These are sample letters. (The letter to Attorney General Curren is below the letter to Attorney General Reno). You may use or edit these letters, or you can
write your own and send them to the addresses at the top of each letter. Windows users can download windows word versions of
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here for the Reno letter and here for the Curren letter
Attn.: United States Attorney General Janet Reno
Department of Justice
10th St. and Constitution Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Attorney General Janet Reno,
On June 9th, 2000, Jason Burgeson and Amy Shute, a young college couple, were coming home from spending an evening dancing with their friends at a club in Providence, Rhode Island. They never made it.
At approximately 1:30 am they were carjacked and kidnapped at gunpoint. The attackers demanded the couples money and got only $18. Two of the men forced the couple to drive several miles to a desolate golf course under construction in Johnston, RI. The other three followed in a separate car behind them. The five men blindfolded Jason and Amy and made them kneel on the ground. While the two clutched each other in fear, begging for their lives, they argued over whether or not they should kill them. All five of them drove out there knowing what they were going to do. They should all take the blame, not just the shooter. Gregory Floyd allegedly pulled the trigger and shot Jason twice in the head execution style. He shot Amy Shute once. The couple's bodies laid on the ground, hugging each other for almost 12 hours before they were discovered by a groundskeeper. An employee of the golf course stated that he saw the two on the ground around 7 am from a distance and thought that someone had dumped trash on the course over night, so he did not investigate further. These were beloved family members, not trash!
I am writing to you to urge you to accept this case under federal jurisdiction that states that carjacking that leads to harm or murder and kidnapping are all punishable under federal jurisdiction. I believe that the death penalty should be pursued as a punishment. Nothing will bring the two young adults back. They were taken from us before their lives truly began. However, something productive must come from this tragedy. We need to deter the criminals of this world. Obviously imprisonment is not enough punishment for these kind of people because four of the five men alleged in the incident were out on parole.
I am outraged at this horrible tragedy. Please help this case become one that brings about changes in our legal system.
Respectfully,
The following letter is for Attorney General Margaret Curren
US Attorney General's Office
Attn. Margaret Curran
Fleet Center
50 Kennedy Plaza, 8th Floor
Providence, RI 02903
Dear US Attorney General Curran,
I am writing to you to ask for your help. As I am sure you already know, on June 9th, 2000 Jason Burgeson and his girlfriend Amy Shute were brutally murdered in Johnston, RI. These promising young college students died because five men had no respect for human life. This was a heinous and senseless crime.
I urge you to please recommend this case to be prosecuted under federal jurisdiction, where the death penalty is an option for sentencing. I am aware that you are not a proponent of the death penalty. All cases are different, and each should be evaluated individually. I am asking for federal prosecution in this case only; I am not asking you to reinstate the death penalty as a punishment in RI. These men have not been framed, and they do not have cases of mistaken identity. They have given statements to the police admitting their various roles of involvement in the carjacking, kidnapping, and murder of Jason and Amy. Though young in age (19-21) these men are old far beyond their years. They all have extensive criminal backgrounds, including armed robbery and assault charges. Four of the five men were either out on bail or probation. Gregory Floyd was released from prison just days prior to the murders. The crime in our country has become out of control.
People that commit crimes have more rights than their victims. We need stiffer penalties, for state prison is not a deterrent to commit crimes for these people. It's a place where they go to see their friends. All it would have taken was just one of the five to have an ounce of guilt and think "no, we do not need to kill them," but not one of them spoke up. State prison is no place for these men. They will still get to see their families, get gift packages at Christmas time, make phone calls, watch TV, and go outside to feel sunshine and summer breezes. They will never have to pay for another meal, pay rent or utility bills, or have any responsibilities. These men need to be tried in federal court where, if they do not receive a death penalty sentence, they could serve consecutive life sentences (one for Jason and one for Amy) in a federal prison, where the time served will not be such a walk in the park.
Amy and Jason will never open another Christmas present, they will never get to feel sunshine or summer breezes. Their lives were stolen from us before they truly began.
In one second a group of men made a decision to give the Burgeson and Shute families life sentences; life sentences without their loved ones. To most of us the value of human life is almost innate. However, to men such as this the value of human life will only be pondered when they will have to deal with the threat of losing their own.
Please recommend this case to be prosecuted under federal jurisdiction.
Respectfully,
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