Posted on 11/28/2013 7:14:28 PM PST by Uncle Chip
and his colleagues covered up the crime
A Florida family who claim their daughter was shot dead by her sheriff's deputy boyfriend in a domestic violence dispute are demanding justice.
Young mother Michelle O'Connell, 24, from St Augustine, was found dead of a gunshot wound to the mouth in September 2010 with her boyfriend, Jeremy Banks' duty weapon by her side.
He claimed to have been in another room and that she took her own life.
But Miss O'Connell's family are convinced she was murdered and that Mr Banks' police colleagues helped him cover up his involvement.
Their demands for a proper investigation into her death has now come to global attention as a result of a lengthy investigation by the New York Times.
It found that after Mr Banks told his colleagues his version of events - that Miss O'Connell had broken up with him and taken her own life - the St Johns County sheriff's department effectively halted their investigation.
No evidence was tested, no family or neighbors were interviewed and no data was downloaded from Mr Banks' cellphone despite the fact that Miss O'Connell had shown no signs of being suicidal prior to her death.
Her family told the paper that Miss O'Connell had been excited about a new full time job at a day care center and was enjoying being a mother to her 4-year-old daughter Alexis more than ever.....
But hours before the shooting she had made the startling confession to her sister, Christine, that Mr Banks had been violent towards her for months.
She added that she wanted to leave him but was scared of how he would react if she did.
But Mr Banks' colleagues at the sheriff's office weren't interested in Christine's testimony ....
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
He admits he and his department made mistakes but then refuses to recuse himself and stands by his mistake-laden conclusion.
He allowed the suspect, his family friend, to read the file before his interview and he has the audacity to claim there was no rule against that at the time and you believe him.
Wake Up.
I think the family and the witnesses and the forensics have been telling the truth for a few years now but until this week they had been muzzled and no one was listening.
Let's see what they have to say.
You’re the one who’s asinine. And very naïve. And, obviously one of those “cops can do no wrong” people.
Show me one example where cops have come forward and reported the wrong doings of another cop. For everyone you MIGHT come up with, I can show you 10 where the thin blue line was not crossed unless the cops were dragged kicking and screaming across it. And then only to save their own asses. Too many cops are uneducated, power hungry a-holes. If they lived in 1940s Germany they’d be members of the jack boot gestapo.
Imagine that. The police cleared themselves and decided that they had acted within the law. That is what happens when you have no one to police the police.
“Imagine that. The police cleared themselves and decided that they had acted within the law. That is what happens when you have no one to police the police.”
Very true! In our town’s case, the Town Council is populated with lawyers, soccer moms, and real estate agents. Not really good skill sets for coming to grips with out of control LEO’s.
I can’t say who’s right or wrong. But I can say you’ve presented NO (Nada, zippo, squatro)evidence to refute the NYTimes/PBS overviews.
Vague innuendo that’s there more to the story doesn’t cut it. I’m glad you know the sheriff.
Mr. Findley opined that the final position of the ejected shell casings and the lack of blood spatter on the left arm leads him to conclude that the “upside down gun” theory could not have occurred.
http://www.justiceformichelle.com/FDLE.pdf
Two Gunshots On a Summer Night
A Deputys Pistol, a Dead Girlfriend, a Flawed Inquiry
http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2013/two-gunshots/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.