Wong Trial to get underway soon

The trial of Eduardo Wong, accused in the brutal slaying of State Trooper Shawn Blanton, is soon to get underway. The trial venue has been moved from Waynesville to Catawba County.

The facts of the case are quite clear. On the evening of June 17, 2008, Trooper Blanton pulled Wong on I-40 near the Canton exit (31) in Haywood County, and Wong pulled a gun and shot Trooper Blanton to death. The court-appointed defense attorneys are facing public outcry over what is perceived as over-zealous defense of a cop-killer. District Attorney Mike Bonfoey is pursuing the death penalty in the case.

While I oppose capital punishment as a matter of principle, this is one of those cases that tests my principled stand. My gut tells me that such heinous crimes call for such punishment, while my mind tells me that even under such clear-cut circumstances, capital punishment is not warranted, period.

Christian writer Anne Lamott wrote: "The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty." If that is true, my faith must be strong, as I am not at all certain of my moral stand in this case.