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Sometimes there are miscarriages of justice, and sometimes, there is justice that’s so lenient it almost feels like an insult. As is the case of 60-year-old Carey Birmingham.
In what kind of situation is Texas – that, by all means, executes people more than any other US State – going to give a murderer more leniency than some European countries – my home country, for instance, which has a maximum sentence of 25 years?
Answer: When the victim has allegedly cheated before being killed. Because we all know how it goes: “Thou shalt not kill” unless there’s also “Thou shalt not commit adultery” in the mix, then the whole “Thou shalt not kill” is void. In other words, you shouldn’t commit murder, but if your partner cheated, then it’s fair game. Shoot them thrice in the head outside of the driveway of the home you shared for years while they film their own death, because that’s perfectly reasonable, they allegedly cheated.
Patricia’s sister, Mary, defends her, insisting she did not even cheat on her husband — and the truth is, we don’t know whether she did. Even if someone cheated, that alone is insufficient to provide a valid explanation for taking their life. It could also be the case that Carey had “Othello syndrome,” as a few men do – and some women too.
Well, he certainly went the Shakespeare’s Othello way in dealing with the situation. But he used a shotgun instead of a pillow.
An all-female jury failing their own gender
Some drug offenses and thefts are more harshly punished than Mr. Birmingham was. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with eligibility for parole after 5 years.
Here in my tiny European country of Portugal, the maximum sentence afforded by the legal system is 25 years, no matter what you do; a friend’s father was sentenced to ten years, the same sentence as Birmingham — for money laundering. No parole after 5 years for him. This is not to condone money laundering, just to condemn the slap on the wrist that was given to the man who stole the mother of his child from her.
The 18-year-old daughter, Olivia, who was at school when the tragedy took place, said in an interview with Inside Edition: “My love for my dad died that day.”
Palpable (and understandable) outrage
In the same interview, Patricia’s sister pointed out that, because her sister stood her ground instead of pleading for her life, the female jury did not feel pity for her as they should’ve. Of course, that coupled with the fact that the potential adultery (and a dash of Bible Belt internalized misogyny) seemed to justify the violent act in the jury’s minds. “They took the computers, they took the phones, and there’s no proof of that ever happening.” Mary also said during the interview.
“Since when is it acceptable for someone to outright MURDER someone and get less than 20????” read one comment under the aforementioned Inside Edition interview video.
On Reddit, the discussion continued. Some comments threw humorous jabs at the killer’s expense.
Others commented on the defense attorneys’ achievement:
But the majority expressed their vexation. Some, while also offering their own examples:
Ultimately, a large portion of those aware of this case cannot understand how Patricia’s life was worth only 10, potentially 5 years of Carrey’s life. But if this netizen is correct —
— ten to five years may be enough for Carrey to also, as he put it, “go meet Jesus,” and hopefully bring some lasting peace of mind to those who loved and cared for Patricia. If not, here’s hoping the video of him visibly intoxicated, wearing nothing but an open bathrobe, with his private bits blurred, and being just your average, unfriendly next-door wife killer, follows him even after the handful of years of incarceration.