Tens of thousands of people have even signed a petition that says it is "absolutely not right to jail the young man for 24years which is worst than death."
In 2018, Cameron Herrin, who was 18 years at the time, was racing with his friend at 100 miles per hour in a Ford Mustang. Because he was so engrossed in the race with his friend, John Barrineau, he rammed into 24-year-old Jessica Reisinger-Raubenolt who was just trying to cross the street with her 1-year-old daughter Lillia in the stroller. The mother and daughter were taken to the hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.
According to PEOPLE, in April 2021, Herrin, now 21, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his crimes, after pleading guilty in December 2020. Barrineau, who pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and a misdemeanor charge of racing with Herrin, was sentenced to six years.
A killer is always a killer.
— COCO MANJi (@cocomanji) August 13, 2021
No matter how good he looks, or young.
Don't be a accomplice
Please don't sign.#cameronherrin pic.twitter.com/GKNok97qq9
At Herrin's sentencing, Reisinger-Raubenolt's heartbroken husband spoke directly to his wife's killer. "It is critical for you to understand that you've created everlasting pain and depths of sorrow," Raubenolt said, according to WFTS. "This was a crash, not an accident — please be aware of that."
This man had to go through so much, I wish the best of luck to him for the rest of his life. #cameronherrin pic.twitter.com/2Px7YxZ1uD
— ‰ 🏳️🌈 (@ElyR1uM) August 16, 2021
For someone who's responsible for taking two lives, 24 years isn't that bad a sentence, right? Well, there are people who are smitten by Herrin because of his good looks, and they seem to think that this sentence is a bit too harsh.
Justice for Cameron @GovRonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/Av4ILA4lVf
— Maha Mostafa 🇪🇬 (@MahaMos89655388) August 14, 2021
In fact, the phrase "Justice for Cameron" started to gain popularity on Twitter and Facebook. Herrin's own TikTok account has 2 million followers, despite having zero posts.
Shockingly, almost 30,000 people, [at the time of publication] have signed a Change.org petition that says it is "absolutely not right to jail the young man for 24years which is worst than death."
"He is very young and his all life front of him," the petition added, mentioning that the victim's family will not get them back, but it isn't right for them to rob this young man's future, too, with a 24-year sentence.
It was “almost like an obsession, an unhealthy obsession,” Herrin’s mother said of some of the supporters who took an interest in her son, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
She also added that her son's supporters have "stalked" many of her relatives on Facebook, inundating them with messages. Her son's fiancee had her account hacked on the site, she added. Scary Mommy believes that the outpouring support for Herrin is because of something called a "pretty privilege". Urban Dictionary describes it as “a person who has more opportunities, and becomes more successful in life because of how attractive they are.”
If Herrin was just like any other person, he wouldn't have gained so much attention, and people wouldn't have rallied for his freedom. It's sad, but Herrin's case is quite similar to that of Chris Watts, the man who killed his family. He too, received a lot of sympathy despite such a cruel act, because he is what people consider handsome.
Do you think Herrin should serve 24 years in prison, or should he be let out early because he has his whole life ahead of him?
References:
https://www.scarymommy.com/pretty-privilege-real-cameron-herrin-case-social-media/
Cover Image Source: YouTube | FOX 13 Tampa Bay
