“The only thing I can say is thank God it’s finally over.”

That’s what Vivian Rancourt, mother of Susan Rancourt, said about the execution of killer Ted Bundy. And rightly so. Susan was one of Bundy’s victims.

But it’s one thing for a mourning mother to feel that justice has been served, and another thing for bystanders to behave the way they’ve been. This execution is comparable to the old town hangings and the French guillotine executions, which were good for Friday night entertainment.

A crowd gathered outside the prison where Bundy was executed Tuesday, carrying signs reading, “Buckle up Bundy, it’s the law” and “Roast in peace.”

After the execution, the crowd proceeded to throw a fireworks display in celebration of the death. Some of the crowd members were area residents who said they’d waited 11 years to see Bundy “fry.” Others were students passing through town on their way to school.

This type of celebratory behavior is sadistic and macabre. No matter how much someone agrees that Bundy should have been executed, there is no justification for celebrating this in so blatant a fashion. The execution has been portrayed as a glorious spectator event.

Everything about this execution but the sale of tickets has been publicized, and it’s sad to think people have not changed from the good ‘ol days of the spectator sport—the public execution.