| Blog and Media Roundup - Saturday, October 31, 2009; News Roundup | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 31 2009, 06:58 AM (107 Views) | |
| abb | Oct 31 2009, 06:58 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.heraldsun.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Oct-+31-+2009%20&id=4219023-Oct-+31-+2009&instance=opinion_hs_letters More harm done I see that the balloon hoax family is being charged with several felonies. Why is the Duke lacrosse woman running around loose, profiting by writing a book? She used a lot more government resources, and messed up several college careers into the bargain. The balloon guys are a bunch of twits, but they really did a lot less harm. DANA MOCHEL Carrboro |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:25 AM Post #2 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/167129.html Published Sat, Oct 31, 2009 02:00 AM Modified Sat, Oct 31, 2009 06:56 AM Board seeks criminal investigation of Easley Members of the State Board of Elections spoke in a unanimous voice Friday: Mike Easley should be investigated on suspicion of committing crimes while he was governor of North Carolina. They imposed a $100,000 penalty against his campaign organization, saying the Mike Easley Committee broke laws when Easley took free flights and failed to disclose them. They also said Easley's campaign illegally solicited $9,000 in donations for the state Democratic Party, while promising that the money would be funneled back to Easley's committee. The party is forfeiting that money. Board members said new laws are needed to hold candidates responsible for their campaigns and expressed frustration that Easley's campaign is likely out of money and won't pay. Reaction from all sides credited the board for putting campaigns and candidates on notice. "It's a sad day when evidence justifies referring a governor for criminal investigation," said Bob Hall of Democracy North Carolina, a campaign watchdog group that filed a complaint about the state party. "But it's in the best interest of the public and of the thousands of candidates who are acting properly." State Republican Chairman Tom Fetzer: "No one should take satisfaction in this embarrassing spectacle, the net effect of which has been to reduce and diminish the citizens' confidence in their government." In asking a prosecutor to take up the case, the board's three Democrats and two Republicans singled out Easley and said that testimony over four days this week brought to light evidence of crimes. The board's referral covers anyone who possibly broke laws in the case. The board did not specify which laws it thinks could have been broken. Easley, a two-term Democratic governor, denies wrongdoing, and his lawyer said he welcomed more review by authorities, an acknowledgment that state and federal agents are already probing controversies that have stained his record. The board watched and listened to Easley under oath this week for five hours. They asked about a free car, the free flights, campaign money and repairs to his house that he didn't pay for. Easley gave answers on a range of subjects that differed significantly from the answers of others. He said he had little involvement with his own campaign. The home repairs Much of the contradictory testimony concerns home repairs that McQueen Campbell, the former chairman of the N.C. State Board of Trustees, oversaw on behalf of Easley in late 2004 and the middle of 2005. Campbell said he paid more than $10,000 for the repairs. Campbell, a pilot and longtime friend of Easley's, outlined a scheme in which Easley didn't pay him from personal accounts. Campbell said he understood a conversation with Easley to mean that he should bill $11,077.50 for repairs to the campaign, but file bogus invoices listing the payment as for travel. Easley also accepted a $5,451 check on an insurance claim made against the repairs that Campbell paid for. Easley contended that he thought Campbell was billing for reimbursement from a real estate management company that handled rental details on his home at East Lake Drive in Raleigh. Easley said he thought the bogus invoices from Campbell were for past travel in the first case and future travel in the second. Would have been legal At the time, it would have been legal for Easley to have his campaign pay for the repairs. But submitting a false report would be illegal. Elections director Larry Leake said he would not comment in detail on Easley's testimony. "The only proper response to make is that the board referred the case to the district attorney -- and that would be suggestive of something," said Leake, a Democrat from Mars Hill. Board member Anita Earls, a Democrat, said she had difficulty reconciling Easley's testimony with that of others, especially Campbell, his longtime friend. "I could not conclude that this was a misunderstanding, a miscommunication," said Earls, who is on a short list for a federal judgeship in the middle part of the state. She said there was evidence that Campbell told the truth. "My vote speaks to that, and that the board unanimously came to a conclusion, speaks to that," she said. Board members said that, by law, they could not automatically honor Easley's surprising request Thursday to refer the case. They had to decide on their own that there was evidence of crimes. Easley's lawyer, Thomas Hicks, said that he believes prosecutors will look just as strongly at the actions and behaviors of Campbell. "For justice to be done appropriately, this matter needs to be completely reviewed by the agencies that have the resources to do it," he said. Perks and freebies Federal agents have been looking into a range of perks Easley accepted, as well as government action that in some cases appears connected. They include a $137,000 discount on a lot Easley bought in a coastal development; Campbell was involved in the deal and claimed in writing to have received faster permits from the Easley administration because of political contacts. Reports in The News & Observer this spring about a free car Easley's son was driving and then Easley's secret flights prompted the elections board to open an investigation, officials said. At the time of an interview with The N&O and afterward, Campbell refused to provide invoices or other proof for why he got the $11,000 from the Easley campaign. The board's five-month probe then turned up the allegation that they were actually for home repairs. By the middle of the hearing, Easley and his campaign had all but conceded that the free flights were not properly handled. The campaign has cut checks that it says cover a portion of those. And the penalty leveled against Easley included $60,000 for the value of the remaining undisclosed flights and a $40,000 fine to pay for the investigation. The state case now will be handled by a special prosecutor, William D. Kenerly, a Republican who is the elected district attorney in Rowan County. Kenerly said he has not donated to Easley's campaigns and his only knowledge of the case is from newspaper accounts. Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby stepped aside because of a longtime friendship with Easley. Staff writer Joseph Neff contributed to this report. acurliss@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4840 |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:28 AM Post #3 |
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http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_state/story/167055.html Published Sat, Oct 31, 2009 02:00 AM Modified Sat, Oct 31, 2009 05:03 AM NAACP may sue for diversity RALEIGH Advocates of busing for diversity have already conceded Wake County's school board election, but more than 150 people who rallied downtown Friday night sounded far from ready to give up on the long-standing policy. A crowd at Martin Street Baptist Church gave the Rev. William Barber, the state NAACP leader, a standing ovation when he said the organization was prepared to sue to stop the resegregation of Wake County schools. "You have caused us to sound a new rallying call," Barber said. "You have raised up the giant and we are asleep no more." Parents, concerned citizens and NAACP members gathered downtown for a march and meeting to plan a strategy for influencing the board's four new members, who will take office in December. The candidates who won in October voting have said they will end busing for diversity in favor of neighborhood schools, but deny that they favor resegregation. "Wake County is our neighborhood, not just a few wealthy houses in your neighborhood," Barber said, adding that putting students in high-poverty, segregated schools is "nothing more than a form of institutional child abuse." The new members will likely create a majority in favor of abandoning forced busing and sending students to their neighborhood schools. Three were elected earlier this month, and a fourth, John Tedesco, is considered likely to win a runoff on Tuesday given his lopsided victory in the first round of voting. His opponent, second-place finisher Cathy Truitt, attempted to withdraw her request for a runoff, but state election officials ruled this week that voting should take place. Asked for reaction Friday night, Tedesco said the likely new coalition of board members has no intention of resegregating the schools. He said has been meeting with African-American leaders about ways to increase the quality of education for low-income students, which he called the civil rights struggle of the 21st century. "We really want to honor the work that the civil rights veterans did a generation ago -- we have to accept that what they did works," Tedesco said. "Our new challenge will be, how do we educate children of poverty? My sole goal is to find a way to work with this community." Reacting to the board's likely new direction, dozens of people gathered first at Moore Square to march to the NAACP-sponsored meeting at Martin Street Baptist Church. Raleigh resident Matthew Brown, a historian who works for the state and has a niece and nephew in Wake County schools, came to the march carrying a sign that said "Separate is not equal." Ready to resist Word about resistance to the proposed changes in the system is going out through parent-teacher organizations and other groups, Brown said. "The new school board doesn't want to be seen as the four people that ruined one of the best school systems in the country," he said. "We want to be sure the whole country is watching," Raleigh resident Matthew Booker, the father of a student at Conn Elementary and another at Exploris Middle School, a public charter school, said at the rally that Wake County's effort to maintain diverse schools impressed him when he moved to Raleigh six years ago. "I was really delighted to see people openly celebrating desegregation," Booker said. "That's one of the strengths of Raleigh." Chase Foster, a 2001 Enloe High School graduate who lives in Raleigh, spoke at the rally. Earlier Friday, he said many people didn't realize until this month's election was over that the school system's diversity policy was on the chopping block. Now he is mobilizing former Wake students in hopes of showing the new board that there is still broad support for school diversity. Foster, who earns his living advocating for campaign finance reform, said he grew up in an affluent and almost exclusively white neighborhood in North Raleigh. He said school was the only place where he interacted with people of different races and backgrounds. "I really don't think that I'd be the person I am today if I hadn't gone to schools where I was forced to think about difference," Foster said. "The one place where we should all be bound together is the schools." Staff writer Thomas Goldsmith contributed to this story. kristin.collins@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4881 |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:31 AM Post #4 |
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http://justice4nifong.blogspot.com/2009/10/defense-attorney-johnny-s-gaskins.html Friday, October 30, 2009 Defense Attorney Johnny S. Gaskins deserves leniency Raleigh criminal defense attorney Johnny S. Gaskins could be facing jail time himself, according to an article in the News & Observer by Mandy Locke. Her story titled, “Lawyer’s career ends in crime,” explains how his attempts to deposit large sums just under the amount that triggers banks to file reports to the IRS, resulted in a conviction that could land him in prison for up to 35 years. Also he stands to lose his license to practice law in North Carolina. When considering that Mr. Gaskins reported to the IRS the deposits he made, and paid tax on the total amount, makes it clear that his attempts to shield his large deposits were not made with the intention of evading the payment of taxes. His explanation of his reasons for making large deposits, just under $10,000, sounds reasonable to me. His comment that he does not trust banks, also sounds reasonable, especially in lieu of the high risk investment policies they engage in, and the large salaries and bonuses the upper tier enjoys. Now, I am no fan of Mr. Gaskins, especially in light of his actions regarding his former client James Arthur Johnson. On a broadly broadcast Fox-50 TV news program, Mr. Gaskins made inflammatory and prejudicial statements about Johnson which decidedly undermined Johnson’s likelihood of prevailing in an upcoming trial against charges trumped up by Wilson District Attorney Howard S. Boney, prosecutor Bill Wolfe, and others. Because of his actions then, which I believe deserved a disciplinary response from the North Carolina State Bar, I filed a complaint with the State Bar (which I am sure that it ignored). I even incorporated Mr. Gaskins’s misfortunes in Episode IV of “The MisAdventures of Super-Duper Cooper,” but in a light hearted and non-malicious way, of course. Although I believe Mr. Gaskins’s statements against his former client were a serious breach of attorney client privilege, I do not feel that they were necessarily grounds for disbarment. Because he tried to deceive bank tellers by making repeated deposits of just under $10,000 at a time, does not merit disbarment by the State Bar, especially when his intent was obviously not to defraud the IRS. Unfortunately, in our capitalistic society, when it comes to money, the consequences for violations are much greater than for violations of injustice towards human beings. Did Johnny S. Gaskins violate federal law with his depository dealings? Yes. Should his sentence be severe? No. I would definitely rule out any jail time. Some community service might be appropriate. Finally, should he be forced to surrender his law license? Absolutely not. If the unregulated State Bar were to disbar him, it would be an unfair, illogical, and insensitive action. With its 2007 disbarment of former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, the Bar has already demonstrated its capacity to act without reason, justice, consistency, and mercy. Hopefully it will not make another mistake regarding Johnny Gaskins. |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:38 AM Post #5 |
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http://falserapesociety.blogspot.com/ Friday, October 30, 2009 Do reports of recent gang rape accusations prove ours is a 'rape culture' or a 'false rape culture'? You decide. Have you heard about the allegation of the vicious gang rape that's in the news? You are, no doubt, thinking about the alleged gang rape in Richmond, California, which has become one of the biggest stories in America. But if you're thinking you know how allegations of gang rape always play out, think again. Actually there have been several alleged gang rapes in the news lately, but unless you are a regular reader of this blog, I'll bet you never heard of any of them aside from the one in Richmond. You see, the others turned out to be false or unfounded, so it's no wonder you would not have heard about them. We posted numerous reports about the Hofstra false rape claim, which was blown into a big story in New York. Outside of New York, few people paid attention to it. Our regular readers will remember that back on September 10, Danmell Ndonye's vicious rape lie led to a rush to judgment and the no-questions-asked-incarceration of four innocent young men. Days later it was revealed that a video of the act showed it was consensual. Hofstra, as it turns out, was just the tip of the iceberg. Since then -- just a month and a half ago -- false gang rape claims have become all the rage. They are all over the news, but, caution: you have to look for them, because these stories aren't the kind that the mainstream media likes to put on the front page. You see, they don't have the preferred ending where the bad males are incarcerated for sexually oppressing female victims. Remember, these are news reports after the Hofstra false claim -- these aren't ancient history. For example, there was 32 year old Angela Blackburn who made a false claim that three younger men and a juvenile male raped her at a party. And then there was the fifteen-year-old girl who falsely accused four 17-year-olds of forcibly raping her. Oh, and you should know that another boy sits in jail over a rape allegation made by the same girl just last month. Have you heard about the black woman who recanted her previous claim that she'd been gang raped by seven white men now serving prison sentences? Even Al Sharpton wants that recantation taken seriously -- and that will tell you something. Or the group of four men cleared of gang raping a 21-year-old woman after they claimed she invited them back to her apartment and engaged in consensual sex? Or the 25-year-old woman who falsely claimed, in graphic detail no less, that six men (including her boyfriend) gang raped her? Or the 16-year-old schoolgirl who had the temerity to falsely accuse six of her male classmates of seriously sexually assaulting her multiple times over several hours on a playing field? Or the 25-year-old hairdresser who falsely claimed five men raped her, but her lie was uncovered when it was discovered a phone camera had caught her in the act of having enthusiastic, consensual sex with two boys (yes, boys)? Haven't heard about those gang rape claims? I figured as much. Well, those gang rape claims turned upside down the lives of 32 males (not even counting the four young men arrested in connection with the Hofstra rape lie). Some of those men are still in jail. Others are trying to move on with their lives. And who knows how many other false gang rape claims have been made since mid-September that the news media didn't bother covering. So if someone mentions the gang rape claim in the news, you might want to educate them -- about the ones they likely never heard about. And ask yourself what that tells you. Maybe, just maybe, it is an indication that our so-called "rape culture" is, in actuality, a "false rape culture." Posted by Archivist at Friday, October 30, 2009 8 comments Links to this post |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:44 AM Post #6 |
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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/oct/30/cobbins-be-moved-maximum-security-prison/ Burchett: Call prompted Cobbins move to maximum security prison By Matt Lakin Originally published 07:22 p.m., October 30, 2009 Updated 09:09 p.m., October 30, 2009 KNOXVILLE - A co-defendant convicted for his role in the torture-slayings of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom will be changing cells from medium to maximum security, state authorities said today. Letalvis Cobbins was convicted in August and sentenced to life in prison without parole for his role in the kidnapping, rape, torture and killing of the couple in January 2007. He'd been housed at the Hardeman County Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in West Tennessee, but was moved to protective custody last week after voicing fears about his safety, said Dorinda Carter, Tennessee Department of Correction spokeswoman. Prison officials plan to move Cobbins from there to one of the state's four maximum-security institutions, Carter said. "We're investigating all the issues surrounding his concerns and will go ahead and move him," she said. "This isn't terribly unusual." State Sen. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, said the move came after he called state Commissioner of Correction George Little this week. "I explained to him the heinous nature of that crime," said Burchett, who's running for Knox County mayor. "They said they'd have him moved to a maximum-security facility by Monday." Cobbins could be moved to Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville - home to death-row inmates, including Cobbins' half-brother and co-defendant Lemaricus Davidson; the Morgan County Correctional Complex in Wartburg; the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning; or the Northeast Correctional Complex in Mountain City. more details as they develop online and in Saturday's News Sentinel. |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:44 AM Post #7 |
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http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103278&provider=top Letalvis Cobbins will be moved to maximum security Yvette Martinez 7 hrs ago Senator Tim Burchett confirms that convicted killer Letalvis Cobbins will be moved from a medium security prison to maximum security prison by Monday. Burchett saw the families of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom on 10 News talking about all the calls they have made since they found out Cobbins was sent to the Hardeman Correctional Complex last week. Cobbins was convicted for Christian's murder in August. A Nashville jury sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Since learning Cobbins was sent to a medium security prison in Whiteville, Tennessee, the victims' families have been expressing their frustration publicly and by making phone calls. On Friday afternoon, Burchett called Governor Phil Bredesen's office and was told by the Commissioner of Corrections that Cobbins will be moved to maximum security. Cobbins could be sent to one of four Tennessee maximum security facilities. Riverbend Maximum Security Institution is one option for Cobbins which is where his brother Lemaricus Davidson is imprisoned. However, Cobbins could also be sent to West Tennessee State Penitentiary, Northeast Correctional Complex or the Morgan County Correctional Facility. |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:45 AM Post #8 |
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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/oct/31/next-steps-lemaricus-davidson/ Next steps for Lemaricus Davidson By Matt Lakin Saturday, October 31, 2009 Lemaricus Davidson wakes up today in the death-row cell where he'll spend the rest of his life. Davidson arrived Friday night at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution's Unit 2 in Nashville, the state's death-row prison for men, said Dorinda Carter, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Correction. He'll spend 23 hours of every day there for at least the next 18 months, with just one hour per day of daylight in a caged recreation yard. Guards typically wake up the death-row inmates around 5:30 a.m., Carter said. Inmates eat three meals per day in their cells - two on weekends and holidays. Davidson begins life on death row as a Level C inmate, meaning he'll be allowed no contact with others apart from an occasional visit from immediate family, Carter said. Depending on his behavior, he could eventually be allowed occasional phone calls or the chance to apply for inmate jobs such as cleaning. "Regardless of their status, they don't ever leave that building," Carter said. The date of Davidson's execution by lethal injection will be set by the state Supreme Court. That date could be as much as 20 years away, depending on how long state and federal courts take to sort through his appeals. |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:46 AM Post #9 |
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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/oct/31/davidson-death-penalty-channon-christian-newsom/ Convicted ringleader in torture slayings sentenced to death Davidson shows no reaction when jury foreman announces penalty By Jamie Satterfield Saturday, October 31, 2009 While a hushed courtroom waited anxiously Friday afternoon to hear the fate of convicted torture-slaying ringleader Lemaricus Davidson, the man known only as Juror No. 11 put his hand to his forehead and bowed his head. What no one knew then was why. Had this panel allowed Davidson to escape death for the January 2007 slayings of Channon Christian, 21, and Christopher Newsom, 23? Or was Juror No. 11 overwhelmed by the gravity of voting to take a man's life? The answer came minutes later when the jury foreman rose, verdict form in hand, as Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner asked what penalty the panel had decided to impose for the killings of the Knox County couple. "The punishment is death," the foreman answered. A gasp sounded in the courtroom, but 28-year-old Davidson, by now standing to face the jury, showed no reaction. Juror No. 11 lifted his head. "Is that your verdict?" the judge would later ask him. "Yes, sir, it is," the panel member responded. The judge has kept jurors' identities under wraps. But No. 11 drew notice nonetheless from courtroom watchers because he proved prolific in quizzing witnesses during the trial and had, during jury selection, insisted that he was a seeker of the truth regardless of public opinion. The way the families of Christian and Newsom see it, the unnamed man is proof positive that Knox Countians can cut through the cloud of outrage surrounding this case and fairly judge the suspects accused of kidnapping, raping and torturing their children. While Baumgartner was prepared to go out of county to find a jury for Davidson because of heavy publicity, the defense sought a local panel. "We should take our hats off to them," said Newsom's father, Hugh Newsom. "We ought to give them a round of applause for the verdict they rendered. They were able to look at the evidence and render an unbiased verdict." The tension in the courtroom was thick as the jury foreman pronounced death - four times - as punishment for both the felony murder and first-degree murder of Newsom and Christian. Then, it was the judge's turn to address Davidson. "Sir, this jury after listening to the evidence ... they have determined the appropriate sentence is death," Baumgartner said. "Therefore, it is my duty as judge in this case to impose death." Hours after the verdict, Davidson arrived at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution's Unit 2 in Nashville to begin serving his sentence. Still to be tried - and facing the threat of death - are co-defendants George Thomas and Vanessa Coleman. Baumgartner, defense attorneys and prosecutors are set next month to travel to Chattanooga to pick a Hamilton County jury to hear Thomas' case. Davidson's half-brother Letalvis Cobbins is serving a sentence of life without parole for his role in the crimes. "The Christians and Newsoms and all of Knoxville got justice today," Christian's mother, Deena Christian, said after Friday's decision. The families praised Knoxville Police Department Investigator Todd Childress, Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones and his team, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and prosecutors Leland Price and Takisha Fitzgerald. "These are the people we need in this community to protect us," Christian's father, Gary Christian, said. Fitzgerald told jurors during Friday's penalty phase that Davidson had had a chance to overcome a troubled childhood when, at age 16, he was taken in, first by a group home mother and second by loving foster parents. "All he had to do is go to school and do the right thing," Fitzgerald said in closing arguments. "He got moved into a middle-class lifestyle. He went to a private Christian school. ... What does he do with that opportunity? He comes to Knoxville to sell dope." Price continued that theme. "He had people in his life trying to teach him right from wrong," Price said. "What did he do? He just threw it away." Doug Trant, who along with David Eldridge represented Davidson as court-appointed counsel, argued that Davidson's course was set long before January 2007 when he was born to a violent crack addict and eventually turned to drugs himself. "Does he know right from wrong?" Trant asked. "When he is sober, he does. When he's on a cocktail mixture of cocaine, marijuana and alcohol, he does not." Jamie Satterfield may be reached at 865-342-6308. |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:47 AM Post #10 |
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http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/oct/31/verdict-relief-for-families/ Verdict brings bitter relief to Christian and Newsom families, who look to road ahead By Matt Lakin Saturday, October 31, 2009 For the families, the first sentence brought disappointment. The second, bitter relief. Family members and friends of Channon Christian and Chris Newsom sat side by side Friday on the front rows of a packed courtroom as the jury foreman announced Lemaricus Davidson's sentence - death by lethal injection. The parents said those words brought a degree of satisfaction they felt denied at the last trial, when a Davidson County jury voted to spare the life of Letalvis Cobbins, Davidson's half-brother and fellow defendant. "The jurors of Knox County are the pillars of our community," said Newsom's father, Hugh. Christian's father, Gary, pumped his fist in the air when he heard the decision. Christian's mother, Deena, fought tears. Hugh Newsom turned to look at Davidson as he listened to the sentence. "Not one time did you see any expression of remorse," Newsom said. Knox County Criminal Court Judge Richard Baumgartner listened to the foreman's words, then imposed the first death sentence of his 17-year career on the bench. "May you find peace with your maker," the judge said. Friday's sentencing decision didn't draw as large a crowd as the jury's guilty verdict, issued Wednesday, but the families found enough familiar faces in the courtroom - prosecutors Leland Price and Takisha Fitzgerald, along with Todd Childress, the lead investigator on the case - to offer a round of hugs and thanks. "There's no vindication in any of this to me," Gary Christian said. "We've got a lot more to do. This made a dent in it. I know it was hard for those 12 people to do. It would not have been hard for me to do. I'd ask all those people who've been praying for us to pray for them, too." The parents said they understand Friday's decision means the start of an appeals process that could take decades. They said they're ready for that. "These people may outlive us," Deena Christian said. "But they didn't give our kids a chance to live, so why should they get a chance?" Matt Lakin may be reached at 865-342-6306. |
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| abb | Oct 31 2009, 07:51 AM Post #11 |
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http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=103253&catid=2 Community reacts to Davidson death penalty Sean Dreher 13 hrs ago Whether it's on TV, radio, or streaming online, people throughout Knoxville have been tuning in for the last two weeks following the Davidson trial. Friday was no exception as they waited to hear the jury's decision on the death penalty. Lemaricus Davidson was convicted of the murders of Chris Newsom and Channon Christian. Staff members at Joe Neubert Collision Center along Clinton Highway watched anxiously. Every computer in the shop was logged on and following the action as it happened. Most of those watching the sentencing said they were looking for the death penalty, but after the Letalvis Cobbins trial, they weren't sure if it the jury would deliver it. "They let the other one off too easy. I think he should have got the death penalty too," Carl Fain said. As their decision was read, the crowd reacted. Some say the trial changed their thoughts on the death penalty. "Before this trial I wasn't a fan of the death penalty. But because it has affected my life and changed the way I feel about things, I'm all for the death penalty," Rebecca Chait said. Others were happy with the verdict, but were looking for a different sentence. "Giving someone death is so hard, and I don't know that I've ever thought it builds to the healing process to take another life," Brooke Hyman said. But the overall consensus supported the jury's decision. "Justice was served today," Fain said. |
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5:19 AM Nov 26
