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CRYSTAL MANGUM TRIAL; December 2010
Topic Started: Nov 29 2010, 12:59 PM (56,643 Views)
MikeZPU

Many thanks to chatham and ~J~ for reporting with such great detail.

It sounds like Mangum's defense attorney is NOT scoring many points with the jury,
quite the opposite.

I appreciate that the judge wants a drug expert to testify about drug interactions
and side effects, if that is part of Mangum's defense BUT
I would hope that the Judge would not simply let Mangum testify as to what drugs
she was taking, but also require some kind of verification from both the physicians
who wrote the prescriptions and the pharmacists who filled the prescriptions.
(not that Mangum would ever make up stuff ... )

Re: the "minor injuries" that Lt. Bond noted with respect to Mangum's face and eye,
those could easily have been caused while she was violently resisting arrest.

And, again, we come back to the obvious: if Milton set the fire to his own clothes,
smashed his own car with the vacuum cleaner, slashed his own tires, was punching
Mangum in the face repeatedly in front of the children, why in God's name would
Mangum repeatedly tell the cops to leave?
Edited by MikeZPU, Dec 15 2010, 01:26 AM.
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sdsgo

Just how much damage to the building does NC require to support a conviction for arson?


In re J.L.B.M. 176 N.C. App. 613 (2006)

There was sufficient evidence to support a charge of burning a public building where a juvenile set off fireworks in an interview room at a police station. The willful and wanton element of the offense is supported by the juvenile's laughter while an officer tried to put out the fireworks, and the “setting fire” element is supported by the fireworks causing a flame two to three feet high which caused black markings on the floor and wall. Given the proximity of the fireworks to the wall and the resulting flame and damage, an intent to “set fire” can be inferred. N.C.G.S. § 14-59.

State v. Norris, 172 N.C. App. 722 (2005) [Rev’d 360 NC (June 30, 2006) other issues]

(1) The trial court did not err by denying defendant's motion to dismiss the charge of first- degree arson, because: 1) the residence in the instant case was described as a double-wide mobile home with a vinyl exterior, and the melting of vinyl constitutes a change in the identity of the material beyond a mere scorching or discoloration by heat; 2) evidence tending to show that the vinyl on the exterior of a residence is melted substantiates the charring element of arson; and 3) the owner of the residence testified that she could see flames out her window and an investigator noted damage to the residence including smoke damage and charring.

(2) The trial court did not err in a first-degree arson case by denying defendant's request for a jury instruction on attempted arson, because: 1) there was sufficient evidence from which the jury could find that there was an actual burning of the residence; and 2) there was no evidence presented at trial from which the jury could find an attempt to burn the house which failed.

State v. Bennett, 132 N.C. App. 187 (1999)

The State's evidence was insufficient to support defendant's conviction of maliciously damaging occupied property by an incendiary device in violation of N.C.G.S. § 14-49.1 because it failed to show measurable damage where it tended to show that defendant ignited his blue jeans outside his jail cell and that the fire left a burned spot which was only slightly visible after it was stripped and waxed.

However, by finding defendant guilty of the charged offense, the jury necessarily found that defendant committed all of the elements of the lesser offense of an attempt to maliciously damage occupied property by an incendiary device, and the case is remanded for entry of judgment for the lesser offense.

More interesting examples at
http://www.ncdistrictattorney.org/caselawbank/Arson%20-%20final.pdf
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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~J~ is in Wonderland
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_news_durham/10670048/article-Judge-allows-disputed-Mangum-interview?instance=main_article

During an interview with a police investigator, Crystal Mangum admitted setting fire to her boyfriend's clothes as well as slashing all four tires on his car and smashing his windshield.

Defense lawyer Mani Dexter didn't want jurors to hear that interview, which was on a DVD. But Superior Court Judge Abraham Jones on Tuesday denied Dexter's motion to suppress testimony from Leslie Bond, a domestic-violence investigator with the Durham Police Department.

Dexter said the information should have been kept from jurors because Bond obtained it by coercing Mangum, who wasn't in her right mind because she was taking medicine for a health condition.

Mangum is charged with first-degree arson, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of juveniles, injury to personal property and resisting a public officer.

The defendant's supporters, a constant presence at her trial, say she is being harassed by the powers that be in Durham on account of her 2006 rape accusation of three Duke University lacrosse players. The players eventually were cleared of wrongdoing.

On the DVD, Mangum agreed to answer questions without a lawyer being present. So Bond began probing, and Mangum started talking:

Mangum said Milton Walker -- at the time, her boyfriend -- got mad during the wee hours one day in February because ever since he moved in with her in January he'd been paying all of the bills, and the home was messy in part because her three kids weren't picking up after themselves.

Mangum said she hadn't been feeling well during that time. Walker had taken her to the hospital, where she received a spinal tap, Mangum said. She said that left her tired, and she stayed in bed all day leading to the episode in which things got out of hand.

Around midnight that day in February, Mangum said she responded to Walker's complaints by telling him he could leave the relationship, because she could make it without him.

So Walker started packing his belongings, Mangum said. And then Mangum said she started telling him he was lousy in bed and commented on the small size of his private parts. Mangum said she tried to take a picture of Walker's private parts and told him she was going to show it to everybody.

That's when Walker went off, Mangum said. He grabbed her around the neck and started punching her, Mangum said.

Mangum said she scratched Walker. Two of Mangum's kids tried to pull the man off of her, while her crying 3-year-old observed the commotion, the defendant said. Mangum said she went outside and saw Walker's car window smashed and a vacuum cleaner nearby. Walker was out there, too, Mangum said.

"He was running around screaming, "I loved you! I loved you!" Mangum said. She said Walker damaged his own car. "He's schizophrenic. He does crazy stuff."

Then the cops showed up and arrested Mangum.

"They just threw me down to the ground. They didn't ask me any questions or anything," Mangum said.

The domestic-violence investigator tried to appeal woman-to-woman with Mangum.

"I'm a female. You're a female," Bond said.

Bond wasn't buying at least some parts of Mangum's story and told her she could understand if Mangum burned Walker's clothes in the bathtub and damaged his car in order to retaliate on him.

"Are you trying to get me to say I did it?" Mangum asked Bond. Mangum inquired whether she could help her cause by admitting to having committed the crimes.

So after first saying she saw Walker set the fire, Mangum reversed course and said she was responsible for it, as well as the damage to the car of the man she said she's known since she was 17.

During her appeal to Mangum, Bond told her it's one thing to retaliate by trying to damage someone's property, but quite another thing to retaliate by trying to kill a person
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jarms

So we're back to the strangling thing again, huh?
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Mason
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~J~ is in Wonderland
Dec 15 2010, 06:25 AM
.
This is what I was told from the very beginning - Milton was leaving. He was leaving and Crystal Freaked.

Someone else has always cared for Crystal's kids - and this was quite a blow for someone that doesn't even have a license.

.
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Quasimodo

Quote:
 
http://democracydurham.blogspot.com/

The Prosecution Rests
The "State" rested it's case yesterday.

The videotaped interrogation of Crystal was shown to the jury. It showed a woman in extreme pain from having had a lumbar puncture 36 - 48 hours earlier. Since she had been arrested Crystal had not had access to her pain medication. The tape lasted over half an hour or more. At the beginning Crystal screams/moans loudly out of pain, is then interrogated, and at the end of the tape gets up bent over in pain and asks for help. What happened in between was all done while she was in pain.

(snip)

The defense attorney continued to note objections to many things so that they were reserved for the appeal process should things go that far.

Today there should be two or three witnesses for the defense.
That means things will probably wrap up this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Then it goes to the jury.

Here's are the things that I think the jury will have to deal with most:

(snip)

2. Who actually lit the fire? If Crystal did it then when exactly did she have the chance to do it since she was being watched every minute?

(snip)

3. Why didn't the cops arrest Milton? This doesn't strictly go to charges in the case but if I were on the jury it would weigh on my mind and make me doubt the credibility of the police version of what happened? How come the prosecution didn't even address Milton's role in the whole incident? It Takes Two To Tango, right?

4.Why, when it was clear that Crystal was in pain, did the interrogator not stop and see to it that she was taken care of properly?

(snip)

5. One of the elements of the charge of arson is that the crime only occurs if the accused intended to set the house on fire. Even if you buy all the malarkey the cops are trying to sell then the jury must decide if Crystal (if she lit the fire) intended to burn the structure.

6. Crystal, on the videotape, talked about how the kids were doing their homework. Milton, earlier in the evening took one of the kids and went and got "Papa John's" pizza for dinner and the argument started about who was doing the housework or not. This all sounds like a regular stable household to me? So, what would lead anyone to think that a mother that takes that kind of care with her kids would set a fire in the bathtub and endanger the kids, herself, and anybody else in the area? It just doesn't track.

7. As far as I can recall there hasn't been any evidence introduced in front of the jury that speaks to Milton Walker's mental condition except for one statement that Crystal makes on the videotape. Referring to who might have damaged the car in the driveway she says "Milton probably/might have done it. He gets real crazy sometimes and just goes off" (That was an approximation of what she said). Maybe today or tomorrow there can be something introduced to show that Milton, and this is true, carries a diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia. Immediately after this whole incident Mr. Walker spent about two month on the Psych ward at the Durham Veteran's Administration Hospital across from Duke North.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure I'll have more after today.


Steven Matherly
Durham, NC
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kbp

Thanks for all the reporting. :)
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Baldo
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Maybe today or tomorrow there can be something introduced to show that Milton, and this is true, carries a diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia. Immediately after this whole incident Mr. Walker spent about two month on the Psych ward at the Durham Veteran's Administration Hospital across from Duke North.

So the victim's mental health is being attacked? I wonder if the Judge will allow this?

On a sad note if that is true what a environment she has provided for those children. Revolving "boyfriends" a & mother of dubious mental health who have apparently spent time in hospitalization for mental illness.

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nyesq83
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Baldo
Dec 15 2010, 10:47 AM
Maybe today or tomorrow there can be something introduced to show that Milton, and this is true, carries a diagnosis of Paranoid Schizophrenia. Immediately after this whole incident Mr. Walker spent about two month on the Psych ward at the Durham Veteran's Administration Hospital across from Duke North.

So the victim's mental health is being attacked? I wonder if the Judge will allow this?

On a sad note if that is true what a environment she has provided for those children. Revolving "boyfriends" a & mother of dubious mental health who have apparently spent time in hospitalization for mental illness.

Interesting - Crystal's mental health is not relevant and is 'off-limits' according to her supporters, but Matherly has no trouble publishing Crystal's boyfriend's confidential medical condition to the world.

I still stand by my assertion that Crystal blames and projects her insanity onto the behavior of others.
:jump:
Edited by nyesq83, Dec 15 2010, 12:15 PM.
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nyesq83
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By the way, thanks to all those whoe have reported! Excellent work.

Notice how the Hurled Scum quotes Crystal's lies and gives them great weight versus reality...
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jarms

It's all her sister's fault. Remember whose name she gave to the cops!
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nyesq83
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By the way, it's not paranoia - CGM is out to get you, Milton!
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~J~ is in Wonderland
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~J~ is in Wonderland
Both sides have rested.
Closing arguments start at 2:00.
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1. I don't know if Milton is actually schizo, but anybody who would live with CGM has got to be a littlle crazy.

2. Is anybody, sane, taking care of the kids? What will it take for the social services to step up and protect these poor kids?

3. THe spinal tap story does not make sense to me. Hospitals do not just up and do those taps without trying less invasive procedures first. Usually, if a tap is done, the patient is required to maintain bed rest, in a prone position, for several hours to permit the body to regenerate the fluid. Otherwise a "spinal headache" can ensue and it can be BAD. I'm just wondering if anybody actually verified if a tap was done, and what were the presenting symptoms. It is usually done if suspected meningitis, tumor, or whatever. Not just for a casual headach.

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~J~ is in Wonderland
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~J~ is in Wonderland
So if anyone wishes to go, now's the time.
There may be a verdict this afternoon.

I have been stuck here all day waiting for repairman to fix my heat. Its 58 degrees inside.
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