Posted on 01/29/2007 10:50:31 AM PST by stm
INVERNESS, Fla. (AP) The trial of a man charged with kidnapping, raping and burying alive a 9-year-old girl will begin next month as planned, a judge ruled Wednesday.
John Evander Couey's attorneys wanted his scheduled Feb. 12 trial for the March 2005 slaying of Jessica Lunsford delayed so they can have more time to question new witnesses for the prosecution.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Circuit Judge Ric Howard appointed a third attorney to Couey's defense team to help interview the new witnesses, jail guards who allegedly heard Couey make incriminating statements.
Couey has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, sexual battery on a child, kidnapping and burglary. Authorities found the girl's body after Couey told them where to look near her Homosassa home in central Florida. She had been missing for about a month.
I agree.
He just needs to be gone. He needs to be buried alive like little Jessica. I can't imagine anyone who could make a sympathetic case to keep this garbage alive.
Fry him already.
My great grandmother told me the story of a "child killer" in northern Michigan during the depression years. She said that he was caught and the rumor was that he was taken on a "tour of the steel mill and never caused any problems again".
I'm shocked by this ruling - the liberal judges presiding over this trial have been going all out to destroy the prosecution's case.
And drag his family members with him. They knew he had the little girl in their trailor. They bought him a bus ticket out of town. They need to be tried as accessories.
Perhaps the prosecution should just approach the defense counsel and ask them what kind of 'deal' their client wants, and of COURSE it will be some sort of plea bargain for a life sentence (and in Florida, that used to mean what was called a 'mandatory quarter' as in 25 years minimum), and then just let Couey allocute to the crime, pass the sentence, and then send him off into the bowels of the Florida Department of Corrections.
I would not wager even $20 that Couey would still be alive at the end of 1 year.
Justice is served, Couey is snuffed out in some undetermined fashion (and it would probably fit the crime I suspect), and the taxpayers are saved the expense of keeping that worthless POS alive for the next 20 years on Death Row while who knows how many appeals and legal challenges are filed in his behalf.
You can best believe that there is *no* DOC facility in the Sunshine State where the inmate population hasn't heard about this scumbag.
And unless he is some kind of steel spined tough guy (and one look at him tells you that's not the case), he won't last long in solitary (protective custody), he'll off himself or something like that.
Either way, his fate is sealed.
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