Salt Lake Telegram | 1931-04-22 | Page 4 | The Brighton Case

THE BRIGHTON CASE CASlE difficult to and more becomes more analyze the motives of the state board of pardons in extending leniency to criminals when it is obviously their duty to deny it in inthe Inthe inthe the interest of public policy The line of reasoning which actuated the pardons board in commuting the sentence of f the murderer Brighton fro from life imprisonment imprisonment imprisonment imprison imprison- ment to twenty years Is is' difficult Is-difficult to follow Brighton has served almost nine years of ofa a n life sentence after having been convicted of murder in the first degree for the shooting of Charles A. A Faus He was fortunate indeed that the sentence spared his life in view of the fact that the crime for which he was convicted was one of the most brutal in crIminal criminal crim crIm- inal thai annals of the state There could have been no extenuating circumstances which justified a life sentence in the first place Clearly the cold-blooded cold premeditation and execution of the crime called loudly for the extreme penalty Nine years later there appears even less reason for commutation and yet the state board of pardons paves the way for an application cation for termination on of or sentence or parole by reducing the original sentence from life imprisonment to twenty years It will be only a short time until Brighton shall become eligible under the law to apply for lor further leniency Until the pardons board removed him from the circle of lifers fliers he could not make such application Powerful influences have been at work since the very inception of the Brighton caseto caseto case caseto to temper the severity of the punishment of this cold-blooded cold murderer But the revoltIng revolting revolting revolt revolt- ing details of his crime cannot be forgotten The action of the pardons board is clearly contrary to the best interests of society