IF YOU COMMIT A CRIME, YOU SHOULD PAY THE PRICE

In August 1992, Cape Girardeau was the scene of a grisly triple murder. This week, the case reached resolution when all three defendants were sentenced. The justice dolled out was decidedly stiff and fitting.

Cape Girardeau County Circuit Judge Bill Syler handed down three consecutive life sentences to 19-year-old David Rhodes for his role in the murders of Sherry Scheper and her sons, Randy and Curtis. Syler also sentenced John Browne Jr., 22, to one life sentence on a single count of second-degree murder. In both cases, the judge surpassed recommendations of the prosecutor.

Gary Lee Roll, 41, received the harshest penalty allowed -- death -- from Boone County Circuit Judge Frank Conley. The judge chose death over life without parole. It's unusual in that Roll pled guilty -- and still received the maximum penalty. If the sentence is carried out, Roll would be the first person to be executed for a Cape Girardeau County murder since July 26, 1963, when Sammy Tucker was executed for killing a Cape Girardeau police officer.

We welcome these tough sentences. They send a strong message to the criminal element: If you commit heinous crimes, you will pay dearly.

Too often, the will of the court is subverted by overcrowded prisons. A single life sentence means only 15 years -- or less -- in prison. Even with three consecutive life sentences, Rhodes won't spend the rest of his life behind bars; that translates to about 45 years.

Rhodes' tough sentence also sends another message to criminals: If you are on the scene of a murder, you will be punished severely even if you don't pull the trigger. The evidence indicates that Roll actually killed all three, and that Rhodes was in the house at the time. Browne waited outside. But the Schepers died through the actions of all three men.

These murders seared our community psyche with brutality -- demonstrating that we are not insulated from "big-city" crime. The parties involved were all from Cape Girardeau; they were not out-of-town "hitmen." What makes it all the more unnerving was the fact it was the second triple murder in as many months. The other, which occurred in September 1992, erupted from a domestic dispute.

The Scheper killings also underscore the peril of drugs.

In the sentencing hearings, the suspects told of a burglary gone wrong. Drugs, they said, were to blame. All three were on LSD at the time of the murders.

Drugs are not an excuse for this type of behavior. They are not an extenuating circumstance. We applaud Judge Conley for saying that Roll's drug habit was not a legitimate reason to commit such crimes. Drugs are not the answer -- they are the problem. And, if you do horrible acts while on drugs, you must pay the price.

The drug trade is brutal. We read that fact day after day in similar stories across the nation. Drug trafficking led the three to the Scheper house that night. Randy Scheper had been known as a small-time drug dealer. But with drugs, even a minor offense can lead to major consequences - including the deaths of innocent people.

The judge cited three reasons for choosing the death sentence: the fact the crime involved the killing of more than one person, the murders were committed during the course of a robbery, and witnesses to a drug offense were killed. This far outweighs the fact it was Roll's first offense. We're also glad that Roll's "suffering" did not outweigh the suffering of the victims' families. They have lost three people - and no amount of apologies or second guesses will ever bring them back.

Justice was served with these three sentences in Cape Girardeau and Boone counties this week. The fact these men will serve many years in prison won't bring back the Scheper family. But it sends a powerful message to criminals: If you commit a crime, you will pay the price.

David Rhodes and John Browne Jr. will spend their young years behind bars. Gary Roll will pay with his life.