North Guilty, Going to Jail for a Long Time

With a sense of relief we point gentle readers to coverage of the guilty plea entered yesterday by Fernando Lee North, perpetrator of notorious crimes against CCU students.

North's guilty plea accomplishes several things. Most importantly, it spares a lengthy trial that would further victimize the victims. But, per our sources connected to the inside, he was forced to plead guilty to enough stuff that he's very unlikely to be free again until he's extremely elderly.

We note two items in the Enquirer's coverage that might be related.

Item one, describing the victims and their families:

"They are extremely conscientious people," Assistant Prosecutor Megan Shanahan said.

"It was important to them that the message is relayed that people cannot do this and get away with it."

Item two, describing the victimizer:

It's not usually until sentencing that defendants speak, but North spontaneously apologized.

"I'm sorry for any pain and hurt I have caused anybody," he said.

We nominate Item One for Understatement of the Year. These two and their families are among the most conscientious people it has been our experience to know. We say that with no exaggeration.

And so we cannot help but wonder to what degree their dignity, fortitude and grace affected everyone who dealt with this case, eventually finding its way to the perpetrator, for whom it in some respect prompted his apology.

Human justice is always imperfect. But it can be touched by divine mercy.