The echoes in the this thread suggest that he should remain locked up because he killed John Lennon, NOT because he killed. What makes John Lennon so special? He was not a messiah, he was not an angel, he was just a musician. There have been better (matter of of opinion of course) and lesser musicians before and after him. There are more influential figures in society before and after him.
Since his death he has been idolised and put on a pedestal, such is the way for many a dead celebrity. Which is wrong IMO.
Yesterdays radio spent the majority of it's time focusing on celebrating JL's life and music, because it was the anniversary of his death - it was also the anniv of "Dimebag" Darrel Abbott's death - another musician shot to death by a psycho while he perfomed live on stage. Now in MY opinion, Darrel Abbott was a more influential person in the music scene, and was a true innovator. He paved the way for guitarists we know and love today. What he was doing in the early days of his career was unheard of and was a truly innovative method of playing guitar.
So what makes JL more important than Darrel Abbott? I find it offensive that the media focus on JL on December 8th and no mention of Darrel Abbott is even made. Because he was a member of the Beatles? The most over-rated band in history (IMO)? So what?
Darrell Abbott was a son, a brother; On December 8, 2004, Abbott was shot onstage while performing with Damageplan at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. The gunman was Nathan Gale, who shot Abbott six times, including four times in the head, killing him instantly. Gale then continued shooting, killing four others and wounding a further seven. Gale fired a total of fifteen shots, stopping to reload once and remaining silent throughout the shooting.
Fortunately Nathan Gale was killed by a responding police officer before he had the chance to kill/wound anyone else, including Darrell's brother and drummer Vinny Paul.
The cases are very similar in a lot of respects - crazed obsessed psycho goes deliberatly to kill artist. The main difference only being that Abbott was shot on stage and JL outside his apartment complex.
So why should JL be heralded so?