Did Nancy Grace Step Over The Line?

As one not familiar with Nancy Grace's biographical background, I cannot allow myself to draw hasty conclusions. However, it is generally known that she is a former prosecutor who is now a TV news star.

Recently an Asian girl committed suicide one day after being interviewed by Nancy Grace by telephone. The show was not aired on TV until after Melinda Duckett had committed suicide. Moreover, Grace was pressuring Melinda Duckett about the disappearance of her 2 year-old son, Trenton Duckett. While Nancy Grace denies any responsibility or accountability for the subsequent suicide of Melinda Duckett, the fact of the matter is that Nancy Grace has a harsh attitude toward those she views as criminals. The tragedy is that Nancy Grace does not know if Melinda Duckett was guilty of a crime or not. Grace apparently assumed a predetermined opinion that Duckett was guilty of murdering her own child and then used that assumption to treat Duckett as if she were a murderess.

Miss Grace's attitude exemplifies a common problem in this country. The problem is multifaceted, of course. But to be sure, Miss Grace's motives for grilling people harshly on her TV program is purely selfish and bigoted and not objective in any shape or form. First off, the ratings of a TV show determine whether that show remains on the air or not. Secondly, the continued profitability of a celebrity news host like Nancy Grace depends on whether or not that show remains on the air. In short, Nancy Grace, in reckless disregard for the facts of the case and for the well being of the families involved, pushed an innocent girl to commit suicide. I say innocent because legally a person is innocent until proven guilty. And why did Nancy Grace do this? The short answer is that she did it for the ratings of her show and thus for her own personal financial gain and well being. Such blatant yellow journalism is reprehensible and completely dishonest. Grace pretends to be an "expert" on such cases but the fact remains that the evidence was not clear enough to draw final conclusions.

Grace's behavior on the air in fact shows the major weakness of most justice systems in modern countries today. Police and prosecutors make assumptions, close their minds to other possibilities, and then pursue their preconceived conclusions until they can get enough "evidence" to prove their assumptions to a jury. The trouble with such an approach is that it is not scientific in most cases. This is precisely why so many innocent people are convicted of crimes they did not commit and some may even be pushed to suicide because of the shame and guilt that judgmental people like Nancy Grace put upon them falsely. It would indeed be sad if it turns out in the end that Melinda Duckett did not kill her own baby.

Furthermore, even if Melinda Duckett did kill her baby, it would still be a travesty if Grace's harsh interview pushed her to commit suicide. Even if Duckett were guilty, the truth may never be known because Grace's own greed and selfish ambition trumped justice and finding the truth in the case. Had Grace not jumped to premature conclusions, even if the mother were guilty, the police would have had a much better chance of finding the truth if the mother had not committed suicide since she might have eventually confessed or given information that led to the baby's body or to whoever has the child in their care.

I might add that Nancy Grace claims to have been a victim of domestic violence. It is indeed tragic that women in this country are victims of abusive husbands and significant others. However, it seems to me that in many cases the abuse was probably mutual. Nancy Grace comes across as a person that could be extremely verbally abusive, judgmental, and harsh. She has little compassion or empathy for victims of crime or for those who may have been mentally ill or pushed over the edge before they committed a crime. It has often been said that victims sometimes become abusive themselves. They become the very same kind of person whom they hated when they were being victimized. Grace seems to be this sort of victim. The difference is that she has used her "testimony" for personal gain and has turned her hatred for "abuse" into an excuse to abuse others on the air.

Perhaps Nancy Grace ought to consider the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:

"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7, KJV)

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15, KJV)

To truly be a Christian means that we must love even our enemies, even the most wicked of criminals because they too are created in the image and likeness of God. Let us never forget that if not for the restraining common grace of God all of us are capable of terrible wickedness and crime. But for the grace of God, there go I.

Nancy Grace should examine her heart and repent of her actions against God, our community, the families involved, and, most especially, Melinda Duckett. May God have mercy upon Nancy Grace. And may God have mercy on the poor soul of Melinda Duckett who took her own life.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

http://www.cfnews13.com/story.aspx?id=51&sid=18531