Posted on 08/22/2014 7:48:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
CNN host Jake Tapper had some discouraging news for those who would prefer to see not only Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson go to trial but be convicted for his role in the slaying of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Getting a conviction, let alone creating a case which would see the inside of a courtroom, will be difficult for prosecutors.
In an interview with Georgetown University Law Professor Paul Brown, Tapper asked what evidentiary thresholds prosecutors must clear in order to create a strong case against Wilson. Tapper observed that the grand jury hearing the details of the case is made up of three African-Americans and nine whites, suggesting that the demographic most incensed by the teen’s killing are underrepresented.
He added that Democratic Missouri State Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal has warned that, if the case does not go to trial and/or Wilson is found not guilty, Missouri should be prepared for all of Ferguson “to have looting.” Unfortunately for Missouri, murder trails do not hinge on the threats of local politicians.
“The hardest thing would be that the defendant is a police officer,” Brown said of the obstacles in the way of prosecutors. “Often jurors are extremely sympathetic to police officers.”
Moreover, the prosecutors have to prove that Wilson did not have a reasonable belief that his life was in danger, Brown said. Worse for those who are suspicious of Wilson, the testimony of those eyewitnesses who claim that the slain teen was surrendering when he was shot is not going to enjoy much credibility with the jury.
“Eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable,” Brown said.
Finally, while it is possible the grand jury will decide to indict, a conviction is going to be harder to secure. The racial makeup of the grand jury, Brown said, will come into play and the preponderance of whites on the jury, who have likely had better experiences with the police than their black counterparts, may mean that Wilson gets the benefit of the doubt.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
Tapper observed that the grand jury hearing the details of the case is made up of three African-Americans and nine whites, suggesting that the demographic most incensed by the teen’s killing are underrepresented.
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How typical of Tapper. The Grand Jury is pulled from the County, not the city. The County is 23% black and the GJ is 25% black, so they are not under represented.
Unfortunately? Is Jake Tapper rooting for the lynch mob?
Murder trails?
Hey Jake, proofread your screeds!
A vigorous prosecution!
The left doesn’t want him tried they want him punished. It’s not about evidence.
No, I think he said what he meant. They’re all rooting for the “peaceful protestors” and “grieving family and community of Ferguson” and against Officer Wilson.
All they have to do to get an indictment is to change the law so that it’s illegal to protect oneself from imminent danger or a serious threat it the perpetrator is black and the victim is white.../s
What do Obamacare, illegal immigration, and Ferguson have in common?
The left’s preferred outcome is a violation of the Rule of Law.
The next step in the Left’s agenda requires undermining the Rule of Law. We are a nation of laws not men, but that doesn’t square with the socialist agenda of putting men in charge. So. Here we are. To get from here to there, the Left must destroy the Rule of Law.
Stop trying to think that if the law is on the side of the cop, that common sense will prevail. THAT is precisely what is under attack here.
Thanks for that info. It will come in handy when I invariably discuss this with liberals.
In fact, isn’t the “jury of one’s peers supposed to be for the defendant? So it wouldn’t matter what the make up of black jurors is.
Conviction? They haven’t had a trial. They haven’t even had an investigation.
People who are "most incensed" are SUPPOSED to be "underrepresented" on a grand jury.
He has to march to the CNN drums or he’s out of work.
Jake Tapper did not say that, the author of the piece did.
They’re both idiots.
That witness, Johnson, reportedly recanted the myth of the officer reaching out the window and grabbing big Mike around the neck, so if that’s correct, the proscecutor will have to come up with something else.
Tapper is right to wonder if they can even get a endictment, without an all black, Sharpton disciple Grand Jury. Nine whites, three blacks won’t be a gimme for this DA and the witnesses all over the map and no evidence report completed.
Damn - I hate to see an innocent man go unpunished......
Blacks make up 13% of the US population. How is 25% "underrepresented"?
Based on my own recent jury duty summons, I don't think that even 2% of the jury pool was African American. Based on county demographics, that's a small fraction of the number that should have been called.
I used to have hope for Jake. Not any more.
Once again, cigars are in the news for nefarious reasons.
Unfortunately? Is Jake Tapper rooting for the lynch mob?
++++
I caught that. And yes, it does seem apparent that Tapper is just another member of the lynch mob.
Only if you have a darn good, and sneaky lawyer that knows the convening judge. And even then, it's not a fair deal.
I prefer to get my lawyers from 1-800-DIAL-A-BASTARD (fake number, in case I had to say it).
It's where the cops get theirs.
/johnny
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