BREAKING NEWS: Two Border Patrol Agents who wounded a drug smuggler given 11 and 12 years prison.

Lou Dobbs / CNN | 10-19-06 | no dems

[no dems]

Ex-border agents sentenced for shooting smuggler
AP

EL PASO, Texas -- Two former U.S. Border Patrol agents were each sentenced Thursday to more than a decade in federal prison for shooting a Mexican drug smuggler and then trying to cover it up.

Ignacio Ramos was sentenced to 11 years and one day, and Jose Alonso Compean was sentenced to 12 years. Both were fired after their convictions on several charges including assault with a deadly weapon, obstruction of justice, and a civil rights violation.

The men, neither of whom spoke in court, will be allowed to turn themselves in Jan. 17.

The agents have proclaimed their innocence in the Feb. 17, 2005, shooting of admitted drug smuggler Osvlado Aldrete Davila.

Aldrete was shot in the buttocks as he fled across the Rio Grande into Mexico after a confrontation with Ramos and Compean. The agents said they shot in self defense, but prosecutors charged that they had no reason to shoot at the fleeing man, who later claimed he was unarmed.

Since their convictions, support for the agents has swelled. Several prominent law makers, including U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, the Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House judiciary committee, have even called for a Congressional investigation into the agents' prosecutions.

The union representing most rank and file Border Patrol agents established a legal defense fund. And civilian border watch groups have asked the U.S. Attorney General's office to review the case and throw out the jury's guilty verdicts.

[mystery-ak]

"No....This COUNTRY sucks.'




...then leave!......man, I hate when people say that!!!

[no dems]

From what I understand, the judge was appointed by George W. Bush.

[PRND21]

Only ONE of the guys removed the shell casings...the other didn't know he did it.

Source? They were both convicted of falsifying their reports.

[Txsleuth]

The guy was given immunity ONLY to finger the two BP agents??

He didn't give up any information re: who he was smuggling for or anything??

This just doesn't add up to me...

[InsensitiveConservative]

I certainly hope their lawyer can make the case and that the 3 jurors who said they were intimidated don't wuss out-- again.

I couldn't listen to the wife on John and Ken. It tore me up to hear about the anguish his children are going through.

A truly sad day for us all.

[madison10]

I'm with you - Stone...when the GOP is worse than the Dems, you have to ask - mabbe it IS time to give it back to the Dems...couldn't be THAT much worse (except to have the runaway bride Pelosi hitting the airwaves everynight) - All GOP is RINO - no difference anymore

Let's not get carried away now...

[B Knotts]

I'm hoping this isn't Rove's October Surprise. :-P

[Hambone02]

They should have made sure he was dead.

[MaxMax]

One would think these agents stole his drugs and shot him
in the back.

This is out of control.
/Sad

[no dems]

??? Brit Hume's show is the best hour on TV

Are you a product of the Arkansas Public School System?

[TommyDale]

"Stillinger's motion included sworn affidavits from three jurors saying they were told by other jurors that the judge would not accept a hung jury."

This doesn't strike me as fraud, but total stupidity on the part of the jurors. Of course, what can we expect from anyone too stupid to get out of jury duty?

[onyx]

As sickening and outrageous as their sentence truly is, IMO, it is not about two innocent men. One lied and both were convicted. It's under appeal, FGS.

[no dems]

Start a petition to the President of the United States to pardon both of these men

I'm up for it.

[phoenix0468]

Please provide a link to the story, or a related story. Thanks.

[MikefromOhio]

Are you a product of the Arkansas Public School System?

So nuconvert thinks Brit Hume is the best hour on TV (it's his opinion) and you deride him as being a product of the Arkansas Public School System?

You need to get a grip. Seriously.

[BurtSB]

Consider the source , its that raving bush/rep hater Lou Dobbs at Clinton News Network !!! This guy has been at war with repub and bush for 6 years !

This story is fishy and Clintonites are telling one side of the story to piss off repub !

Yes, then nancy and barney and teddy can legalized millions of illegals to insure the dem stay incharge which is Lou real agenda .
LOu anti illegal scam is as phony as Nancy FACE!

[muleskinner]

No....This COUNTRY sucks

Fidel awaits...

[APRPEH]

instead of wishing for a democrat victory why not contact the NRCC and NRSC to shove this down to the candidates. have them campaign on a day one vote (sense of House or Senate) calling for a pardon? its a winning issue.

[blaquebyrd]

Here's one http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4141562. It includes the following:

"According to the U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted the agents, the man they were chasing didn't actually have a gun, shooting him in the back violated his civil rights, the agents didn't know for a fact that he was a drug smuggler, and they broke Border Patrol rules about discharging their weapons and preserving a crime scene."

[no dems]

I think every Freeper in Texas should vote against Governor Rick Perry on November 7 as a protest. He refused to intervene on behalf of the Border Patrol Agents.