On January 12, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed a death warrant for Martin Grossman, convicted of murdering a Pinellas County wildlife officer in 1984.
Grossman was 19 years old when he and a friend went to a wooded area in Pinellas County, Florida to shoot a stolen handgun.
Grossman, who was on probation for burglary when the event occurred, pleaded with Florida Wildlife Officer Margaret Park not to report the incident as both possession of the weapon and being outside of Pasco Country, were violations of his parole agreement.
When Park attempted to radio for help, Grossman struck her, while his accomplice beat Park. Grossman, who was high on drugs when the incident occurred, wrestled Park’s gun away from her and shot her in the back of the head.
Activists, who argue that while Grossman is guilty of murder, he never should have been found guilty of murder one or placed on death row, are gearing up to ask Governor Crist to commute Grossman’s death sentence. Grossman is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection on February 16th at 6 PM.
Grossman, who practices Judaism as much as possible in the Florida prison, has requested a proper Jewish burial, VIN News has learned.
Rabbi Menachem Katz of The Aleph Institute, an organization that provides for the needs of Jewish inmates and their families told VIN News that there is a strong case to be made for commuting Grossman’s death sentence.
According to Rabbi Katz, not only was this not a premeditated murder, but Grossman was high on numerous drugs at the time of the crime, had a very difficult upbringing which affected him psychologically and is not the same person he was 25 years ago.
Rabbi Katz, who visited Grossman last week on death watch and received special permission from the warden to allow Grossman to put on Tefillin, says that Grossman “has changed a great deal and is highly remorseful.”
The death penalty is administered to a ben yisroel according to the Torah when two requirements are met. 1. hasraah- a person is warned beforehand that if he kills he will be put to death 2. two eidim kosher witnesses see the event none of these requirements are here to be found and therefore everything must be done to save his life even in dina dmalchusa dina much worse crimes were not given the death penalty and it is not warranted even within the guidelines of the florida penal code. lets act according to torah and try to save his… Read more »
we must not get get involved in gods work
i cant believe i’m reading such comments on a chabad website. i became frum through chabad, and all i learned at my chabad house is to love a fellow jew! and here i’m reading the opposite! shame on all of you who want this guy to be executed! i’m not saying that this guy is innocent!
#4 if your call will make a difference then you will be a partner in this murder!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this man took a innocent persons life away .
she was only doing her job he really deserves death
for the terible thing he did!
Is there nothing more important in the world for the Aleph Institute to do than to intervene on behalf of a murderer whose fate has already been decided by the legal system. This crime was premeditated in that he had time while his friend was beating this poor woman to death to wrestle her gun away from her and shoot her in the head. In this case, this murderer has already been sentenced to death. There are many worthy causes which aleph can and should fight for, but this is not one of them.
It is not up to us to decide if this YID is guilty or to pass judgment. Stop being selfish. If this was a family member we would all have no question as to whether he should recieve a commuted sentence or not. It is our responsibility to not let a public court system kill him, in the end Hashem passes judgment and he will get what the Aibeshter has decided. In the meantime sign the petition call and write the goverment to commute the sentence.
he must learn from his actions, and others must too. if he is left alive, it may cause others to think they will b off the hook
an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…..ppl r responsible for there actions period.
according to halacha – in the time of the beis hamikdash / sanhedrin…. in order to put a person to death you needed 2 separate witnesses who also warned the person….. & if sanhedrin put more then 1 person to death in 70 yrs they were considered a bad sanhedrin. Not quite the same as the death penalty of today. Of course – I would hate to think how I would feel if the murdered person was someone I know…. but can we bring her back to life by killing him? what exactly would be accomplished? Now if your son… Read more »
pls sign the Petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/584394380
and get updated here.
http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=jew+on&init=quick#/group.php?gid=316347650288&ref=search&sid=662915466.3484782672..1
SHAME!! SHAME!! SHAME!! I challenge anyone here to a debate. How dare anyone not give a hoot that a yid is going to be killed. Did you know that even during the executions of serious premeditated serial killers there are large protests to halt it. And that is made up of goyim. Here COL brings up a case of a jew and no one cares. Calls for let him be killed are heard. ARE YOU ALL NUTS. THIS EMANATING FROM CROWN HEIGHTS!!! ARE WE THAT JUDGMENTAL!! 1)yes you can do tshuva for murder! 2) during the sanhedrin era he would… Read more »
let him die
he is a murderer and should be put to death
think about the times of the mishna murder is punishable by death
im very happy to hear that he is doing teshuva as it will help him in the afterlife but the fact that he is doiing teshuvah now shouldnt make a diffrence to his sentance
This is a hard call, but I do not understand what would be gained to having him live out the rest of his life in a prison where he would be subjected to much harm for being an identifiable Jew. He must indeed get proper kevura beYisroel, and may he finally find some nechomo. Hard for me to say this, but I just don’t see the point in petitioning for a prisoner to wind up with a life that is worse than death. Finally, there is always the possibility that a prisoner, who is by definition a sociopath, is using… Read more »
Sounds kind of hollow when facing death row.
please think before you write things tha are “justifying killing someone “, its painful to hear!
its appalling to show indifference to another human beings life
and cruel
please, please, please don’t distort our holy Torah. the torah would not warrent death in this case.
Is the Bais Hamikdash still around that we can decide to kill him? perhaps the Jews were on a different level and death was a worthy punishment. Who is to decide that this Jew doesn’t deserve to live? If we can’t pull out the plug of a suffering man, how can we decide to take his life away? We’re not G-d or the Beis Din!
P.S. Can you prove that lethal injection is painless? Ever spoke to someone that died through it? It burns the insides of a person and numbs the body so he can’t respond.
It is known that it was VERY difficult to convict someone of murder by TOrah! And any shred of evidence (I would be shocked if high on drugs wouldn’t have been counted) could suspend the death penalty. Our job is to daven and pray for life, let the death part be in G-d’s hands. Only He knows what’s in the heart of man. And who’s to say that Aleph didn’t ask Rabbonim before making a statement? I don’t know, I’m just saying…
actually according to halacha back in the times of the bais hamikdash, someone who murdered – WAS worthy of death (and not such peaceful death – such as lethal injection). yes there was a ton of halachos to reach to that point, but when a person does CERTAIN things (such as killing ppl) in this world-his usefulness in this world is expired… teshuva can not erase such a sin – only death can atone for such a sin… plus all the afterlife things…
Rotting in jail for hundred years is not better than death, let him be free now.
You write “I would hope someone would do for me if the woman had been my daughter.”.
And what if it would have been your son?
Life & Death is in the hands of G-d!!!
It is a tough call but how would criminals ever be held accountable if using drugs becomes an excuse for murder?
but give the man a break. I don’t think he needs to be let out, but I don’t think he should be killed
I can’t believe this act is being punished by death. those who have murdered numerous times not under the affect of drugs..meditated murder, rape, and worse aren’t given the death sentence! Not that his murder is less than others, but let get rid of the real sickos out there…he was a kid and under the influence…
we need 10,000 signatures its free and can save a jew http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/584394380
No matter what he has done, he doesn’t deserve death. Do you know how many murderers there are who don’t receive death penalty? they just hang out in jail for the rest of their lives. but a death penalty for murdering one person? please correct me if i am wrong. And besides, i don’t think it is your place to encourage the court to follow through. Do you want to hold on your shoulders a partial credit for his death? Think about it. He is a Yid. Every one makes mistakes. some bigger than others, how ever, Should only some… Read more »
THE ONE WHO CLAIMS ILL SOCIETY FORGOT TO LOOK AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN IF HE WAS THE ONE CONVICTED AND HE FULLY KNOWS THAT HE DESERVES IT WOULD WANT EVERYBODY TO INTERVENE ON HIS BEHALF TO SAVE HIS LIFE SO WHO’S ILL?
This is complicated. What do the Rabbonim say I mean what’s the halacha??
daven
What is wrong with you guys?
well fed R”L you have to think twice before you write anything
As per Death penalty you are right he did a terrible thing but as much as he did not have the right to take the lifeof human being no one besides God cannot take his life either
to 4, I see your comment to be very wrong. To me this story doesn’t make sense (if this article is acurate). We have real murderers let back on the streets in ch…people with long histories that are not on death row. I don’t think this guy was a tzadik at 19…but a) this was not premeditated b) he did not have a history c) he was young/(high) probably didn’t have much real knowlege of life and that was 25 yrs ago. I agree that if death was the punishment for all murder than he should get it but that’s… Read more »
what immature comments against Chassidus dont we believe in atonement and forgiveness if one is truly sorry and has changed!!!
A shanda wrote “I dont think aleph has the place to mix in…”
Would you take this position if YOU were on death row?
I don’t think so.
Therefore, YOU are a shanda!!
You are a very bitter person if your version of justice is revenge. You yourself listed the mitigating factors, yet you seem to think that a fellow Yid (your brother) should die under all circumstances. Try to be happy.
theres only one judge on high…
Allowed by 7 Laws of Noach? What about to a Yid?
Life and death belongs to the aibeshter – piriod. Not the court system.
It looks like he is fed very well in prison / death row.
I dont think aleph has the place to mix in…
He took a innocent person’s life who was doing nothing more than her job, and your excuse is …..he was high on drugs, had a hard life, and did not think before he did it??? Maybe he has changed and done teshuva, maybe he has not only he and G-d know for sure, never the less his punishment for the crime he commited is death, he needs to pay his due. Thank’s for the information I will call and write to encourage the Governor to stay strong and not to give in and commute this sentence, the same thing I… Read more »
You can also help by signing a petition on
thepetitionsite.com/petition/584394380
If anyone wants to help with this really big mitzvah of saving a fellow jew please write and call the Office of Governor Charlie Crist.
Address-State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001
Telephone:
* Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
* Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
[Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time]
Fax: (850) 487-0801
and if Grossman is remorseful to the point of bitter tears, so let the man live……. he’ll anyhow sit in prison for life, so let him continue doing teshuva. This is a very tough call.