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April 21 · Issue #14 · View online
Legal news everyone should know
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This is a long one, folks, but there’s a lot of legal stuff going on this week you need to know about, so get reading.
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Aaron Hernandez murder conviction expected to be vacated by 'quirky' rule - CNN.com
By now you probably know Aaron Hernandez, recently acquitted on double-murder charges but still serving life without parole for a prior murder conviction, hung himself in jail. What you probably didn’t know is that because his appeal was pending on that murder conviction when he died, the conviction will be automatically vacated. The rule, called abatement, vacates convictions where the defendant dies with an appeal still pending. Suicide is a serious problem that often results in the death of innocent people who should have had treatment sooner. In this case, though, it was an arrogant coward avoiding the consequences of his actions one last time.
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Man Wanted in Cleveland Facebook Murder Kills Himself, Police Say - The New York Times
But maybe I spoke too soon. Sometimes, suicide is the result of cowardice and a tragic lack of diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. Steve Stephens, who fatally shot 74-year-old father of 10 Robert Godwin, Sr. in cold blood, is potentially a combination of the two types of suicides I mention above. Yes, he killed himself out of a cowardly desire to avoid the consequences of his actions. But something tells me the man was also at least a couple of mental health diagnoses waiting to happen. The only tragedy I can see here, though, is the murder of Mr. Godwin.
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A month after dismissing federal prosecutors, Justice Department does not have any U.S. attorneys in place - The Washington Post
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a lot of things. But so far, none of those things include “good at being Attorney General.” Would you hire a builder who, when he finds out you want a new house at some point down the road, just knocks down the one you have now, without thinking about where you’ll live until the new one is ready? If you would, then Jeff Sessions is your man. Because he knocked down the Justice Department before even making the vague outline of a plan to put a new one in place.
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Maryland Victims No Longer Need To Prove They Physically Fought Their Rapists
Get your in-flight vomit bags ready folks, because this is some disgusting stuff: Last September, BuzzFeed News reported that one of the state’s largest law enforcement agencies, the Baltimore County Police Department, often labeled rape allegations as “unfounded” without doing basic detective work. One reason was Maryland’s rape law, which required not only a lack of consent on the part of the victim, but also “force or the threat of force” by the assailant. Police interpreted that law to mean victims needed to fight back: “Saying no is not enough to support a rape charge,“ a Baltimore County Police spokeswoman told BuzzFeed News.
Good to know this has been corrected, thanks to Delegate Kathleen Dumais and Sen. Delores Kelley.
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Alex Jones custody case: In Austin, Trump ally's persona goes to court
Jonathan Tilove reports this story for American-Statesman: Beginning Monday, a jury will be selected at the Travis County Courthouse that in the next two weeks will be asked to sort out whether there is a difference between the public and private Alex Jones, and whether, when it comes to his fitness as a parent, it matters. Kelly Jones’ attorney, Bobby Newman, is engaged in some quality tactical litigation: [Judge] Naranjo, meanwhile, said she had never seen or heard Jones on Infowars until Wednesday’s hearing, when Kelly Jones’ legal team started previewing Infowars videos it would like to play for the jury.
The first was a clip from a July 2015 broadcast in which Jones had his son, then 12, on to play the latest of some 15 or 20 videos he had made with the help of members of the Infowars team who, Jones said, had “taken him under their wing” during summer days spent at the South Austin studio between stints at tennis and Christian camps.
“He is undoubtedly cut out for this, and I intend for him to eclipse what I’ve done. He’s a way greater person than I was at 12,” said Jones, turning to his son. “I love you so much, and I didn’t mean to get you up here, sweetheart, and tell people how much I love you, but you’re so handsome, and you’re a good little knight who’s going to grow up, I know, to be a great fighter against the enemy.”
“So far this looks like good stuff,” [Alex Jones’ Attorney Randall] Wilhite said. Naranjo OK’d it for viewing by the jury. But Bobby Newman, the attorney for Kelly Jones guiding the court through the Infowars clips, was laying the groundwork for the argument that there is no separation between Alex Jones, father, and Alex Jones, Infowarrior.
It’s a solid argument, and Alex Jones is in a bit of a bind here, forced to choose between maintaining the authenticity of a lunatic his inexplicably massive fanbase worships and sacrificing that authenticity in an attempt to hang onto custody of his young children.
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Why True Crime and Podcasts Were Made for Each Other - Rolling Stone
An article worth reading. If you like podcasts, and true crime, I hear this one is pretty interesting… But be warned, the website and the episodes contain some violent and disturbing topics which may not be suitable for all audiences. |
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