Murderer Of Somer Thompson Is Sentenced

[P.O.]

Jarred Harrell Murder Trial: 9-Year-Old Boy Tells Little Sister's
Killer 'You Know You Did This'




GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- Minutes after a man pleaded guilty to
kidnapping, raping and murdering 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who was
dumped in a trash bin and later found in a landfill, the little girl's
twin brother addressed his sister's killer.

"You know you did this, and now you're going to jail," 9-year-old
Samuel Thompson said to Jarred Harrell from the witness stand.

In a deal sparing Harrell the death penalty, the 26-year-old Harrell
was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Somer's family was in favor of the deal because Harrell agreed not to
appeal any of his convictions.

"Your punishment does absolutely not fit your crime," said Somer's
mother, Diena Thompson. "Remember now, there is no safe place for you.
You do not have an impenetrable cell. There will be no peace in the
afterlife."

Somer was a second-grader living in Orange Park, Fla. – a suburb south
of Jacksonville – when she disappeared while walking home from school
on Oct. 19, 2009. She was with her sister and some friends, but ran
ahead of them after they had a spat.

It was a route she had taken many times before, and she often stopped
at a home to pet a white dog. Usually, no one came outside. On the day
Somer disappeared, authorities said Harrell lured her into the home
where he was living with his mother.

Two days later, she was discovered in a landfill in southern Georgia.

Harrell wasn't arrested until about three months after Somer's death.
Initially, authorities interviewed convicted sex offenders within a
5-mile radius of Somer's suburban north Florida home, but didn't come
up with any substantial leads.

On a hunch, they tailed nine garbage trucks from Somer's neighborhood
to the landfill and picked through the trash as each rig spilled its
load. They sorted through more than 225 tons of garbage before they
spotted her legs sticking out of the garbage.


Harrell lived with his parents on a neighborhood street Somer took to
get home. Police said Somer was lured into the home and later
asphyxiated and tossed into a trash bin, though they have not released
any more details about her death.

After Somer vanished, Harrell moved to Meridian, Miss., to live with
an aunt.

He drew the attention of law enforcement two months before Somer
disappeared, but he wasn't arrested. His roommates in Florida said
they kicked him out for stealing and they discovered child pornography
on his computer, which was turned over to investigators.

The Clay County sheriff's office said Harrell wasn't taken into
custody then because detectives had to prove Harrell downloaded the
child porn.

He only became a suspect in Somer's disappearance after Somer's
friends showed officials where they had last seen Somer – the home
with the dog. Also, the parents of one of Harrell's roommates drove by
Harrell's parents' home and noticed how close it was to Somer's home.
When they saw Harrell's car in his parents' driveway, they told
detectives.

According to authorities, Harrell confessed to sexually molesting and
killing Somer, then disposing of her body. DNA evidence found on Somer
also linked Harrell to the crime.

Harrell pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual
battery, possession of child pornography and other sex charges, some
stemming from an unrelated molestation case involving a 3-year-old
relative. Authorities did not release details of that new case.

The discovery of Somer's body touched off an outpouring of support in
northeast Florida and southern Georgia for the Thompson family; days
of vigils and fundraisers were held so Somer's mom could financially
afford to stay home with her other children. A mountain of stuffed
animals, balloons and notes to the family sprung up near a tree across
from the little girl's home.

Like most little girls, Somer loved to dance, play dress up, draw and
color. Her favorite color was purple.

At her funeral, hundreds of purple balloons were released into the
sky; purple flowers adorned her wooden casket and her family wore
purple ribbons.

Somer had her brown hair in a ponytail with a red bow when she went
missing. She was carrying a lunch box and wearing Hannah Montana
backpack. It was purple.

"This will be that last breath that I waste and use on you. It is now
time to take out the trash," Somer's mother said. "No punishment given
to you will be good enough to soothe our spirit."


















.

[Oglethorpe]

"P.O." <jm...@fcv.com> wrote in message
news:92dsi7d9mkkb2oang...@4ax.com...

>
> Jarred Harrell Murder Trial: 9-Year-Old Boy Tells Little Sister's
> Killer 'You Know You Did This'
>
>
>
>
> GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- Minutes after a man pleaded guilty to
> kidnapping, raping and murdering 7-year-old Somer Thompson, who was
> dumped in a trash bin and later found in a landfill, the little girl's
> twin brother addressed his sister's killer.
>
> "You know you did this, and now you're going to jail," 9-year-old
> Samuel Thompson said to Jarred Harrell from the witness stand.
>
> In a deal sparing Harrell the death penalty, the 26-year-old Harrell
> was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
> Somer's family was in favor of the deal because Harrell agreed not to
> appeal any of his convictions.
>
> "Your punishment does absolutely not fit your crime," said Somer's
> mother, Diena Thompson. "Remember now, there is no safe place for you.
> You do not have an impenetrable cell. There will be no peace in the
> afterlife."
>

> Somer was a second-grader living in Orange Park, Fla. - a suburb south
> of Jacksonville - when she disappeared while walking home from school

> friends showed officials where they had last seen Somer - the home

Good outcome. Better would have been Summer was found alive. RThere was a
case in Florida whewre a mother left he son and twin daughters home and went
partying for days. The children were toddlers. She left hem nothing but a
package of Jello Cups to ear. When sge came home one twin was dead. She
threw her daughter's body in the garbage bin. In another incident a mother
wraped her baby in blankets and left the living child in a closet while she
went on a two week cruise. The dead baby was found when neighbors reported a
bad odor.


Children are at most danger from parents, other family members and other
children. A child is more likely to be struck by lightening than to be
abducted, raped and murdered. Sex offender registries don't prevent child
sex abuse. Threy also don't do much to help solve crimes like this one. They
are ex post facto and unconstitutional.