Actually, no, I have yet to take someones eye. Or kill a fellow being. I do believe most of us make it through life without that.
Yes, when you commit a crime like this, you need to be held accountable. This person is a detriment to society. End of story. Why put him up for the next 30 years?
There are those that simply cannot function in a society. It's a fact of life. When we are dealing with 6 odd billion people, no doubt a few are going to be completely whacked. What can you do? I find it reassuring that MORE of this does not go on than already does. And I believe there are several reasons for this, one, most people know right from wrong. 2nd, many people do not want to deal with the repercussions of doing something like this.
I mean, we as a species are still babes in the woods.... and we have a long way to go before we mature to the point of realizing what our place in the universe really is. But even then, there will always be those that simply have the inability to control themselves, and this is the result.