Posted on 03/12/2011 9:53:11 AM PST by Altura Ct.
Attorney James Evans, hired to defend some of the 18 suspects accused of gang-raping an 11-year-old girl in the East Texas town of Cleveland, said on a radio talk show that those participating were “absolutely” aware of the girl’s age.
Evans couldn’t be reached Friday for comment about his remarks to Gil Gross, who hosts a talk show on KGO in the San Francisco Bay Area.
But on the recorded broadcast Thursday, Gross asked Evans: “But what is going to be your defense for your clients for having sex with an 11-year-old girl? Who many of them knew. ... to be in middle school. So there was no doubt about her age?”
To which, Evans answered, “Absolutely not. There was no doubt about her age.”
He went onto say that some of the suspects were young and that he hadn’t completed his investigation, but he admitted it would be “very difficult to come up with a defense.”
Supporters of the defendants have contended the girl appeared much older than her years. Community activist Quanell X even went so far as to show reporters a scantily clad photo of her posted on Facebook.
Daphne Straughter, the grandmother of one the suspects, attended Quanell’s rally Thursday. She said, “You can’t tell she’s a girl. What are these boys supposed to do, ask for an ID?”
But many others are outraged by Quanell or anyone else talking about the sixth-grader’s appearance as an excuse to blame the victim for the November gang rape that onlookers documented on video with their cell phones. Texas law clearly states that ignorance of her age is no excuse and that an underage girl can’t legally give any consent.
Criminal defense attorney Mark Bennett in Houston said he was shocked by Evans’ remarks. While mistaking the girl for being older than her years isn’t a legal defense, Bennett said sometimes a jury would “nullify,” or go against the letter of the law, if they don’t think it’s fair.
Also, he said if the defendants were found guilty, thinking the girl was older might have helped them get lighter sentences. “But going on record that the defendants knew for certain that she was 11 just grossly aggravates the case,” he said.
Liberty County’s district clerk lists Evans as representing four of the defendants. Stephen Taylor, the only other attorney representing the suspects who could be reached, declined comment on the interview.
He noted that everyone might soon be silenced in the criminal case, as the prosecutors have filed a motion for a gag order that’s slated for a hearing Tuesday.
I love some of those keywords.
Thanks Altura Ct.
I will reserve judgement until next weeks’ episode of Law and Order. Of course the race of the offenders will be changed to white, and the victim will be black. We are truly through the looking glass in America.
Thanks to that assclown Justice Anthony Kennedy, child rapists can no longer be put to death.
because "great guy" or not he's a media whore who values listener numbers more than he does the wellbeing of his community.
Cleveland is hardly an “urban” area.
Absoluetely. We must, and we will stay united on topics like this, or we are lost. If not, all is lost. I’d rather die fighting for what’s right that accept what we are being shoveled from the left.
Amen, leapfrog.
>>You can’t tell she’s a girl.<<
This refers to the fact that the child is developed beyond her years, not that she looks young.
Right-o, UCanSee2.
And for them to do this to a CHILD? It’s unimaginable.
This poor child... Ah. I don’t even know what to say.
I get red hot angry if I think about ANY excuse given by them or any lawyer or any “community organizer” - whatever that is. THERE IS NO EXCUSE. Not at 100 years old and certainly not at 11 years young.
the media is caught tween a rock and a hard place with two of their favorite minorities in the same spotlight do they back the savages that did it claiming they are products of society so they are victims too, or simply they didn't do it, or
do they stick up for the mexkin girl(a toofer) and pander to women and the mexkins???
decision, decisions, decisions... their silence is deafening
Dank, dark, rotting, disgusting, very little if any light and bread and water tossed through a hole in the door once a day. One vermin to a cell. No exercise, no contact with the outside world, no showers, just a hole in the floor for a toilet.
From what I've read the French built perfect ones.
Many moons ago when I was young we had a girl in our church who at 12 looked easily to be 22. Without trying via makeup, etc.
It's not that uncommon as for unknown reasons it appears girls are maturing physically earlier than they used to, on average.
I don't care if she "looked" 40, though.
At times it seems as if Michael Berry is trying to become Quannells media relations boy. He talks so much about him that I actually question his motivation for it at times. I mean he acts as if he has a man-crush on the Muslim in-waiting wannabe terrorist?!
I don't care if the girl was a tramp and dressed like one, it would be neither reason or excuse for this gang rape.
Are they next going to suggest that we put the girl in a pit and stone her to death for tempting and corrupting all these fine young men?
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