Gov. Jay Inslee’s moratorium on the death sentence is a horrible mistake. As an elected official, Inslee has no right to usurp the justice system. Of the nine criminals currently on death row, all nine are murderers. These miscreants deliberately deprived others of their right to life. Many of them were so depraved as to have brutally murdered children or elderly people, people who had no way to defend themselves. The blood of the innocents demands justice. There is only one way for justice to truly be satisfied: They must be put to death.

For people to commit this type of atrocity and end up spending the rest of their lives in a prison where their basic needs are met – paid for by us the taxpayers – is not just a shame but indeed a complete travesty of the judiciary.

Inslee obviously has no regard for the families of the victims, a majority of whom have waited for more than 10 years for some closure to their grief. They deserve to see justice. But to Inslee, the lives of the wicked are more valuable than the relatives of the slain.

Joshua Ross

Greenacres