The idea being that people will surely hesitate if a crime has the potential of yielding a murder conviction. It is most effective if such cases are widely publicized. When a person known to the incipient thug has been convicted of first degree murder, he/she is likely to be cautious.

Its purpose is to protect the Law-Abiding citizen from victimhood. It is far better if thug-type persons are given the maximum possible punishment than for the innocent to suffer.

What happens to the perpetrator(s) should NOT be our primary concern. Removing them from society is a positive benefit to us all.