Posted on 02/24/2009 1:17:43 PM PST by rednesss
ATLANTA — Three former Atlanta police officers who each pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge in connection with the death of an elderly woman during a botched drug raid were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison.
Jason R. Smith, Gregg Junnier and Arthur Tesler received sentences ranging from five years to 10. Kathryn Johnston, 92, was killed by police gunfire during the 2006 raid at her home.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 13 > § 242
Deprivation of rights under color of law
Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.
Careful, I predict that you will be accused of being a pothead in 3, 2, 1.......
Some here think that 5 years is sufficient. With time off for good behavior. Maybe they should even continue to receive their salaries while incarcerated.
And you are correct. The USSC says “you take yours victims as you find them” - if she had merely died of fright, they would all be guilty of murder.
I wonder if her friends and relatives were allowed to be heard prior to sentencing?
Apparently there's some invisible ink in those statutes, subsection (1)(c) says that there is an exception if you have a badge, and shall be given a slap on the wrist and a sternly worded admonishment.
Blasphemy!!! Heretic!!! You call yourself a conservative?????
“cats with mental problems “
Redundant.
I have never understood how the war on drugs, or the restriction of any personal behavior that does not directly harm another, can be interpreted as a conservative position. How do you think the founders would view modern law enforcement?
I just didn’t want to insult any Freepers who are devout cat owners. They can get as testy as their cats at times. LOL!!
For clarity, I recognized the redundancy because I have lived much of my life as a devout cat owner servant. :)
As the "standing armies" they warned about.
I'd be OK with the maximum sentence for every officer involved. Just Following Orders was not considered an excuse for Nazis, and we should hold ourselves to at least as high a standard.
Blasphemy!!! Heretic!!! You call yourself a conservative?????
I know your /sarc was omitted because personal responsibility is Conservatism.
Perhaps - I wasn’t on the jury, so I don’t know the details.
It is interesting that they were all three sent to prison.
I don't think there were juries on 2 of them at least at the state level, the plead guilty to a sweeeeeeeeeetheart plea bargain. You know from their buddies in the DA's office.
Which would explain the short sentences...
sigh.
Well you can't let the masses get all uppity and start expecting that cops will be treated like every other citizen. Did you know that they have hard jobs??? It isn't easy to murder a 92 year old woman in her own home, that takes work! And lots of donuts.
I got the point of the analogy. And I think that the guy who never fired a shot and was out back covering any escape route of what was supposed to be the house of a drug dealer doesn’t deserve to full sentence. You disagree. Fine by me.
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