Fairfield attorney accused of killing neighbor

Boston Globe ^ | 8-30-06

[Cagey]

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. --A Fairfield lawyer has been charged with stabbing his neighbor to death after learning the man had molested his 2-year-old daughter, police said.

Fairfield authorities said attorney Jonathon Edington leaped through 58-year-old Barry James' bedroom window Monday and stabbed him nearly a dozen times in the chest. Edington, 29, was arraigned on murder and burglary charges Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court. He was held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 12.

[SuziQ]

Hmmm. That jury is gonna have a hard time convicting him of murder. Maybe manslaughter, but most will think the dead guy needed killing, if he, in fact, had molested the lawyer's daughter.

[ReignOfError]

I already knew what I needed to know.

The sob molested his 2 year daughter and he stopped him from molesting any other young children.

You *knew* that? Unless you have a source of information other than the article -- which tells us that the police said the husband said his wife told him -- then you have such a low burden of proof before killing someone that I wonder if the streets are safe with you on them.

[nutmeg]

Connecticut ping!

Please Freepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent Connecticut ping list.

[ValerieUSA]

The lawyer had no faith in the criminal justice system to handle the case. Justice may have prevailed, but only because the system was not involved. His punishment should be disbarrment.

[antonio619]

The justice system is a great thing, but it has its flaws. This sexual predator would have continued to prey on other children, as is the case in our society now with repeat offenders. If this is were a nation in Middle East, Mr. Edington, the lawyer, would never have been arrested. In fact, the entire country would have sympathised with him for what happened to his daughter. I do not condone murder, but this is beyond justifiable homicide. This disgusting sexual predator cannot harm anyone else.

[farlander]

That's correct. One should wait until conviction, and gun down the perp/pervert on his way out of the courtroom.

[Oztrich Boy]

maybe the deceased and the lawyer's wife were having an affair and the deceased tried to break it off, so the lawyer's wife accused him of molesting the daughter just to see the deceased get arrested.

Sounds possible to me.

[Old Student]

"I was greatful to have spoken to my daughters about these things before the incident, and so they came to us immediately after it happened -- I think that did more for their getting through it than anything else. I can't stress enough how important it is to talk to your children and let them know that 1.) perpetrators will lie and try to scare you out of telling (they told my daughters that they would hurt my husband and I if they told...) and 2.) it is never their fault, and no-one will be angry at them for it happening."

I am sorry that you have had to go through this, but also grateful to you for being willing to share it with us. I have had similar discussions with my children, and I pray I'll never have to have the "after" discussions you've had and will continue to have, but it is good to know that what I've told them does help. God bless you and yours, and comfort you all.