It's not about sympathy but justice. I disagree with tptacek's characterization of it as not being legal finagling. Burying murder-for-hire attempts under "narc

It's not about sympathy but justice. I disagree with tptacek's characterization of it as not being legal finagling. Burying murder-for-hire attempts under "narcotics trafficking conspiracy" is obtuse and opaque. He should be explicitly charged. And yes, perhaps this means the fault isn't with the prosecutors or judge but with the scope of the narcotics trafficking conspiracy laws themselves; it's still sketchy. I'm not sympathetic to him in the slightest. I believe he's almost certainly guilty of attempting to have those people murdered. I think his sentence should be overturned and I think he should be explicitly charged with attempted murder, and hopefully he will be convicted of those crimes and re-sentenced to life in prison. (Whether or not that's legally viable, I have no idea; I just think it's what ought to happen.)