Locking him in a cage for the rest of his miserable life is probably the worst thing we could do to him. He's going to die anyway. We all do. Make his life on Earth miserable.
I agree with you. Capital punishment costs too much. Lock the boy up in GP, forget about him, and leave him there until he's carried out.
BUT... If capital punishment were carried out more swiftly, then by all means, he needs to go meet his maker.