‘Night of Living Dead’ a Poor Pick for Allaway

Re “Allaway Was Agitated by Movie, Nurse Testifies,” Dec. 11:

Did I really read that a nurse claimed that Edward Charles Allaway became “angry and unglued” when he watched “Night of the Living Dead” in 1999? Who is picking the movies for mass murderers who plead insanity?

I think I’m a relatively sane guy, but “Night of the Living Dead” freaked me out. What must have Allaway thought? Shouldn’t any movie involving murder and/or eating people be banned from mental hospitals? Do we need a government committee to study this? Maybe a new entertainment director at mental hospitals?

Bruce Konschuh

Fullerton

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Maybe I missed your readership’s reaction to the story that Allaway became “angry and unglued” while watching “Night of the Living Dead” in 1999 while an inmate at Patton State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. “Night of the Living Dead”? Who is the entertainment coordinator? What did they serve for dinner that night, Silence of the Lamb Stew? The inmates are running the asylum.

David Powers

Laguna Beach

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It really galls me to see Allaway on TV crying tears of self-pity.

Doesn’t he realize how lucky he is? There are people on death row who have killed only one person.

Besides, he is enjoying a standard of living much better than he could earn as a janitor.

We should eliminate the verdict of “not guilty by reason of insanity.” Instead, let’s say “guilty, but insane,” followed by a sentence appropriate to the crime, but suspended. When or if the perpetrator recovered from insanity he could then serve his time in prison.

This would give some closure to the relatives of the victims instead of dragging them through the ordeal, year after year, of facing the possibility of seeing a murderer walk free.

Ruth D. Keran

Fullerton