Absent Lesser Charges Than Murder, Officer Michael Slager Will Go Free

ClashDaily.com ^ | 4/17/15 | Donald Joy

[Conscience of a Conservative]

You want to condemn a man on a charge for which there’s reasonable doubt. How nice.

Reasonable doubt does not mean "any sliver of doubt." It means a doubt that would affect a reasonable person's view of whether the defendant is guilty. Just because you can come up with some argument as to why a trained police officer would disrupt a crime scene and move a key piece of evidence to a position that is more favorable to that officer does not mean that there is reasonable doubt.

[IChing]

But you have to admit that there’s reasonable doubt as to that allegation. He’d have motivation to try to cover up voluntary manslaughter too, would he not?

[Conscience of a Conservative]

I don’t buy that you’ve not read arguments as to other reasons he may have had for moving it. Tell me, in your limitless omniscience, why he almost immediately holstered it?

Tell me, in your limitless obedience to authority, why he almost immediately went to retreive a critical piece of evidence at a crime scene, the location of which would almost certainly be a key issue in any investigation into the shooting?

[rottndog]

In the context of this shooting.....Occam’s Razor....

[IChing]

Fair enough, but wouldn’t he also have the similar motive to cover up evidence of voluntary manslaughter? Those of you saying his moving the item is evidence of murder don’t seem to think very clearly about these things.

[IChing]

Again, I don’t by that you’ve not already been exposed to those speculations, so I’ll spare myself the trouble.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

Again, I don’t by that you’ve not already been exposed to those speculations, so I’ll spare myself the trouble.

I have seen the speculations. As I pointed out above, just because you can come up with a speculative reason why he did it does not mean that said specualtive reason is plausible or creates reasonable doubt.

[IChing]

We can disagree, but you must admit that even if his reason for doing so was dishonest, it doesn’t seal the deal on a murder charge — he’d have the same motive to try to cover up voluntary manslaughter, now wouldn’t he?

The heart of the matter is his state of mind prior to and at the moment of the shooting, not afterward.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

I would argue (and understand that some would disagree) that his actions immediately after the shooting shed some light on his state of mind immediately before the shooting.

[familyop]

Wishful thinking.

Here’s Slager in his jail uniform (and more info).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvyTYOtvf8E

SC Supreme Court orders judge to hear Michael Slager case
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3279289/posts

[IChing]

Perhaps, but not necessarily. There’s the rub — reasonable doubt as to the one charge in question, added to all the other doubt existing about it.

[MileHi]

So it was the taser he moved?

In that shot the item he moved is in front of him. The taser had flown behind him was my understanding.

If it was the hat, people do odd things when they are shaken up. If it was the taser, well that’s a problem.

[familyop]

The Conservative Treehouse blog hypothesis was debunked long ago.

SLED: Video confirmed investigators' early suspicions of Walter Scott's death
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3278558/posts

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Coroner: Walter Scott died from multiple gunshot wounds to the back
LIVE 5 WCSC ^ | Apr 08, 2015 | LIVE 5 WCSC
Excerpt of excerpt:
"Summey said Scott was hit with the officer's Taser weapon, and they know that, Summey said, because one of the Taser projectiles was still attached...Officer Slager then deployed his Taser weapon to detain the driver but was unsuccessful, a spokesperson for the police department said..."

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[ansel12]

Annoying as it is no one will say straight out if it was the laser or not, but he did put it on his belt after either rethinking placing it by the body, or after placing it by the body for some other reason, such as contaminating it with something, blood, more DNA, grass or dirt from next to the body, or whatever.

[IChing]

Pretty feeble try. But, it’s all you have.

[MileHi]

... but he did put it on his belt...

See, that is news to me. I was at a question mark about what the object was. I could see the cop being rattled after the shooting because a few moments before it was a "routine" traffic stop. I've been called a "cop hater" on other threads, but I do want these guys to be right, so I don't want to jump to conclusions here. Still, it looks bad. Shots in the back always do.

[familyop]

Walter Scott shooting: Recording reveals cop Michael Slager 'laughed about pumping adrenaline'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srRz3zEiEXY

[DiogenesLamp]

Do you think Slager will get a fair trial?

Not likely.

[familyop]

"What is the back story on the guy the cop killed? What led up to all of this?"

Walter Scott was driving his passenger home for a cookout...shot dead by South Carolina cop
http://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3280352/posts

...and the links in the thread.