Josh Beasley

[debrand]

For those who are curious, Josh Beasley shot his wife in what he claimed was a game. http://www.1011now.com/home/headlines/61134272.html

When I was a child, my stepfather had an assortment of guns. We were taught that guns are weapons not toys. You NEVER point a gun at a human being. He didn't even like to see toy guns pointed at others. I find it difficult to believe that an adult man would not know that pointing a gun at his wife, and pulling the trigger, could be dangerous.

Joshua Beasley was sentenced to three to five years in prison Thursday morning for the death of his wife Alaina.

The courtroom was packed with friends and family of both Joshua and his wife Alaina Beasley. Originally charged with manslaughter, Joshua entered a plea of no contest to a charge of second-degree assault, after he says he was playing an "intruder game" with Alaina, pointed a shotgun at her and pulled the trigger, not realizing the gun was loaded. Now, he'll spend time in prison for the shooting he calls an accident, but for which Alaina's family is seeking justice.

Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey described the incident that led to the death of 20-year-old Alaina, and said although Joshua "didn't intend to kill her," he still committed an unlawful act by pointing the gun at her.

Beasley's Attorney Sean Brennan addressed the court requesting a sentence of probation saying Beasley did not represent a threat or danger to anyone, he has led a peaceful, law-abiding life, and has no need for rehabilitation.

Beasley then stated his remorse, "From the bottom of my heart, I am sorry for what happened. If I could do anything to change that I would," he said.

Despite Beasley's remarks, Lancaster County District Judge Steven Burns said he must pass sentence on the actions that led to the death of Alaina, and stated that Joshua must serve three to five years in prison.

Brennan immediately requested a one-week period for Beasley to attend to personal matters like canceling his fall enrollment at Grace University in Omaha, and moving his belongings before beginning his sentence, and Judge Burns agreed.

After the hearing, family and friends of Joshua gathered outside the courtroom and the County/City Building crying and praying. Joshua's older brother Caleb Beasley was shocked at the sentence.

"There's a place for mercy, especially when the person affected by him breaking the law was himself... I don't see how this helps anything," said Caleb.

Alaina's family wouldn't talk on camera, but in a statement said, "Joshua's neglectful and irresponsible behavior with no regard for the effect of his actions is overwhelmingly unimaginable to us and cost the life of his own wife. While we don't believe Alaina's death was premeditated, it was not an accident."

Beasley was ordered to surrender himself to the Lancaster County Jail October 4, 2009 to begin serving his sentence.

Edited because I got a name incorrect. Sorry :oops:

[debrand]

http://www.ketv.com/r/21106267/detail.html

Another article about the case

His brother Caleb said Josh Beasley is remorseful.

"It just kills him … but do you want him to go and cry in a corner for the next year," said Caleb Beasley

They questioned whether Beasley fully grasped what he did. They cited the 911 tape as an example. He spoke to the dispatcher without comforting his wife, who lay near him on the ground, moaning in pain, prosecutors said.

Family members said they disagree with prosecutors, suggesting Josh Beasley was applying pressure to his wife's wound, holding her head up and speaking her name. Family members said she didn't respond.

"It's almost like something is dead inside of him," said brother Joe Beasley.

"I know that Alaina was just everything to him," said brother John Beasley.

"He's just trying to get through each day, hoping the next day will be better and it's just worse," said Dan Beasley.

Beasley said that after he's served his time, he wants to go back to school and study aviation management.

[Austin]

Maybe it's just he ingrained skeptic in me, but from everything I've read about this tragedy, I am inclined to believe the "we were playing a game" thing is a big lie.

[keeperrox]

Isn't there another case that's pretty much identical to this one, also in the fundie community?

[Cerulean Blue]

This is appalling! Even if they believed this guy, he should have gotten manslaughter and a hefty sentence. Basically they're delivering the message that if you want to off your wife, all you have to do is say it was a game, act remorseful, and you'll get off with just a few years. Horrible.

[debrand]

I also found this.

http://www.mywedding.com/apps/public/my ... 18436.html

It looks like their wedding website? but you have to log in and I don't have a mywedding.com account.

Here is a more indepth article:

http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2009 ... hotos.html

There is a picture of the Beasley family pointing guns at the camera. The caption reads:

Watch out! (Uncle Doug was the brave one to take this picture! We triple checked to make sure ALL of the guns were unloaded! lol!)"

[demgirl]

What I found most offensive about the whole case was the fundie communitty and his family's reaction to the situation, which was basically that while it was sad that she was gone, it was just as horrible for Josh because he lost his wife and therefore he shouldn't be punished. However, if the prosecutors believed the incident happened the way Josh says it did, then I think the punishment is about appropriate. Others may differ, of course.

[Guest Anonymous]

Anna Beasley's blog contains these letters from Josh, sent hile he was in prison. At best he comes across as an arrogant, entitled shit who has had his toys taken off him for a while:

Josh sent us a letter with this letter enclosed to be read at Church for Thanksgiving...I thought that you all might enjoy it too!

Of the things that I am thankful for this year, the first and foremost is Jesus Christ and His redemptive work. The fact that He has conquered death means that our souls never die; only the physical body passes away. Because He rose from the dead, death is only a temporary separation. He is the great healer and He is in the business of resurrection and renewal. I am thankful that He, and He alone, not time or anything else, holds the keys to healing. I can say first hand with the apostle Paul, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, be it well few or hungry whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.†I am thankful for this strength, and for the fact that he is the comforter of the down trodden and broken hearted.

I am also thankful for all the support, the prayers, books and visits that you and others have given me. You have been an immense encouragement to me, thank you. I sit here writing this alone in my cell. I struggle on every front. My cellmate is a pagan witch, I am locked up with 500 drug dealers, rapists, and other felons. But as Paul wrote, “I am dying yet I live; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing yet possessing everything.†“I am hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.â€

In the last year I went from having everything I’d dreamed of and sharing it with the girl of my dreams to being in prison with nothing. And although my own strength failed long ago overwhelmed by unspeakable grief and unable to function, I am thankful for God’s strength and his love. Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else at all, will be able to separate us from the love of God.†Enjoy all the good food for me, hopefully I will be able to join you two years from now.

Joshua Beasley

Also, an excerpt from a letter sent to our family:

I had a hard time sleeping last night, I was thinking of last Thanksgiving. There was seemingly so much to be thankful for then; celebrating it for the first time with my new wife. Now I'm just 70335 in a holding tank of felons. I am comforted by the fact that Alaina's soul didn't die just her body, that death is just a temporary separation. But life seems like too long a time to wait. Anyway, I miss you all and wish I could celebrate with you. Hopefully the next two years will go by fast. I feel that I should be entitled to 3 times as much food, or at least dessert, the next time around for Thanksgiving. :-) What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right?

"And remember, that the love of God can not take us

where the grace of God can not keep us!"

[demgirl]

Yeah, I read those before. He's a douchebag whiner who never took responsibility for his actions.

[Austin]

This is appalling! Even if they believed this guy, he should have gotten manslaughter and a hefty sentence. Basically they're delivering the message that if you want to off your wife, all you have to do is say it was a game, act remorseful, and you'll get off with just a few years. Horrible.

Yep.

[hoipolloi]

From the news articles, etc. it seems as though there are two separate but related issues: (1) family of idiots who are ignorant of, or ignore, standard gun safety; and (2) whatever really happened between Josh Beasley and his wife that resulted in her death by GSW.

How does her family look at all of this?

[SimplyMe]

Wow, I'm sorry, but who seriously plays "games" with real guns??? And he admits he loaded it the night before. How does one forget that small detail, exactly?! And his letters show no sadness or remorse-- rather a request for extra food on Thanksgiving next year? There is SO much wrong with this story. His family is either in deep denial, a bunch of idiots or just plain crazy.

3 years, or 18 months for good behavior? That's not even a slap on the wrist for KILLING someone! Even if it was an "accident" (which seems unlikely to me), it was gross negligence that led to that accident. That deserves a much harsher punishment. Much, much harsher!

[demgirl]

For better or worse, American law draws a distinction between killing someone with intent and killing someone by accident, however stupid and thoughtless that accident is. The young woman who was killed kept a blog that detailed their intruder games, so it was clear that this wasn't an one-off thing that was simply a ruse to commit a killing. There was no evidence of strife in the relationship or extramarital affairs or anything else that would show a motive for the killing. I think that in this case the prosecution made a reasonable deal, possibly in part out of the fear that the jury wouldn't be willing to convict a young husband who had no record and no history of violence of manslaughter.

I don't think there was any evidence that this was a premeditated act. I just think the worst part of it all is that he never really took responsibility for what happened and for his own actions that were simply idiotic and dangerous.

[debrand]

IF it was an accident, he should be punished more than a drunk driver who accidentally kills someone.

We punish people who drive while under the influence because we hold them accountable for their actions.

Josh was not under the influence of any drug or alcohol. He had taken a gun safety course so he knew not to point a gun at anyone or put his finger on the trigger. IF it was an accident, than she died because he was too arrogant to follow gun safety laws.

There are too many questionable parts to his story for me to accept it at face value. If they were playing a game, why did he have a gun and she didn't? What kind of game includes pointing a gun at your spouse, the person that you are supposed to love? If they were playing home invader(sounds odd) why was he hunting her instead of them hunting the imaginary foe together? That makes no sense. Didn't he claim first that he was cleaning the gun and it went off? Or am I getting his story confused with someone else?

[demgirl]

No, I know others will disagree with me... I have Views on American jurisprudence that are... less than popular. The cleaning gun thing, I believe, was a different case, where the wife was found dead after the husband worked an EMT shift, and it turned out he killed her, went to work, came home and "discovered" the body. I think he might have been having an extramarital affair (maybe?). His story changed a bunch of times and I think at one point it was that he was cleaning the gun.

[mirele]

No, I know others will disagree with me... I have Views on American jurisprudence that are... less than popular. The cleaning gun thing, I believe, was a different case, where the wife was found dead after the husband worked an EMT shift, and it turned out he killed her, went to work, came home and "discovered" the body. I think he might have been having an extramarital affair (maybe?). His story changed a bunch of times and I think at one point it was that he was cleaning the gun.

Couty Alexander. He's the subject of a 78 (!) page thread at the Fighting Fundamental Forums. Reading the entire thing is instructive in the way people react to this kind of incident. There's a lot of "was he really saved???" in that thread.

fundamentalforums.com/the-fighting-forum/52107-pastors-daughter-a-newlywed-slain.html

[Austin]

The young woman who was killed kept a blog that detailed their intruder games, so it was clear that this wasn't an one-off thing that was simply a ruse to commit a killing.

I'm going to have to disagree with you there, demgirl. It doesn't make that clear at all. The ruse, if it was that, only makes it easier for him to pull it off, if he did do it with any intent. If he was feeling trapped in a young marriage by religious dogma, it may have even given him the idea. He wouldn't be the first, by a long shot, to choose murder over divorce because of fear of disappointing his religious family/community.

In either case, the judge said to him that his act was "volitional", not just an "accident" that could happen to anyone, like he and his family tried to portray.

[demgirl]

I see what you're saying Austin, and it certainly seems that may have been what happened in Couty Alexander's case. I just don't see the evidence for it with Josh Beasley. I'm certainly not trying to defend his actions, believe me. I think he's reprehensible as a human being. I just don't see any real evidence, much less proof beyond a reasonable doubt, that he acted with any premeditation.

Pointing a gun at his wife and pulling the trigger was certainly volitional, which is different from accidental, like cleaning the gun and having it go off. I view it as about the same level of culpability as a drunk driver who kills someone.

[Austin]

Yeah. . . we'll never know for sure because no one knows but him.

But on a broader scale, I wonder how much abuse and tragedy actually occurs b/c these crazy-ass fundie parents force their kids into early marriage. Neither gender gets to really sow any oats or even just figure out who they really are. Then with the courtship thing, they end up marrying people that they don't even know, or know very well. It just seems like a young man, in particular, might be very frustrated in that situation and perhaps take it out on the prime target: the young wife. He knows she can't do much about it, and it just goes on from there.

[Sarahisawesome]

I am usually entertained by threads on FJ, but This thread is disgraceful. I don't even know who he is, but after reading the articles and the letters posted here, I feel deeply sorry for him. The man lost his wife. You people are heartless to criticize someone like this. We don't know him personally, and I for one, cannot even imagine losing my husband especially like that. Whether it was an accident or not, which my guess was it was NOT intentional, we have no right to talk about this guy like this. You all should be ashamed. This is wrong.

[Austin]

I am usually entertained by threads on FJ, but This thread is disgraceful. I don't even know who he is, but after reading the articles and the letters posted here, I feel deeply sorry for him. The man lost his wife. You people are heartless to criticize someone like this. We don't know him personally, and I for one, cannot even imagine losing my husband especially like that. Whether it was an accident or not, which my guess was it was NOT intentional, we have no right to talk about this guy like this. You all should be ashamed. This is wrong.

He didn't LOSE her, you friggin' troll. He SHOT her! She's dead. And I'll talk about him any damn way I please because I think he's a scumbag who only feels sorry for himself and doesn't take full responsibility for what he did. And I think his family are scummy because they clearly didn't raise their kids to have any respect for firearms, even if you believe the best case scenario.

[Sarahisawesome]

He didn't LOSE her, you friggin' troll. He SHOT her! She's dead. And I'll talk about him any damn way I please because I think he's a scumbag who only feels sorry for himself and doesn't take full responsibility for what he did. And I think his family are scummy because they clearly didn't raise their kids to have any respect for firearms, even if you believe the best case scenario.

ummm last time I checked, when someone dies.. the people they love lose them... not matter HOW the person dies... faggot. Have a heart.

[darkplumaged]

Awww, look! One of our trolly friends is back! Who was that sweetheart who kept calling people homos?

[Austin]

ummm last time I checked, when someone dies.. the people they love lose them... not matter HOW the person dies... faggot. Have a heart.

Faggot? Really? :lol:

There seems to be an unattended bridge somewhere. . .

[Austin]

Furthermore, when you KILL someone, you don't get to say you LOST them.