It was William Burden’s bad luck that led him to try to rob an armed citizen, and it was Robert DuBois’ good sense that allowed his family to survive the encounter with a criminal.
In a perfect world, this would be the end of the story. But there’s something else about this case that needs to be pointed out. William Burden should have been in prison on July 4th, 2003. That he was not paints a disturbing picture of a “revolving door of justice” in the Garden State. Consider this: Burden’s been arrested 28 times since 1992. He’s been convicted of 11 “serious crimes”, according to Assistant Prosecutor John Jesperson. Yet he was still out on the street (and eventually in the DuBois home) on July 4th, 2003. And only now are prosecutors suggesting Burden may be a career criminal.
Jesperson told the Vineland Daily Journal, "It is obvious by his prior record that all attempts at rehabilitation have failed. I'm sorry to say that all that is left to do is warehouse Mr. Burden." Pardon me for asking, but couldn’t you have figured this out after the fifth arrest? How about arrest number seven?
Some states have a “three strikes” policy. In southern New Jersey, it appears, it’s more of a “twelve strikes” rule of thumb. This isn’t leniency, it’s idiocy. Is there any reason for someone to even have the chance to be convicted of 11 serious crimes in 13 years? Why wasn’t Burden in prison?
The William Burdens of the world are benefiting from the stupidity of the system. Burden’s not an unlucky guy for picking the wrong victim. He’s a lucky guy to get nearly a dozen chances to go straight. His recent comments blaming the DuBois’ for his troubles indicate he never learned his lesson. Perhaps it’s time for New Jersey to start keeping criminals behind bars until they get the message that crime doesn’t pay.