Posted on 05/01/2005 7:42:26 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch
Juror says verdict will send message
Ishmael Salahud-Din was sentenced to the maximum punishment Friday for trying to kill five police officers during a 2003 shootout at the Park Apartments.
A jury of seven men and five women sentenced him to life in prison and a $10,000 fine on five counts of attempted capital murder for shooting at Officers Javier Cantu, Phillip Bintliff, Israel Carrasco, Pedro Muniz and Jose "Joe" Smith.
"Justice was served today," Bintliff said.
Jurors also sentenced Salahud-Din to a life sentence and a $10,000 fine on one count of felony escape and 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on one count of felony possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. All of the sentences will run concurrently. Salahud-Din, 23, will be eligible for parole after serving 30 years. He has 30 days to appeal his conviction.
Sentencing
Count 1: Attempted capital murder of Jose "Joe" Smith Life in prison, $10,000 fine
Count 2: Attempted capital murder of Israel Carrasco Life in prison, $10,000 fine
Count 3: Attempted capital murder of Phillip Bintliff Life in prison, $10,000 fine
Count 4: Attempted capital murder of Javier Cantu Life in prison, $10,000 fine
Count 5: Attempted capital murder of Pedro Muniz III Life in prison, $10,000 fine
Count 6: Escape Life in prison, $10,000 fine
Count 7: Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute 99 years in prison, $10,000 fine.
The jury took two hours to assess punishment, and the only question they asked was whether a fine would have an impact on Salahud-Din's family. District Judge Nanette Hasette said the fine would be imposed only against Salahud-Din.
Juror Carolyn Boller said the panel wanted to send an unequivocal message about crime against police.
"We feel like our peace officers are the most important part of our community, and we have to do everything we can to protect them," she said.
She also said the jury was not moved by Salahud-Din's testimony and probably would not have been more lenient even if they thought he had given a believable apology.
"I don't think that would have affected us at all," Boller said.
In an e-mail to the Caller-Times, Salahud-Din's sister, Amera Baldwin, said "dirty cops" had gotten away with sending her brother to prison.
"Each and every person who had something to do with my brother being sent to prison will have to face God one day, and I pray that he does not have mercy on their souls," she wrote. "Do I feel sorry for the cops who were shot? Not at all."
As Hasette read the jury's decision, an expression of relief came over the faces of several police officers and their families. A few smiled and held each other's hands as count after count came back with the maximum punishment. The only sentence that was not assessed at the maximum level was for the drug charge, which carried the possibility of a life term.
Afterward, each of the police officers said they were thankful for the support they had received from the police department, the Nueces County district attorney's office and the community at-large.
They said they wanted to move on with their lives and have forgiven Salahud-Din for his actions.
Muniz said the jury's decision showed that Corpus Christi residents will not tolerate people who threaten public safety.
"It's not going to stand here," he said.
He also said their forgiveness of Salahud-Din's actions was possible because "we're better men than he is."
Salahud-Din started a gunfight with police on Nov. 16, 2003, at the Park Apartments on Schanen Boulevard after being arrested for possession of marijuana. He was in the back of a patrol car when he broke free by slipping out of his handcuffs and kicking out a window. He fled from police, ran to his car, where he had stashed more than 36 grams of cocaine, grabbed a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol and began shooting.
Smith, the most seriously injured, was shot in the head. Bintliff was shot in the abdomen and Carrasco was shot in the left shoulder and right leg. All three have returned to duty and testified during the weeklong trial.
Defense attorney Mark Woerner said the case was the most difficult he has tried, in part because his client was uncooperative.
At several points during the trial, Salahud-Din taunted police and prosecutors by saying they were the criminals and he was innocent. He accused them of manufacturing evidence and framing him as part of a conspiracy to ruin his character.
"It was like being tied to the front of a steaming locomotive and you're headed for a brick wall," Woerner said.
In closing arguments, Woerner said the police showed great restraint in not retaliating against Salahud-Din the night of the gunfight. If he had been there, he said, he would have shot him in the head.
He asked jurors to show the same restraint when considering a sentence.
"Why not send the message, 'We're not going to give up on you,' " he said.
District Attorney Carlos Valdez said Salahud-Din deserved the maximum sentence because he had shown that he is not willing to change a pattern of criminal behavior that began in high school. As a juvenile, he had been sentenced to time at the Texas Youth Commission for stealing a car and an assault on another student. After that assault, he shouted, "Yeah, I did it," according to trial testimony. After the shooting on police, he said, "I'm a cold-blooded killer," testimony indicated.
Valdez said Salahud-Din had grandiose visions of himself living the life of Tony Montana, the main character in the movie "Scarface," a copy of which was found in Salahud-Din's car. Montana, a cocaine kingpin, builds a drug empire but is taken down by his own ego. In the end, he dies at the gun of an assassin.
Salahud-Din, Valdez said, wanted to go down as Montana did.
"We're not talking about an altar boy here," he said.
Contact Neal Falgoust at 886-4334 or falgoustn@caller.com
Sounds like the sister is next in line for a jail sentence.
Salahud-Din Ping!
Please let me know if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
I'm still waiting to figure out where the frame-up comes in.
Could be the whole family is a bunch of criminals. Wonde if he changed his name to a Muslim name or is that the family name.
I couldn't find him on Smoking Gun. Kind of surprised about that.
Thanks for the reply.
In Texas eligible doesn't mean a great deal.
Alas, it does.
Every year served = 7 years for eligibility in all but murder cases.
I blame Ann Richards. And Mark White.
"In the end, he dies at the gun of an assassin." Is that like at the hand of an assassin?
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