Mistaken Arrests Leave Pr. George's Murder Unsolved

Washington Post ^ | 6/22/03 | Ruben Castaneda

[moyden2000]

Yet they had done nothing wrong.

The Arizona suspects were just the latest of five innocent people to be jailed and eventually exonerated in a homicide case that remains unsolved, hampered for months by investigative mistakes. The Sheltons and Starkey, who were held for three weeks before being freed, allege that Prince George's detectives were carelessly overzealous and that police obtained arrest warrants for them by lying in a court affidavit, saying the three admitted in interrogations that they had used the victim's debit card

"To be honest, I think they just wanted somebody to lock up," Virginia Shelton said. "I couldn't believe the way detectives work. Our justice system is no good. We have a Constitution, and they don't follow it."

The biggest mistake in the case, which came to light after the three Arizona residents were arrested April 22, was the faulty assumption that the bank's transaction computer and the ATM camera kept synchronized time. As it turns out, they did not. Although the Sheltons and Starkey, on the videotape, seemed to be standing at the teller machine at the same time $200 was withdrawn from Mansfield's account, the three actually got money from the ATM several minutes earlier, with legitimate cards, a prosecutor has determined.

The rest

[Modernman]

The biggest mistake in the case, which came to light after the three Arizona residents were arrested April 22, was the faulty assumption that the bank's transaction computer and the ATM camera kept synchronized time.

Okay, if the cops knew this, and they arrested these people anyway, I say the repsonsible cops should have their asses handed to them on a plate. However, if this was just an honest mistake, I don't see that the police did anything wrong.

[Pern]

"Our justice system is no good. We have a Constitution, and they don't follow it."

Constitution, we don't need no stinking Constitution!

Amerika no longer has a 'Justice System', it has a 'Legal System'. Justice is for those w/ deep pockets.

[moyden2000]

What is troubling is the casual ease with which cops can destroy innocent lives without being held responsible for the destruction.

Note that they never bothered to apologize, which is typical.

[Modernman]

Note that they never bothered to apologize, which is typical.

They were probably told not to say anything by the police department's lawyers. Smart move, legally speaking, as it could be used against the police in court. But you're right, it adds insult to injury. Almost like the innocent folks should be grateful that the cops chose to let them out of jail.

[CurlyDave]

I don't see that the police did anything wrong.

Well, lets see:

First they falsely swore that the women in question admitted to using a stolen card--this is perjury.

Second, even though they had the records of the ATM transactions for that day they failed to read the part three minutes away from the time recorded by the camera where the innocent victims of the police used their very own, valid ATM cards. Even though the victims probably told them this. In other word the victims told the police they had made legitimate withdrawals and the police failed to check when the the records were right in from of them. They also

Thirdly, the police knew from other cases that ATM cameras and transaction records are not perfectly sychronized. It is impossible that this is the first case in Prince George involving the use of ATM cameras and records. Someone in the police department knew.

I smell a very juicy lawsuit and settlement coming on this one.

[Henrietta]

"Virginia and Shirley Shelton said they were questioned intermittently for about seven hours by Prince George's detectives at the Sierra Vista police station April 22. Starkey said she was questioned for about five hours. The more they insisted that they knew nothing about a stolen card or a killing, they said, the more aggressive and harsh the detectives became.

"I didn't have the answers they wanted, and they got aggravated," Shirley Shelton said. "I felt like [one detective] wanted to take his gun out and shoot me for not telling the truth. But I was telling the truth."

No one has to endure this sort of police interrogation. Just tell the cops that you don't want to answer any more questions, and that you want an attorney, and they have to stop.

[Henrietta]

police corruption bump

[bc2]

"We have a Constitution, and they don't follow it"

Welcome to modern America. Care to do anything about this now, or should we just wake you up for the 2nd Revolution?

[Steely Glint]

If this crap ever happens to you, remember the following:

1. You don't have to say ANYTHING to the police. Ever. And if overzealous/stupid cops think that you did something that you didn't do, then you are best off not saying anything at all to them until you have an attorney present...and even perhaps not then.

2. You have an absolute rock-solid airtight right to have an attorney present whenever police talk to you. You have the right to tell the police at any time that you demand to see an attorney. (If necessary, demand even a public defender.)

3. The police have two choices: to charge you with something or to let you go. THEY CANNOT HOLD YOU MORE THAN 48 HOURS WITHOUT CHARGING YOU. (With exceptions for very rare situations, police cannot hold a suspect for more than 48 hours unless a judge has reviewed the arrest and confirmed that there was probable cause to believe the person has actually committed a crime, per a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.) If you are innocent, force their hand; tell them to either arrest you or let you go. They have no choice, they have to one or the other.

[Cicero]

If they lied as stated to obtain the arrest warrant, there's definitely grounds for a lawsuit.