Kevin Harpham, who attempted to bomb the MLK Day Parade in Spokane, WA, just reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. Prosecutors will recommend a 27-32 year prison term.
Kevin Harpham reached a deal with federal prosecutors for a recommended sentencing range of 27 to 32 years in prison just days before his trial was to begin in U.S. District Court.
Prosecutors say the pipe bomb was loaded with lead fishing weights coated in a chemical.
Now remember, Harpham did the same thing Faisal Shahzad did: attempt to bomb a public venue. Both men were charged with attempting to use a WMD. And while Shahzad was charged with more crimes, Harpham’s crime was also treated as a hate crime, and the bomb he built was more sophisticated than Shahzad’s.
So why does Harpham–who is 37–have the hope of being free one day, whereas Shahzad got sent away for life? Why does a citizen on one side of the continent get life for attempting to use a WMD to kill randoms passers by, whereas a citizen on the other side of the continent who attempts to use a WMD to kill victims selected by race get a lesser sentence?