I need help to translate this bullsh*t editorial from the Herald Sun...
Murder to probation
The Herald-Sun
November 29, 2006 6:02 pm
At first blush, an article in Wednesday's Herald-Sun about reduced charges in a murder case might seem like a simple case of a Durham court letting a killer off easy.
It's true that the facts in the case seem cut and dried. Three guys in a car at Southpoint Mall during the holiday season two years ago were up to no good -- engaged in a drug deal. Things went south, and one of them wound up dead with a bullet in his head. The other two were charged with murder.
Case closed? Not so fast. As often happens, the facts in this case might get in the way of a simplistic story line.
Julius Gray and Barry Ford Evans were initially charged with murder in the death of Harvey Dennard Wiggins. That charge carries penalties including life in prison or death by execution. But as it turned out, Gray pleaded guilty to a minor drug charge and was sentenced to two years of probation and was fined $200. Evans was charged with involuntary manslaughter and also received probation.
What happened? Well, for one thing the victim's mother encouraged Assistant District Attorney Mitchell Garrell to reach the plea arrangement, Garrell reported. He said that if she had asked him to prosecute the case fully, he would have done so.
It makes one wonder about prosecutorial discretion and the power of a victim's family. If a DA believed that a light sentence was called for in a case, would he seek a heavier sentence based only on the wishes of a victim's family?
Well, it's something to think about. As we said, it was a complicated case. Wiggins apparently went to the mall intending to buy marijuana from Gray and Evans. But according to defense lawyer Bill Thomas, Wiggins pulled a gun and wound up being shot himself, apparently by Evans.
Gray was only the driver, Thomas said. He was an NCCU student with a once-bright future whose life has been shattered by the incident. The case may be complicated, but it holds one sure lesson for young people. Don't put yourself in a situation like this -- things could go south for you too, and you might not get off as easily.
URL for this article: http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/hsedits/56-793788.html
Sounds like the mama of the deceased druggie has some skeletons she doesn't want the defense to bring out in court so she did what she could to back the DA off.