Greene forfeited right to life by murdering innocent victim

Editor:

I find it shocking that there have been more letters to the editor published regarding the death penalty for the depraved murderer of Professor Roy A. Johnson than there were letters from writers outraged at his senseless, brutal murder for his cash and c redit cards. As Roy Johnson's widow, I am stunned that there seems to be more concern at the concept of the death penalty than outrage at the act of murder. No doubt such thinking is easy in the abstract. Perspective changes when faced with the reality of loss and victimization. Where was the outcry of these people at Roy Johnson's murder?

The sentence of death has been imposed upon Beau John Greene because he committed a premeditated, depraved, heinous act against an innocent, unsuspecting victim. He lay in wait for his target. After bludgeoning him, he dumped his dead or unconscious body like trash in a desert wash. He went immediately to brag to a friend and then began a spending spree all over Tucson. He was arrested two days prior to the finding of Roy Johnson's body; yet he would not tell where he hid it.

Arguments in the abstract have their value. However, confronting reality forces perceptions to change. Survivors of homicide, innocent victims too, must face the reality of murder and its consequences. Perhaps the writers would reassess their views if the y saw the photos of my husband lying face down in the muddy wash, dumped like trash lying in a pool of his own blood. Or the photos of his crushed skull, or the drawings of the forensic anthropologist identifying the multiple smaller fractures radiating f rom the four major fractures, which the murderer wanted the court to believe he inflicted with two or three punches. This is the reality of murder. This and the ultimate consequence: Roy Johnson is dead, his life crushed out of him because someone else wa nted what he had - a car, cash and credit cards.

Opponents of the death penalty must understand that Beau Greene's sentence is the consequence of this choices. He is a violent predator who made the choice to kill. He could have taken Roy Johnson's possessions without killing him. He could have chosen to be a thief rather than a thief and a murderer. He made this choice knowing that the ultimate consequence could be death for himself, a death much more humane than Roy Johnson's. Beau Greene will have the opportunity for multiple appeals. In fact, he has an automatic appeal with the death penalty, and that is already underway. Roy Johnson had no appeals. We do not know if he begged Beau Greene not to take his life. If Beau Greene's death penalty is upheld, and if in several years he is executed, his famil y will know the date and time of his death. They will be able to prepare and say goodbye.

The family of Roy Johnson did not get to say goodbye. They did not know the date and time of Roy Johnson's death because Beau John Green chose that date and time! Beau Greene's family will have Beau Greene's personal belongings returned. Roy Johnson's fam ily is still asking for his personal effects. And finally, Beau Greene destroyed more than one life when he took the life of Roy Johnson. He shattered a family and left a gaping hole in the School of Music as well as the community. He made me a widow inst ead of a wife.

Beau Greene is an admitted murderer, caught with the car, with DNA and fingerprint evidence that could not be disputed. His attorney attempted to plea bargain. Failing in that, the defense shifted the focus from the murder to the victim in a despicable, v ain attempt to save the murderer's life. This is a typical defense tactic: when there is no defense, attack the victim.

The death penalty is prescribed by law for murders which meet certain "aggravating" circumstances. There is no doubt in my mind that Judge Velasco wrestled mightily with his decision, weighing the evidence and conviction very carefully. It cannot be an ea sy thing to sentence a man to death. His decision was based on the facts and the laws of the State of Arizona. I find no joy in death for Beau Greene, but I do believe that he forfeited his right to life when he deliberately bludgeoned Roy Johnson to deat h.

Beau John Greene will be accorded at least one second chance an automatic appeal already underway. That is more than he accorded my husband, the gentle, committed, caring and talented Roy Johnson, professor of music, tenure at the UA of almost 29 years.

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