Judge denies bail to hate crime suspects as new details of kidnapping are revealed

Hot Air ^ | January 6, 2017 | John Sexton

[2ndDivisionVet]

When hate crime charges were brought against four suspects accused of kidnapping and torturing a schizophrenic 18-year-old man yesterday, it was not immediately clear if the charges stemmed from the victim’s race or from the fact that he was mentally-challenged. The AP reports today that the four suspects were charged with two separate hate crimes, one based on the victim’s race and the other based on his disability.

Lawyers for the four suspects portrayed them as responsible adults and asked a judge to grant them bail so they could return home while they await trial. The Associated Press reports the judge asked, “Where was your sense of decency?” before denying the request.

“I find each of you a danger to yourself and society,” Cook County Circuit Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil said, sounding baffled that the suspects who hold jobs, attend school and, in one case, care for a brother in a wheelchair could be charged with attacking the 18-year-old victim. How, she wondered, could she agree to allow people accused of such “terrible actions” to walk out of jail?

It was also reported yesterday that the suspects had texted the victim’s family during the attack. Today it was revealed that one of the suspects had demanded $300 from the victim’s mother for his return. We also learned that some of the suspects had previously been arrested in connection with serious crimes, though it’s not clear the arrests resulted in any convictions:

Hill, for example, was arrested as a juvenile in 2015 on allegations of armed robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and residential burglary. Chicago police said they did not know the disposition of those arrests by suburban officers.

Tanishia Covington was arrested in 2007 on attempted armed robbery and aggravated battery charges. Police records do not show any convictions as a juvenile. As an adult, she was arrested on charges of battery and aggravated assault, but those charges were dropped.

Finally there was some detail about how the victim escaped. Apparently a downstairs neighbor heard the fighting and threatened to call the police. Two of the suspects went to the neighbor’s door and broke it down. That apparently was when the victim was able to get away. Reports published yesterday suggested that police had found evidence of a fight at the scene. That may have been a reference to the broken down door. Presumably the neighbor is the one who called the police.

[ez]

I don’t agree with hate crime prosecutions. It is criminalizing thought...Thought-crime. Citizens should be prosecuted for their illegal ACTIONS and no consideration of motivation should be within the purview of the state.

[milford421]

Really well said Sargon. Thank you.

[Popman]

This was a peaceful Revolution that occurred last November, and we must see to it that the People understand that the violent rhetoric, malicious scheming, and criminal action in this country is occurs almost uniformly in the realm of the sleazy, illegitimate, and repudiated Left.

I SMH sometimes on the comments on FR that are so over the top violent and ridiculous, I wonder if they are trolling us.

I remember a FR back in 1998 when those types of comments were rare and often deleted.

I get the passion, what I don't get is the same mentality as the progressive left...

It makes us look small...