70 Year-Old Pennsylvania Man Stoned to Death "Because the Old Testament Refers to Stoning Homosexual

[XanaDUer]

Ugly story out of Pennsylvania:

SNIP - Authorities in suburban Philadelphia say a 70-year-old man was stoned to death with a rock stuffed in a sock by a younger friend who alleged the victim made unwanted sexual advances.

According to the criminal complaint, 28-year-old John Thomas of Lansdowne has told police he killed 70-year-old Murray Seidman because the Old Testament refers to stoning homosexuals.

Delaware County authorities announced Friday that Thomas was arrested and charged with murder.

If the perpetrator were following the uglier dictates of another book of myths -- say the Koran -- then this would obviously reflect poorly on all his fellow adherents. As it stands ... well, just a lone nutter.

By Joshua Holland | AlterNet


http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/?id=533281&t=70_year-old_pennsylvania_man_stoned_to_death_%22because_the_old_testament_refers_to_stoning_homosexuals%22

[Buzz Clik]

1. The Old Testament also has something in it somewhere that goes, "Thou shalt not kill"

Mr Stoner is going to jail no matter what his rationalization.

[XanaDUer]

2. Imagine if they were Muslim?

I can hear Sean Hannity now, screaming.

[Buzz Clik]

17. Poor Hannity's brain would implode

Having to choose between a possbly homosexual male and a Muslim?

[Jamastiene]

23. They always conveniently ignore that part.

Have you noticed that too?

[roguevalley]

26. it also mentions parity to achieve balance. An eye for an eye,

a stoning death for a stoning death. he didn't read the fine print.

[Buzz Clik]

30. A rock in the sock, straight to the head. a la David. That should do it.

[kestrel91316]

3. Since the Phelps crew is all about stoning gays to gain favor with Gawd,

can we expect to see them celebrating at this funeral??

[virgogal]

4. So the loser is claiming religion made him do it. Lock him up in

a cell and give him only a bible to read for the next 75 years.

Ass !!!!!

[aquart]

5. John Thomas (his name is a pseudonym for penis?)

Will have to collect a lot of rocks in prison.

[snagglepuss]

6. Disgusting headline. Being clobbered to death by an individual is in no way

similar to a state imposed death by stoning which is done with the victim buried up to the waist and a GROUP of individuals pummeling the victim with fist sized stones so death with be slow and painfully.

That the man was murdered is horrific but to claim there is any equivalency between this crime and actual stoning is morally irresponsible.

[jberryhill]

8. So you are basically just faulting the killer for style points?

Ummm... I think the story has other themes you might want to explore, to put it gently.

[Bluebear]

9. I think I have seen it all now.

:silly:

[Jamastiene]

24. +1000000

Thank you.

[Bluebear]

10. Wacky, wacky, wacky.

Sorry.

[jberryhill]

13. I believe he was being sarcastic

[Jamastiene]

25. Being stoned to DEATH with one stone is soooo much more enjoyable

than with many stones. :sarcasm:

[upi402]

7. Well he's going to get lots of unwanted homosexual attention now! n/t

[jberryhill]

11. Beaten to death by a John Thomas?

What a way to go.

[struggle4progress]

12. "... A Delaware County man has been arrested and charged with murder in the beating death of an

elderly Landsdowne man who had befriended him and made him executor and sole beneficiary of his will ... Lansdowne police Chief Daniel Kortan said the break in the investigation came when Thomas allegedly told a witness he beat an older man to death. "I killed a man," Thomas allegedly told the witness. He then described how he placed batteries and rocks in a sock, and hit Seidman in the head at least 10 times. Thomas then returned to Seidman's apartment several days later and called police, saying he had discovered the body, according to court documents. When police interviewed Thomas on Wednesday he said Seidman had been making advances toward him ..."

Posted on Fri, Mar. 18, 2011
Police: Killer invoked Old Testament in 'stoning' death
By Mari A. Schaefer
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
John Thomas Murray Seidman

[jberryhill]

14. Bad attempt at post hoc mitigation

The death had less to do with his religious beliefs and more connection to his status in the will. I would guess that his religious position is an invention for the purpose of seeking a particular grade of homicide or sentencing considerations.

[struggle4progress]

18. ... Born brain-damaged, the 70-year-old Lansdowne man held a job for 40 years, lived on his own,

made friends, and was enjoying his retirement when he was beaten to death in January ...

Thomas .... was later charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness, and disorderly conduct in an unrelated case. He has been in custody on those charges ...

Murray Seidman .... rose at 4:30 every morning to go to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, where he worked in the laundry. He retired in 2009 ...

While working at the hospital, Murray Seidman met and befriended Thomas, a patient in the psychiatric ward ...

Posted on Sat, Mar. 19, 2011
Companion charged with killing man, 70
By Mari A. Schaefer
Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/118287124.html

[Maru Kitteh]

15. A good old fashioned con, followed by a murder for money by a fish-brained thug.

Apparently the perpetrator is also the beneficiary of the deceased gentleman's estate, but for some very curious reason it took several days for him to settle on this "Old Testament" defense.

[cali]

16. Horrendous, but pretty big chance that this was done for money

and no other reason. the perp was the sole beneficiary of the victim's estate.

<snip>

Police say Thomas is the executor and sole beneficiary of Mr Seidman's will.

<snip>

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iuHn2BxuyHgF-4R-qzw1tWheAjFg?docId=N0094311300509838451A

[XanaDUer]

19. Kick

nt.

[dmallind]

20. I woder how well the predictable "quick get our religion off the hook" apologists would do

explaining what the "real reason" was for Larry Hooper? You'd think the killer would know his reasons better than DU blame-shifters, but apparently not. It's not like he has any hopes of benefiting from the will now.

[XanaDUer]

21. Good point

nt.

[struggle4progress]

28. Victim was brain-damaged individual who, after years in group home, managed

to find gainful employment at hospital for decades, then retired. Alleged killer was psych patient at hospital when befriended by victim. Alleged killer apparently gained power of attorney for victim's bank accounts and was named sole heir and executor for victim's estate in victim's will. Alleged killer reportedly bragged about murder and method to third party. Some days after murder of victim, alleged killer went to victim's home, "discovered" the body and raised hue and cry with neighbors. According to reports, alleged killer subsequently told police he had killed victim in Biblical retribution for victim's homosexual advances. Alleged killer is subsequently arrested for "indecent exposure, open lewdness, and disorderly conduct in an unrelated case"

These current reports seem consistent with maladjusted manipulative killer with psychiatric and sexual issues, who fostered an affectionate and/or sexual relationship with brain-damaged retiree to gain control of victim's financial resources and estate, then (with greed, compounded by some rage) murdered the victim and disappeared temporarily -- then later exhibits some rather typical behaviors, such as "discovery" and shifting story

[XanaDUer]

22. He got prayer messages

SNIP - According to court documents obtained by NBC10 in Philadelphia, Thomas said he received a message in his prayers that he must end Seidman's life.

Thomas told authorities that he read in the Old Testament that homosexuals should be stoned to death

Though the relationship is still unknown, NBC10 is reporting that Thomas was the sole executor of Seidman's will and knew how much money was in Seidman's bank accounts.

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-elderly0man-stoned-gay,0,937439.story

So it may have been a sort of pay-for-pray thing.

[WatsonT]

27. I don't know if I would have called that "stoning to death"

he was bludgeoned.


That's a bit different than the common view of what it means to stone someone to death.

[Bluebear]

29. Yes, that's certainly the most pertinent part of the story, isn't it?

[struggle4progress]

31. The underlying psychology will be very different: most people can't work up the

murderous personal antipathy to bludgeon another person into a gory pulp; stoning, on the other hand, is a lynch-mob event, where the participants find refuge in a crowd

[WatsonT]

33. If the title had been

"Topless Nun stabs 48 to death in fit of religious rage"

And it turns out she was neither topless nor a nun, but had stabbed those people to death I imagine people would have pointed out the incongruity between the title and the story, even though that wasn't the only relevant factor.

[Initech]

32. And people wonder why I don't do religion.