Posted on 06/30/2006 6:47:31 AM PDT by lunarbicep
The confession of a man charged with kidnapping, raping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford isn't admissible in court, but the discovery of her body can be used as evidence, a judge ruled today.
John Evander Couey, a 47-year-old convicted sex offender, gave the confession to detectives, but also told them that he wanted to consult a lawyer. He wasn't given the opportunity to do so.
Jessica Marie Lunsford was found kneeling and clutching a stuffed animal, hands tied with speaker wire and fingers poking through the garbage bags in which she was buried alive in March 2005. Two days earlier, Couey told detectives he kidnapped, raped and killed the 9-year-old girl.
This decision makes me sick! I could care less how the defense lawyers try to spin the justification of it...
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How her dad has gone around the country trying so hard to get Jessica's law passed in every state.
Even the ba$tard who kidnapped and killed Carly Bruscia pled not guilty. We saw him on the video taking the little girl against her will.
Yes there is something wrong here and it begins and ends with defense attorneys for the most part.
It depends on the judge and the jurisdiction. Some hold if the perp expresses an interest in a lawyer but keeps on talking, the statements are fair game. Other hold that the police should immediately cease the interview, essentially telling him not to say another word. The story does not elaborate on the nature of the request. It could have been anything from, "I want a lawyer now!" to "Maybe I should have an attorney, but here goes!" It's just another sad case of the gun being loaded against the prosecution, and that gun has a don't-breathe-on-it hair trigger. BTW, I love your tagline, Grid. From your keyboard to God's ears.
Now, if this guy was dragged out of his house, hung from a tree, with a sign nailed to his privates labeling him what he is, and nobody in the neighborhood saw anything, then I do believe THAT would send a message. Unfortunately, it is going to take complete disgust on the part of society as a whole, without exceptions, for this scenario to play out. I just cannot see some damn lib as being able to go along with this.............
Whoever was involved in this fiasco should lose their jobs. There should be laws to prosecute those who cause these problems. O'Reilly can huff and puff all he wants as long as he blames the right people. He will probably blame the judge though.
This is evil in all its glory. Doesn't matter if the cops screwed up. This judge knows right from wrong...when did common sense fall away?
There is no other choice but the death penalty. If anyone on this board has a daughter, you understand my post.
We can't even CONVICT & PUNISH someone who CONFESSES to the crime? We are friggin doomed.
he was denied the chance to talk to a Lawyer...which is what he was told he has the right to do in his Miranda warnings.
Constitutional rights?? Why does such an animal have constitutional rights? And, if those detectives were overzelous searching for Jessica, I say "give them a medal"!
He won't be aquitted. The judge allowed all the evidence gathered from the 2 hour confession, they have DNA and a second confession Couey gave while in prison is allowed in.
The guy will fry, this is just a small set back the prosecution can easily overcome.
Don't worry it will.
I would like to know
the details here. I would bet
he WASN'T "denied"
an attorney, but
was questioned while waiting for
a lawyer to show.
Chalk that up to the prosecutor King who refused to prosecute them. Since he won't do his job, those white trash accessories to murder (with pardon to white trash) are able to go on their drug induced lives, free and clear.
I find that comment very offensive. As corny as the movie was I liked Howard the Duck. Dean on the other hand ...
I guess it depends on how that questioning is interpreted. The Detectives probably thought they were easing him into talking and his attorney convinced the Judge it was coerced.
See above. The police had evidence of them being at least witnesses and at worst accessories to the crime. The prosecutor refused to bring charges. We can blame the police for the first confession mess but the decision not to prosecute his roomate wasn't theirs.
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