mr. Mendez as a friendly person who often assisted elderly members of the neighborhood with their daily chores.
The murderer in this case has also confessed. Although the murderer’s physical appearance does not resemble that of a skinhead, it is possible that he is a member of that or another unlawful group. After all, what motive could a person have to kill a law-abiding neighbor who often helped his elderly neighbors if not to elevate his status in an unlawful group?
There are several lessons that can be learned now from what has happened this week. For example, it is important that people who are required to register remain vigilant of their surroundings. If you are such a person and you see a person who looks like a skin head, it is important to leave that place immediately. In addition, it is important to be able to protect yourself. In the Girl Scouts we learned to travel in groups of at least two people in order to increase our physical safety. We also learned methods of self-defense.
There may be lessons to learn in the future as well. For example, we will learn what the murderers ae charged with – premediated murder, murder in the second degree or manslaughter? We will also learn from the sentences that are provided. Does society care that a registrant has been killed?
One thing we know for sure is that the people who killed Mr. Langell and Mr. Mendez will not be listed on a public sex offender registry. After all, those registries are limited to individuals convicted of what may be one offense decades ago and who is unlikely to re-offend as soon as he released from custody and his likelihood to re-offend continues to diminish each year that he lives outside custody.
Another thing we know now and will remember forever is that the deaths of Mr. Langell and Mr. Mendez are senseless tragedies that could have been prevented. May they rest in peace.
All loss of life is tragic; yet it’s horrific when a person is killed due to their past. Killing a person on the hit list is unacceptable and government officials have blood on their hands. Truly our society has gone bat shit crazy.
Pretty certain that I’ll be murdered due to my info being on the public internet hit list. Didn’t know my victims. File share CPconviction.
Being placed or fitting into a category that is not popular and publicly hated would qualify a person to be in a protected class which is not the case. These murders should be deemed hate crimes in my opinion.
What you fail to point out is that independent sites that list registrant addresses do not list their offenses. So again these vigilantes see the term sex offender and think the worst possible type of person, when in fact they could be assaulting a person that did nothing more than expose his penis when taking a piss while drunk. The system is built around causing the most harm for the smallest of offenses. A person that rapes another is going to have to expect some public retaliation. It is human nature. What is sad is that the violence that is allowed in U.S. society takes that retaliation to such extreme measures as to take a life.
“After all, what motive could a person have to kill a law-abiding neighbor who often helped his elderly neighbors if not to elevate his status in an unlawful group?” I appreciate the article, but that is a very naive statement. Lots of people assault and kill people on the registry due to the fear mongering and misinformation perpetuated by politicians ans the media. All one has to do is peruse the comment section of any online news report about basically anything regarding a sex offender and the hatred, fear, and scorn is off the charts. People don’t need a reason to attack a person on the registry. Most people have already been programmed with enough false and ignorant information that it is no wonder more aren’t attacked. Stereotyping every sex offender the same, and then putting all their information on the internet available to every vigilante, kook, and malcontent is a formula for violence. I have been called a child molester, a rapist, and other things even though I had a non-contact offense. We are battling delusional hysteria.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Only when registry supporting and enforcing fascists start getting killed by RSOs one-to-one will anyone start to care. The civil route has failed – this incident will trigger no political response, nothing to protect us from summary execution. It’s time to take an eye for an eye.
My question is, what is going to be done about this? Are we just going to keep hearing about it or is there going to be some action taking by ACSOL or any other group, or are they just going to keep watching us DIE and just report on it?
If the Police found a LIST of people who are targets for killing they would go after those with the list and arrest them. MEGAN’S LIST is the same thing and yet the Police promote this list into the hands of those who want to murder. So with this logic the Police are promoting the MURDER LIST
These are some really good comments seems like people dont feel safe in their own homes anymore
Me personally I have CCTV cameras inside and outside my apartment I even installed CCTV in both my vehicles I even bought a lilittle hidden bodycam Just in case someone try’s to commit a hate crime on me or anyone in my family I’ll have evidence to back up my self defense claims
As far as home secretary there’s alot of ways people can defend themselves like bear mace throwing knives, bow & arrows they even have really kool military crossbows and tactical gear that sex offenders can own legally.
Another thing Janice Bellucci is right California is infested with prison gangs inside and outside the Aryan Brotherhood the Black Gorilla Family and the Mexican Mafia are very powerful entities and killing a sex offender does elevate their rank in the gang.
Good luck 😇👌
Worse thing about all of this is society has been programmed to believe all on the price membership roster are dangerous. If someone is a threat to society you keep them behind bars, not a list.
“the deaths of Mr. Langell and Mr. Mendez are senseless tragedies that could have been prevented.”
Indeed, dear pandering lawmakers, how did your beloved Registries provide public safety for these two individuals?? For that matter, please show evidence that your Registries provide any public safety benefit to anyone at all!! 😡
This is for Janice !! Isn’t it possible that the mentality of SCOTUS, has changed since 2003?
Janice, can’t we bring the registry up for challenge again?
i mean its been almost 20 years!!!! since it was last challenged.
If people are getting hurt (and they have been for a long time) SCOTUS can finally find this draconian law “unconstitutional!!! and obviously “PUNITIVE”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, people are dying now which are directly related to the registry There were no reported instances in Smith where there were people being killed or physically attacked because of the registry back then (now we have hundreds of instances), the court stated such as an issue in the registry favor. There were no in-person reporting, especially in-person reporting for everything that happens in our lives (I had to report at least 9 times in-person last year alone because of college and vehicle changes and such, the monthly for the homeless should be a major red flag as that can be attacked from several angles, it disproportionately affects low income individuals, people that want to leave their home states for multiple reasons and people of color, I could go on and on about this issue), there was no IML, I could go on about this also. One thing I want to point out is that SCOTUS has stated the Internet is the new public square and it was not ubiquitous in 2004 either, hell instant messaging and profiles were just starting with Yahoo messenger and AOL> Big deals, all those issues and more.
I believe there is a much better chance and a way that is faster to get to the relief needed, state SC, especially CA SC, Once they rule in our favor it is done in CA and then they can take it to SCOTUS just to get it done on the federal level. IMO this is they way to go.
Another.
3 on the run in Texas City murder of man who was reportedly a registered sex offender
While the exact motive for the attack is still being investigated, court records show Sanders has a prior child sex crime conviction from 2010. Documents state he was sentenced to community service and probation, and was required to register as a sex offender.
Despite the details, police in the immediate aftermath of the attack called it one of the most vicious they have seen in their careers.
RIP….
The question came up as to, Do people care what happens to a SO. The answer is simple, No they do not. if you cruise anywhere in Social Media or News comment pages, they all say Hang them, shoot them, No loss. This is sad, that a sex offender may be a dad, a mom, a brother a sister, a child. The registry has to be modified for compliance in some way. There are way more DUI and DWI offenders on the road that have repeat offenses, or injured and killed someone, serve a pleaded down sentence then, back on the road drinking. How does this action not qualify for a list? DUI offenders tear families apart, cause trauma, PTSD. I don’t get why one small part of society is tracked and others allowed to roam freely. Then you have the Media that call people sex offenders that commit crimes, yet the individuals are not even on a list or convicted prior to be on a list. Society sucks as a whole. Be vigilant of your surroundings always.
I think we should all be done the same
We all did are time and no one is better than the next person
We should not have to hide in fear of our lifes