Beach Murder Solved;
Killer Sentenced to Death
By Jake Licata 04/10/2020
Recent developments have occurred in the
case of the recent beach murder. Meursault, the attacker, was determined to be
guilty by a court, and sentenced to death. He decided not to appeal the ruling,
making his sentence final. This case turned out to be a relatively strange one,
and now that it is wrapped up, we can take a look at it events together.
The
Motive:
Every crime has a motive, and despite
Meursault not having a huge one, it was still there. It is clear now that this
murder was some sort of revenge. Meursault’s friend (Raymond) who he was
staying with seemed to have had some sort of prior disagreement with a group of
Arab men. Raymond allegedly beat one of their sisters. The Arab men, unless it
was a huge coincidence (which many doubt), were following Raymond. A
confrontation occurred on the beach, but no serious injuries were sustained
except for a large slash on Raymond’s face. Meursault decided to return to the
spot where the Arab was resting, and this is where he shot the Arab several
times. Looking at the events leading up to the killing, it is clear there wasn’t
much reason for Meursault to kill the Arab. The confrontation was over,
Meursault had no personal conflicts with the Arabs, and the problem seemed to
be over. This leads to one of the biggest questions of why exactly did Meursault
kill the Arab. This is one of the biggest reasons he is arrested. He is deemed
to be uncaring and almost a psychopath.
The
Sentence:
Despite the clear evidence of Meursault’s
guilt in the killing the sentence takes a different approach. The prosecutors seem
to focus more of Meursault’s character than the events. Throughout the story
there is much evidence that Meursault lacks many social skills. At his mother’s
funeral for instance, the prosecutors state, “Gentlemen of the jury, the day
after his mother's death, this man was out swimming, starting up a dubious
liaison, and going to the movies, a comedy, for laughs. I have nothing further
to say” (94). The main point is that Meursault lacks emotions that would make
him a safe person in the world. Their first point is that he doesn’t feel
anything, and by sending her off to a home, and then not crying at her funeral,
he must by crazy. The prosecutors then bring up the point, "Has he so much
as expressed any remorse? Never, gentlemen. Not once during the preliminary
hearings did this man show emotion over his heinous offense” (105). They are
right about this too. Meursault even admits, “ I have never been able really to
regret anything in all my life" (127). The fact that Meursault doesn’t
feel anything is what gets him killed. The people of the world can’t understand
this, and since he is different then them, he must be killed. It seems as if
the crime isn’t even the focus of the trial.
Overall, looking back on this case, it
appears as if we can maybe learn something from Meursault. It can be summed up by
one of my favorite quotes by him, “It was then that I realized that you could
either shoot or not shoot” (56). In Meursault’s mind, nothing really matters.
He didn’t need to shoot the Arab, but he did and it doesn’t matter. For Meursault,
everything just happens, and he doesn’t think we need to care too much about
things. For us “normal people”, we may not ant to take it to that extreme, but
maybe every once in a while, we can not worry about the consequences. Want to
where that shirt you think may be a fashion-risk? Do it! Want to go on that
vacation you’ve always hesitated to book? Do it! Meursault shows us that
sometimes things don’t matter as much as we think. He also shows us that maybe
everyone does have something to teach us.
