Unequal Treatment of Murder Cases

I empathize with the Cosby family’s loss and hope that their son’s murderer will soon be caught and punished. I am distressed, however, by Lt. Gov. Gray Davis’ offer of a $50,000 reward to catch the killer (Jan. 30-31). Regardless of Davis’ motivation in offering this reward, it is an appallingly inappropriate use of taxpayer money.

My friend’s father was shot and killed outside his home while getting into his car to go to work early in the morning the day before Ennis Cosby was murdered. In January 1992, a dear friend of mine was murdered, shot in the head at close range inside his apartment. These good people were cut down senselessly, leaving behind family and friends who loved them, and are but two examples of what Garry South, Davis’ chief of staff, categorizes as the “typical rank-and-file cases.” Neither of these murders received even one word of media attention, much less an offer of a reward. No suspects have been apprehended.

South attempts to justify the offering of a reward in this case by saying that since this crime is receiving so much attention in the media, the news of the reward will be well-publicized. I have often suspected that this is the way the political mind works but it is scary to have it confirmed.

JUDITH WESSLER

Encino

“Extremes of Anonymity, Fame Shade Slayings” (Jan. 26) confirmed what many families of innocent victims feel--all homicides are not treated equally! To them, it makes no sense to have some detectives working only three or four cases a year while others have 12 to 15 at a time.

How can our police chief justify such a disparity in caseloads and therefore man-hours spent investigating each case?

ETHER HALEY

Los Angeles