Posted on 10/19/2006 3:37:27 PM PDT by no dems
Edited on 10/19/2006 4:07:46 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
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.
It's sad to see so many Freepers engaging in name-calling and character assassination over this.
There seems to be some question about whether the jury foreman gave the rest of the jurors erronious information about what the judge would or would not accept as a verdict or lack of one. This sort of thing has been sufficient grounds for appeal on a good many cases.
I was recently on a jury (and was foreman) on a case much less important than this one where we had one woman who was convinced the defendant was "probably" guilty. When I asked her what difference that made, that it wasn't our job to decide if he was guilty but only if the prosecution had proved it beyond reasonable doubt, she was totally confused. It is amazing how little people know about how our justice system works.
The Klan with the Tan has its first show trial.
Bush was prosecuting this case in the courtroom?
I did not know that. (hat tip to Johnny Carson)
I am amazed at how crazy people on this website can get if one is not 100% in lock-step with the GOP on every issue; even when our guys might be wrong on an issue.
Sorry guys but I am not a slave on the Republican Plantation; I'm a willing worker. But, when da massah is wrong, da massah is wrong.
Now, I'm signing off and go watch Bill O'Reilly. Have a good night.
Engineering is a derivative of the ancient School of Architecutre. I have a degree as a Master of one field of study granted by the University of Virginia Graduate School of Archicture. I also have an AB (not a BA since it's written in Latin) in another highly complex field.
My first major (quickly shed) was as a Math Major working on an AB in Math.
So, what was it you were saying about Liberal Arts Degrees?
Fair enough.
I'd really like to know, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to know just what you call it.
I can see why they'd want to sterilize that crime scene. They shot at the thug 15 times and he lived to tell about it.
So you're OK with cops not reporting when they use their sidearms, and you're OK with them destroying evidence?
They'll be forcing your children to have safe sex, and every Scoutmaster or elementary school principal will need to be a qualified pedophile if they win.
If defending men who enforce the laws of our country puts me on a high horse maybe you should consider saddling up and joining me. How about it, patriot?
There are two paths to a math degree - BA and BS. The BA is much easier and intended for things like teaching, where one only needs to know high school math.
The BS degrees math are the ones people can get real jobs with.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the laws, BeholdAPaleHorse.
Have you read post #331?
I don't know enough about the case to say anything definitive one way or the other....
HOWEVER, I do believe that Perry will do a much better job than the other candidates...(Kinky SAYS he would be rough on the immigration problem...but he has NO background, and no experience in other matters)...
I am hearing Mark Levin getting all upset about this right now on his radio show....hopefully he knows more than I do.
If you want to defend law officers who couldn't hit the side of a barn, so be it.
Sheesh. It's like the knee-jerk Olympics around here.
Although your tagline suggests you know exactly what you're doing.
Think of it as a public service.
Have a good night. These convicts will get their appeal, and the balance of the earth shall return.
They were killed in Nashville, stopped at a stop sign and the guy just rammed them. Killed the husband immediately, Donna died on the way to the hospital. - Phil Valentine wrote an article about this. Sean and Donna were pillars of their community in Mt. Juliet, volunteers through their church, givers - the illegal was a taker. I can vouch that Donna came from an ancestry of American patriots going a long way back.
I'm sure the Mexican guy was once also a babe in arms, and, hopefully, his mother loved him. I don't have anything against immigrants - IF they go through the proper legal immigration channels and IF they will act like decent human beings and abide by the laws of the land once they're over here. This accommodation to big business for cheap labor is stupid and is going to end up GETTING US KILLED. It is naive not to control our borders. Crime from the illegal problem around here is getting bad.
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