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I probably would tell if it were a friend. The real question is: what if it were a family member? Would you rat out your child?
If my child committed a crime, I would be doing him or her a favor by "ratting out" the dang kid. Although I like to think I would have been doing a good enough job holding the kid responsible up to that time, so that the crime never occurred in the first place.
Harrier, a person who gets away with the crime is far more likely to commit a second crime. Then a third, And so on. That's how solving crimes protects the public. Of course you're right that it doesn't stop the next idiot from coming up with some blame fool idea -- but there are plenty of people who see someone get held responsible for a crime and say "OK, I now know that's a dumb thing to do." Not enough, for sure, but there are lots of them.
There was a murder years ago in the town next to mine, and it was significant to me because my friends and I sometimes hung out at the bar where the victim had been before she was killed (I didn't know her personally).
She didn't come home that night, and the next day her car was found at the parking lot across from the bar where people parked when the bar lot was full. Her purse was in the car and her keys were in the ignition. They found her, strangled, a few days later in a local lake. The crime went unsolved for about five years.
The one day it was announced that the murderer had confessed. It was a homely, awkward guy who'd had a secret crush on the girl and one night when he was drunk he followed her to her car and made a move and then became enraged when she turned him down, and he strangled her. BUT--he told a friend of his what happened (and I DID know the friend) and asked him to keep it a secret. For five years the friend didn't say anything, but eventually it bothered his conscience so much that one day he walked into the police station and told them what he knew. The cops went to see the guy who did the killing, and he confessed immediately.
There was a murder years ago in the town next to mine, and it was significant to me because my friends and I sometimes hung out at the bar where the victim had been before she was killed (I didn't know her personally).
She didn't come home that night, and the next day her car was found at the parking lot across from the bar where people parked when the bar lot was full. Her purse was in the car and her keys were in the ignition. They found her, strangled, a few days later in a local lake. The crime went unsolved for about five years.
The one day it was announced that the murderer had confessed. It was a homely, awkward guy who'd had a secret crush on the girl and one night when he was drunk he followed her to her car and made a move and then became enraged when she turned him down, and he strangled her. BUT--he told a friend of his what happened (and I DID know the friend) and asked him to keep it a secret. For five years the friend didn't say anything, but eventually it bothered his conscience so much that one day he walked into the police station and told them what he knew. The cops went to see the guy who did the killing, and he confessed immediately.
In a case like this I would definately come forward because there is an innocent victim.
Gang, drug, and justified revenge related homocides often don't have that. I think knowing who murdered someone who basically "had it coming" or who accepted the possibilty of death as part of their lifestyle is TOTALLY different. If questioned by police I would be truthful however it is very unlikely I would willingly come forward with information.
My children were young teens when Jon Benet Ramsey was killed. In the beginning there were all these wild theories going around, such as Mom did it in a fit of rage after JBR wet the bed or Dad did it by accident. We discussed situations like this and I emphasized to my children if they ever had something happen to them such as that (hurt/killed someone in an accident, fit of rage, stupid prank, etc.) call 911 first, stay & help the injured person even if it means that they are charged with a crime. And I told them that I would call the police if they came to me with a crime that they committed ---- but I would also stand by them and help pay for legal representation.
Prisons can be escaped from and there are people in prisons - they aren't any "safer".
If someone wants to be "safe" from a serial killer then they need to be responsible for their own defense.
It's a fallacy, and dangerous, to think that anyone can keep themselves safe from someone like a serial killer.
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Would you?
