A petition has been set up, calling for a West Virginia man who allegedly raped and beat to death his girlfriend's 10-month-old daughter to be hanged.
Benjamin R. Taylor, 32, faces life in prison on charges of murder and sexual assault of Emmaleigh Barringer, and although West Virginia abolished the death penalty more than 50 years ago, thousands of Americans have signed the petition urging authorities to help make an exception for Taylor.
The petition reads: "Prison is too good for child rapists and their ilk. I would move to say that our 'justice system' is even a part of the problem, in that incarceration is hardly justice when it comes to such an awful act.
"Maybe if these people were actually afraid of what would happen to them if/when they were caught, they'd be less likely to do such vile things? When it's an open and shut case such as this, let us hang these creatures publicly.
Taylor. Credit: WTAP News.
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"Let us make examples of them, and allow the American people to attend these hangings so that the accused may be ridiculed, as they should be."
If it gets 100,000 signatures in 30 days the petition will recieve an official response from the Obama administration.
The girl's mother, Amanda Leigh Adkins, woke up about 5am on Monday and found her baby girl naked and bleeding on her basement floor. Emmaleigh suffered injuries indicating a brutal sexual assault and showed signs of having been shaken and struck in the face.
Credit: Facebook
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Emmaleigh was later declared dead after being taken to hospital.
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