My main ethical concern is how or where he is going to serve his sentence.

While this is the first time someone has recieved more than 25 years minimum, many(most?) lifers who recieve 25, never actually get out becasue they do not apply for parole after 25 years.

What kind of prisons should house people who will never leave. and thus rehabilitation is not a goal?

As a second topic does anyone knows what turned this guy into a killer? Did he have a history of violence when he was young etc??

I heard he will be in a max security prison for 30 of the 40 mandatory years.  I didn't hear about him being in trouble before.  Would he have been able to get the job he had if he did have a violent past?  An article did say he did not have a criminal history.  As for what he did when he was young - he was 21 when he shot 4 people.  21 IS young! (I do know what you mean).

Hi Alex

I've been thinking about you. I hope you had a nice summer.

He told people:  "Today is the day".... before he committed the crime. I don't know if that was a comment  he made on the net or in person. There was mention of him posting on the net.

He is an only child and his parents are totally devastated. He had some debts, nothing huge.  He had a fight with his mother in the a.m. on  the day of the murders. When he was arrested trying to cross the border his comment was that he no longer had to pay for his truck ( or something like that. )

He sounds immature and of course there's an inclination for us to say he must be insane or mentally challenged to commit such an act. One wonders if it was his way of dropping out of society? He surely must have known he would be caught?  Was it a crazy fantasy in his head that he acted out...... like some kind of xbox game?

Forty years....?....that's a long sentence. I don't know a lot about the prison system but there must be people who have received two 25 year sentences or so in a row? There are people who are in and out of prison for life? I mean they are releasd, commit a crime very soon and go back to prison?

The most detailed article I've seen as to what he actually did that day:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/09/travis-baumgartner-hub-mall-shoo...

chemgal

That's a good article.

Its so sad that a young guy goes beserk and throws his life away like that while also ruining other families lives re the killings. Too much suffering.

I read that the one survivor doesn't believe he's lucky to be alive. He says his life is too hard.

I think Matthew Schuman has flip flopped that way.  I think he has guilt and other times it's the personal suffering that's too hard.

The situation still sounds bizarre to me.  I don't know, maybe Baumgartner is a psychopath/sociopath (not sure of the official term here).  Chemguy brought up to me that was usually think of these people as being intelligent, and Baumgartner didn't really exhibit that, but it doesn't mean he doesn't fit the term.

If he is actually a psychopath, I'm fine with the sentence.  I just don't see much hope for people like that.

He's likely a psychopath/sociopath in the sense he has no empathy for others. As demonstrated by his killings of his co workers. 

Howevr most sociopaths understand that such behaviour is not in their own self interest, so there are other things going on that makes him more dangerous than other sociopaths. 

My believ is the the criminal justice system should have at it main goal the healing of the victims and the criminal. However it is possible that one can not be healed from what this guy has.  Howevr society can heal and learn so that these types of people are not going to kill.

For example perhaps he should have rules that prevent people who hate the world (as demonstrated by his facebook postings) from be allowed to have lethal weapons. 

Why in the world should we allow a private security firm arm and train a 20 year old to kill, without having his background checked, or testing dome on him?>