An Alabama man who was convicted of trying to have sex with a teenager in Marianna is dead. Authorities said he killed himself Wednesday night while awaiting his sentencing.
Prison officials said he was discovered dead in his cell around 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
Law enforcement arrested 44-year-old Jason Earl Kirkland in May of last year.
Kirkland thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl in Marianna for a sexual encounter. But he had actually been communicating with an undercover Panama City Beach police officer on the internet.
Entrapment is criminal-an official setting up a citizen by a lying scheme to do a criminal act. That’s not protecting children or the public. The public and the government need to think about this kind of subterfuge. There is something very questionable about an adult pretending to be a child. There is something very predator-like in this ‘gottcha’, pre-crime, government sanctioned scheme
Roy
They (Law enforcement) call it “Drawing them out of the shadows”. When I worked in law enforcement, they tried to get me to go undercover on drug stings. I said “No thanks, there are enough bad guys out there to keep us busy without making shit up”.
In many cases, it’s an adult, pretending to be a different adult on an adult site, then later pretending that adult is actually a child. Confused? That’s the point.
Facing 10 years to life where no one was harmed, physically, emotionally, or economically is what most reasonable persons would call cruel and unusual punishment. And we don’t know exactly what the police officer did to entice the man in the first place. Entrapment used to be banned. Now it’s celebrated as a sport. And the officer didn’t even need to draw his weapon to kill his quarry.
I read this and i cant help but think. Are my mom and dad sex offenders? are my grandparents sex offenders?? Is the judge, the policy and the persecutors parents and grand parents sex offender?? because I sure you have heard your grand parents stories how they meet your grandmother when she was 14 or 15 and got married? I think there is a big different on forcing a teen to have sex and a teen looking for sex and having sex because she wants to. Is not unconstitutional for the state to imprison a citizen for so many years just for attempting to have agreed sex with a teen that was looking to have sex and when not even a real teen was involved? is there any organization that will take a look at this and say this is enough. One thing is the guy who try to touch and rape a minor and other thing is in 2022 where 13-14 teens are already having sex to sentence someone to 10 years in prison for only thinking about it. someone has to stand up to this to the government, all this organization that have the means to do that and say.. ” is your father and grandfather a sex offender” because im sure most of our father and grandfather met our moms and grandmothers where they were only 14-16. In fact we should be going to the policy or judges fathers public records and check when they got marry im sure we will find a few got marry before 18!!..
Hi guys in fact here is the link to see marriage public records, we just need to find out the names and city and we can look for married records for the one that are pushing and are responsible for this laws. I bet if we can get to prove that a judge or politician father or grandfather got married to an underage female and expose it.. thing will change very fast for all of us!! think about it..
Joy
Novel idea but what you are proposing is like “Poking a sleeping tiger”. I am all for it and back you 100%, but I already have a hiding spot if it backfires. LOL
It’s more like poking a sleeping tiger in the middle of a pack of sleeping tigers. You wake one up, you’re sure to incur the wrath of the rest. Just look at what happened to someone among our number for calling out someone with first name “Lauren” and last name resembling “Crook”.
Anonymous
Yes, you get what I am saying. And not saying we should be scared but……………We have seen what those with power can do to us. That is why I try and stay in the shadows and not stir the pot, and I mostly get left alone. I do NOT want to be memorable.
I do not play the lottery for that reason (Well also because I don’t have any money lol) but imagine if you are on the registry and win that money. People would come out of the woodwork suing you stating they were one of your victims that didn’t come forward before but now want justice, in the form of a cool Million of your freshly won moola.
If we can point out these characters to be the hypocrites that they are, then it’s worth the effort. I work on the premise that we have all had failures in our lives that we regret. That is how we learn and take corrective action. To continue to be periled by those failures is not God’s plan. He is ready to offer forgiveness to those who truly repent. Those politicians who continue to ride of the ‘shirt tails’ of other’s past failures and claim they are Christians at the same time, are nothing but hypocrites and of the worst of sinners.
Capt
That is what the Bible describes as “Wolves in Sheeps Clothing”. It also says, “For many will come and try and deceive us”. (Sting operations come to mind)
HMMM How about the King of Rock and Roll. Thats right.. ELVIS. He met Priscilla when she was in 9th grade and dated her a few times in public but a number of times more privately. He groomed her. He had her relocate so she was more available to him and .. and .. and…
Call it a different world.. I call it BS. OH wait.. its good to be the KING!
https://www.biography.com/news/elvis-priscilla-presley-relationship-marriage-divorce
Surprised at the number of comments saying, ‘he would’ve received less punishment for actual child rape!’
I kind of doubt that.
Probably not although federal CP sentences certainly can exceed rape sentences.
He probably would’ve only gotten ten years but if he had gotten much more than there’s something to the argument.
No matter what the judge said he invisioned a life sentence but it isn’t punishment
Like Columbo use to say “Oh and there is one more thing”. If he did not meet a real underage person and never had sex, how can he be a sex offender? Doesn’t a real act have to take place? Mind blown once again.
And many of those meeting a cop (Unknowingly) and never completing and act, get more time in prison than someone who actually had sex with someone for real.
I think this was due to the federal nature of the offense, crossing state lines. Apparently they have ample bed space and money to warehouse their citizens.
“The U.S. Department of Justice said Kirkland was facing a minimum of ten years or a maximum life sentence in prison.”
That’s insane: a potential life sentence for “attempting” to meet a teen for sex??? That is insane!
Meanwhile, many “johns” ARE having sex with teen prostitutes and, if arrested, they usually receive misdemeanor charges if not just warnings. So WTF!!??
AND …. if the public is so horrified by a guy attempting to have sex with a teen, then WHY AREN’T THERE MORE PREVENTION Programs available!?? The annual cost per U.S. inmate is $33,274 (ranging from $14,780 in Alabama to $69,355 in New York.) Assuming he had received a life sentence (74 years, let’s say – 44 years old) 30 years x $33k = more than $1,000,000. That’s $1,000,000 that could have gone to PREVENTION!! 😡
Speaking only for myself, I have been on that precipice. I can only say that suicide is not the way. It takes a lot of courage to keep moving forward. One day at a time.
Not unusual there are many who kill themselves after learning their fate of being on the registry, usually its law enforcement that get caught and do it because they know from dealing with it every day what it means.
Sad to lose a life but that’s what the harsh punishment and public ridicule pushes people towards
Sad Sad Sad
The police officer should be arrested for soliciting sex. What must it feel like to go home after a ‘hard day’ of playing like a teenage girl! He/she must really be proud.
I wonder more about the conscience of those in law enforcement who were personally involved in entrapping these people, knowing that their actions deliberately contributed to someone’s death.
One day, it’s going to be one of their sons and they will know how it feels to be on the other side. It’s inevitable.
The conscience of law enforcement says, ‘this predator brought this on himself.’
To Anonymous
As former law enforcement I can tell you by experience, some of those officers celebrated that man’s death. There were a few guys that I remember who were like me and had compassion for everyone, but we were the few. That cop did not lose a night’s sleep over that.
Then again, I cannot speak for that officer, that would not be fair to them. So, I am giving him (Assuming the cop was a him) the benefit of the doubt that the dead man did not get.
That is why I wonder about their conscience. They sound more like sociopaths to me.
Capt Charles..Well seems Florida will have to end much or all of this madness. Talk about the movie ” A few good men” … guess Greeks still seek after wisdom or get railroaded in much of this registry hoopla. Guess many police and law enforcement are guilty of this type of truth or consequences in this blind justice. I should write that on Janice forum an I’m in VA and yes even UVA has its share of problems.