gavra: Rav Moshe wrote this for the Governor of New York to encourage the implementation of the then proposed death penalty for first degree murder. It was applicable to more than Son of Sam; including non-serial murderers.
When there is 15,000 – 20,000 murders PER YEAR (compared to a Jewish Beis Din having ONE death case per SEVENTY [or seven] YEARS) in the United States, you definitely are in an emergency situation that requires saving society, is what Rav Moshe is saying. That’s why he wrote this.
Really? That’s not how I read it. And since I read it inside, and in the original hebrew, I will trust my judgement over yours. Besides, I don’t think your arguement is that you need capital punishemnt or society will fall apart, is it?
And you still haven’t answered which website you are quoting, and what biases it may have in the translation. I hope you will look at the teshuva inside (although you may already have prejudged).