Moussaoui Jury Deserves Praise

Today a federal jury, after 41 hours of deliberation that followed a lengthy trial and heartbreaking testimony from families of 9/11 victims, spared the life of confessed conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. Fourty-one hours is actually not very long when you consider the 42-page ballot the jury was instructed to fill out. The jury will take much criticism for that verdict, especially from those hungry to heap vengeance on someone for the events of 9/11. The criticism will be unfair and outrageous.

The defense in the case showed convincingly that Moussaoui is mentally ill, a delusional paranoid schizophrenic. CNN's legal expert Jeffrey Toobin says the evidence against him was not really that strong. His execution would not represent justice for the 9/11 families, would not deter any future acts of terrorism, and would not even snuff out Moussaoui's influence; in fact his execution would only make him a martyr--he would become the David Koresh of al Qaida.