Sunday, June 2, 2013

Everyone Has Limits


I saw a docudrama today about Danny Palm, who was convicted of second-degree murder after shooting John Harper, Jr at point-blank range one November morning in 1995.

When news of the murder hit the community, members were stunned and saddened—for Palm.

Just the week before, Harper had been convicted of a misdemeanor and fined $500 before being released. The charges? According to the sworn testimony of Palm and other community members, Harper, described as a bully, and his white El Camino had terrorized  neighbors for nearly 2 years, pulling up on and behind them unexpectedly as they drove, tailgating them, and in one case pursuing a neighbor for nearly 10 minutes after ramming her car from behind while her 9-year-old daughter sat terrified in the passenger seat.

Despite stories such as this from multiple sources, the jury couldn’t decide Harper’s intent, so they couldn’t convict, and Harper was offered a plea bargain.

(I have to say, I can’t for the life of me understand why the court didn’t at least revoke Harper’s driver’s license. Come on.)

This case intrigued me for so many reasons, but the main reason is that Harper’s family—that is, his parents (with whom he lived) and his sister—were very vocal in their disbelief that their John Harper was the same person being described by the community. In fact, they were adamant. 

But let’s face it—these accounts had to be true. They were numerous and reported by people who had no reason to accuse this young man of anything.

According to San Diego Magazine, here’s a quote from Harper’s sister—

"They call my brother a wacko, but I never saw that. John was not the wacko who chased my brother down a road and pumped bullets into an unarmed man... I don't know what the cause was, but I do know what the effect was. It's destroyed my mother and father. Those vigilantes took the law into their own hands, and my brother's murder is the result."

Superior Court Judge William Mudd, who later reduced Palm’s conviction to manslaughter, said that Harper was a "jerk" and "ne'er-do-well" who caused his own troubles.
Well, that sounds a little harsh, but after Harper’s death, neighbors did report being relieved they no longer had to fear him.

And when it’s all said and done, the story is just strange. What motivated Harper? There were reports of methamphetamine abuse, but again, his family said they never saw Harper high or under the influence of drugs. So how does that work? You get so high that ramming a neighbor’s car seems like a good idea, and then you go home like nothing happened, and no one notices anything odd about you? For 2 years?

And did Palm just snap? I think so. I tend to think that, after being confronted by Harper that last time, Palm just decided he couldn’t or wouldn’t take it anymore. Some may call that more premeditated than spontaneous, but I think that in that moment, Palm had simply reached his limit. After all, people oughtn't to be able to hijack other people’s lives with their insanity or their cruelty or their twisted sense of humor. And while I don’t approve of Palm’s actions, people are human and can reach a breaking point if pushed far enough.

One thing that's certain is that this situation is a study in waste and in how a single individual can create havoc for an entire body of people. No matter how often I learn that lesson, it always surprises me.

20 comments:

  1. what are the facts? an unarmed man got murdered by a military bully. did harper have any drug convictions for meth? did he have traffic citations?

    looks like palm was harassing harper (following around and taking pictures)and harper confronted palm. what was harper guitly of, besides a bunch of hearsay ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nope. Harper was the bully harassing everyone else.

      Delete
    2. Wrong, this Harper clown was a constant terror in the neighborhood so get your facts straight.

      Delete
  2. Watch the entire documentary before you judge...Harper was a drug-crazed thug. While I don't agree with what Palm did, it is understandable.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Harper was scum who got what's good for him. The lady and the 9 year old Harper nearly killed are wife and daughter of LAPD sargent. They have no reason to lie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah because being a relative of an LAPD official means you can't lie or exaggerate? Idiot.

      And regardless of what he GOT..the point is HOW it was done..it wasn't self defense..it was murder. Palm followed him..pinned him to the side of the road..loaded his gun, it jammed..load it AGAIN..pointed it at him..shot him DEAD in one shot to the brain..the car rolled down the street..he got out..put in a full clip..shot him/dead body 6 more times...RELOADED..then shot him/dead body 6 more times.

      Delete
    2. Not even remotely. Harper's family's excuses for him is why he got away with his thug behavior. They enabled him. And when he pushed the wrong person too far, they're surprised he got what was coming to him.

      Delete
  4. A bully can be punished by his victim.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly. Harper is the aggressor here. Nothing was done about his behavior, even after he could have killed a woman and her daughter. He continued to harass Palm and the neighborhood after that. If the law isn't going to do something about it, then people will take into their own hands to protect themselves.

      Delete
  5. Thou shalt not kill. This is the 5th of the 10 commandments of God. Leave punishment to God, who is the AUTHOUR and taker of live. God bless you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Harper nearly killed a woman and her daughter by ramming his car into them and then harassing them relentlessly by chasing them with his car. Palm did what he should have done, protected his family and the neighborhood from a psycho.

      Delete
  6. Harper got what he deserved, plain & simple. Good for the judge

    ReplyDelete
  7. I knew Mr.Palm as a racist old bully that harassed every neighbor in a campaign to get rid of John Harper. Danny was horrible and everyone thought he was crazy too and they were afraid of Danny. Fuck Danny Palm

    ReplyDelete
  8. Palm is a scary vigilante who made Swiss cheese out of an unarmed victim. First degree murder.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You guys are losers and idiots,6:50am & 2:40pm,don't know shit about shit and making shit up.stfu with that bullshit.haa harper bitch ass punk.i would've killed that piece of shit way sooner.lmao,dead ass worthless bitch

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just saw, "Someone They Knew," about this case. Our legal system & the SD Sheriff's Dept played an indirect role in Harper's death. How could he continuously be brought to their radar by the community, and they did nothing. I blame the justice system for not holding harper accountable and driving a Navy Veteran to snap and "not take it anymore."

    ReplyDelete
  11. If Palm would not have killed punk Harper than someone else would have because he was pushing his luck and people were fed the f**k up. I can't believe Harpers stupid family defends his bad behavior. No wonder he felt entitled to harass everybody. His clown ass family allowed it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Is Dan still alive?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Looks like Palm died today

    ReplyDelete