[Millee]

No quarrels here about the innocent until proven guilty part. There was a story a few days back about '5 people allegedly stabbed by unknown assailant' (paraphrasing here, but something to that affect). And I thought, well were they stabbed or not?? I know it's nitpicky, but it's just one of those words that annoys me.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Could be that the knife ( the perp) acted alone in this crime, just like guns and SUVs have been known to do. We must wait til the facts are in before judging.

[Bernard Marx]

It annoys reporters too, who know the perp is guilty as hell. But they have to use it to avoid prosecution for libel. It's always amusing to me to see how quickly it all changes from "alleged killer" to "killer" or "vicious murderer" once the jury's spoken, as if they've been saving those words up.

But there are instances when the "alleged" perp is found innocent in the end. I think of Richard Jewell, accused of Eric Rudolph's Olympic bombing, who even now is justifiably seeking big money libel judgments in court.