Briana Waters
Posted on 05/29/2008 8:58:28 AM PDT by jazusamo
Federal prosecutors are seeking a 10-year prison sentence for Briana Waters, a California woman convicted in March by a federal grant jury of assisting in the 2001 Earth Liberation Front arson that destroyed the University of Washington's Urban Horticulture Center.
That recommendation includes a "terrorism enhancement," according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors Wednesday in U.S. District Court. The UW arson sought to strike a blow against genetic engineering of poplar trees, and federal prosecutors say that meets the legal definition of a violent act "calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion," according to the court filing.
Defense attorney Neil Fox, in his own sentencing memorandum, said his client should not be subject to a terrorism enhancement. He asked that a five-year mandatory minimum sentence be partially suspended, and proposed 18 months in prison for Waters' part in the arson that targeted the office of UW poplar researcher Toby Bradshaw.
Fox noted that his client was not convicted of being part of an Earth Liberation Front conspiracy — a charge that prosecutors sought unsuccessfully to prove, and wrote that the UW arson was not an act of terrorism...
(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...
Briana Waters
Eco-terrorist Ping!
“...arson was not an act of terrorism...”
Get a rope.
One of the jury members as much as said they didn’t convict her on the conspiracy arson charge because they felt sorry for her being a mother of a three year old and the mandatory sentence was 20 years.
Her going to trial paid off for her even though she was found guilty of lesser charges.
“Evil” gets away with a helluva lot these days. *SIGH*
Say WA? Evergreen State ping
FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.
Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.
Don't even show me the “Mommy” pic, this woman is a mentally deranged terrorist of the highest order. Eco-murderer, if she got the chance.
Disgusting. Was she thinking about her child when she commited domestic terrorism?
But now that she’s on trial, everyday she walks in with the baby attached to her like she’s mother of the year trying to gain sympthy of the judge and jury.
I’ve seen the same crap even in traffic court for speeding tickets, etc...
The woman comes in with a baby attached to her trying to gain sympathy.
People who do this deserve double the maximum sentance.
What's a federal "grant" jury?
Hope she gets the full 10 years. Should be more.
FMCDH(BITS)
FMCDH(BITS)
Never heard of a “grant” jury, must be something this journalist thought up and yes, she deserves all of ten years and more.
Briana Waters, you are an Eco Terrorist B$tch!
Briana Waters, you are an Eco Terrorist B$tch!
Looking at the “male” leading the arsonist by the hand, one can’t help remembering “I’ve got eyes like a bat, my feet are flat, and I always carry a purse”.
That poor kid is not off to a good start. It’s got a terrorist for a mother, and a man purse wearing father.
Lock ‘em up and throw away the danged key!!!
The researchers who could have been killed don't have kids? A mis-trial should be called.
"It's fair to say that for a lot of us, it was very emotional," said one male juror, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "I mean, here was a mom with a kid. It certainly played into the deliberations."
Woman found guilty of arson in 2001 University of Washington fire
Set her aflame, cook for 2 minutes and call it even.
You can say that again!
______________________________________________
Excerpt:
Sentencing delayed for UW arsonist
Sentencing delayed for UW arsonist
By GENE JOHNSON
AP Legal Affairs Writer
SEATTLE — Sentencing has been indefinitely delayed for a woman convicted in an arson at the University of Washington, following new developments about evidence that was presented at her trial.
Briana Waters was convicted this year of two counts of arson for her role as a lookout in the 2001 Earth Liberation Front fire that destroyed the university's Center for Urban Horticulture. Her sentencing was set for Monday at U.S. District Court in Tacoma, with prosecutors requesting 10 years in prison.
But that sentencing was stricken from the court calendar today after the U.S. attorney's office learned new information about a small piece of evidence used at the trial: anarchist articles that Waters supposedly gave to Jennifer Kolar, a witness who had pleaded guilty to arson and related charges in the UW fire and then testified against Waters.
Kolar identified Waters as a participant, and while on the stand she testified that Waters had given her the anarchist articles in a folder — supposed evidence of Waters' mind-set around the time of the fire. Kolar testified she never read the articles, and she put them in a plastic tub that she stored at her house until she turned them over to her lawyer.
Kolar's lawyer contacted the U.S. attorney's office on Tuesday to say her testimony was misleading: In reality, after Kolar was contacted by the FBI about the arson, she asked a friend to remove the tub from her home. Eventually the tub was returned to Kolar and her lawyer, who turned it over to investigators.
The identity of the friend was redacted in court papers, but defense lawyers identified the person as someone Kolar used as a "secret intermediary" when dealing with others in the radical environmentalist movement. That another person had custody of the documents raised questions about the integrity of the evidence.
Prosecutors called the development insignificant, and they said much more substantial evidence proved Waters' role, but they acknowledged defense attorneys should have two or three weeks to investigate.
Ping!
I seriously doubt this as it is prohibited to tell a jury the possible sentence a defendant faces if convicted of the charges for which they are being tried. Unless she looked it up herself, which is doubtful, she wouldn't have known at trial.
That info was all over the news media long before the trial began. There’s no doubt in my mind that every jury member knew it.
Then the US Attorney who conducted the trial should be fired. That's the very first question the prosecution requests the judge to ask during voire dire so anyone with such knowledge can be stricked for cause. Litigation 101.
striked = striken
Sounds like Kolar’s mouthpiece has been co-opted.
It shouldn’t matter; the defendant has a long history of advocacy of anarchy.
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