In July, an old man named Robert Raynor, from New York City, was found dead in the comfort of his home with the words “I Touch Little Girls” written on his body with black marker. The killer attempted to bring the old man to justice because he believed he was a pedophile, it was not confirmed, however, because there was no evidence that the victim had any signs of being a child predator. Despite the killer trying to help with vigilante justice, I disagree with the killer’s form of justice because the old man did not have a fair trial for proper justice and the markings were too extreme.

Case background

The old man was found dead on the scene with the words “I touch little girls” written on his bare chest. Also, a neighbor reported that he had seen the phrase “I take dolls in my room for girls ages 1-5″ inked across his stomach and “I touch” on his feet. The investigation team knew that the case was serious because of the task at hand. Raynor had a criminal record but was never arrested for any sex offenses nor does he appear in the NYC sex assault registry in the Department of Justice. Because there was no evidence that the old man was a pedophile, the investigation will go beyond looking for signs of possible pedophile activity from the old man.

Family sorrow

Daughter Carolyn of the elderly man was very upset and sad. She denies that her father was a child predator. She claimed that the old man was suffering from cancer and arthritis, which made him incapable of being a child predator or assaulting little kids. The fact that the killer took the old man’s life so extremely brought hatred, confusion and minor protests from the family because they are very flabbergasted by their family member being assumed a child predator.

Confused community

When the news people arrived, they asked citizens about their say on the situation and a lady came up and said, “I don’t know who had they kids around him, but if he did that, he paid a h–l of a price at his age. But if he did that, he gotta answer to God”. Then the husband of this lady said, “He seemed very friendly the few times we seen him[.] … He always said hi, asked how was we doing. Yeah, he seemed really friendly. As for the stuff on his chest, I don’t know. I can’t speak about that.” This indicated that the old man had a good reputation with the people in the community and being a pedophile does not seem to match that description, so some investigation had to be done before he died because the accusation was not proven. That would have brought proper justice, but the killer already killed the old man, denying him due process. Therefore, the killer’s actions were too hasty and wrong. 

Wrong way

The killer of the old man thought that he was a pedophile and likely believed that they were doing the right thing by putting the old man to rest before his time. However, there was no evidence of the old man being a pedophile. The old man was found with a broken nose and injured arms, which means he was beaten to death. Such cruelty was unnecessary and to such an extreme is outrageous. The pain the old man felt would be unbelievable and the passion of bringing harm to the old man probably satisfied the killer, but this was just wrong. I disagree with the way the killer wanted to show the police that the old man was assumed a child predator. Writing an accusatory message onto a dead body for notice is just way too extreme and cruel for the victim and his family.

Conclusion

In conclusion, in any serious situation, before taking matters into your own hands, notify a teacher, officer or even a parent. No matter what it is, never enforce punishment yourself if you are not a trained member of the justice system. Therefore, the right charges will be made and justice for the victims will be given properly. Taking matters into your own hands can possibly bring trouble to yourself by getting hurt or even killed by the criminal, or by having a criminal case brought on yourself from law enforcement. If the killer had just gone to the police station and filed a complaint, the killer would not have to be hunted for arrest and the elderly man would be properly judged instead of prematurely killed.