Could John Couey go free?

Police screw up

Published on June 30, 2005 By Ionolast In Current Events

It seems he asked for an attorney, but the police didn't get him one and kept on questioning him.

Jury may not hear Couey's claims
Officers say he admitted killing Jessica Lunsford, but a possible misstep could keep it out of court.

Comments (Page 1)

dharmagrl

on Jun 30, 2005

If he does go free because of a legal technicality (which I doubt will happen, but you never know)...then he won't last very long. Unless the Fibbies give him and new ID and move him far, far away....someone, somewhere, will be willing to avenge that little girl's death and will dispatch Mister Couey off this mortal coil.

Dr Guy

on Jun 30, 2005

Child molesters dont last long in prison either. Get him an attorney and offer him a deal. He cops, and gets solitary. He goes to trial and gets general pop.

Nothing illegal about that.

Ionolast

on Jun 30, 2005

It seems cops can't do much of anything right in this kind of case.

Dr Guy

on Jun 30, 2005

It seems cops can't do much of anything right in this kind of case.

I still say you are going to make a good conservative one of these days!

Ionolast

on Jun 30, 2005

I still say you are going to make a good conservative one of these days!

Bashing pigs is a liberal thing.

Dr Guy

on Jun 30, 2005

Bashing pigs is a liberal thing.

Yea, but your article could easily have been written by a conservative! Sorry for stealing your thread, Bubba!

bakerstreet

on Jun 30, 2005

I don't even think he will want them to toss the confession, unless he is just hoping to make another one so he can bargain with it. There's absolutely no chance he'll go free, confession or not.

If I had to guess the moment the judge tosses out the confession his lawyer will make a deal to get the death penalty off the table and he'll just confess again.

Honestly, I doubt they would even agree to that. A monkey ought to be able to get this waste the chair.

Ionolast

on Jun 30, 2005

Yea, but your article could easily have been written by a conservative

What's conservative about what I wrote or quoted? I just stated the facts.

Sorry for stealing your thread, Bubba

There's absolutely no chance he'll go free, confession or not.

Like dharmagrl said: "you never know." Haven't you ever been surprised that way before?

dharmagrl

on Jun 30, 2005

There's absolutely no chance he'll go free, confession or not.

I dunno about that, Baker. Sloppy police work, an over-zealous DA and a slightly liberal judge would be a combination that might let him walk on a technicality. Improbable, yes, but...still possible.

Dr Guy

on Jun 30, 2005

What's conservative about what I wrote or quoted? I just stated the facts.

Your outrage that he might go free. Call them pigs (and if indeed your accusations are true they are!). But you demand justice!

Welcome to the dark side (or the right side) of the force!

bakerstreet

on Jun 30, 2005

I say that because any lawyer worth his wages would never let this guy face a jury. He's DEAD, period, if the jury hears the details of this case. The confession is meaningless.

If and it is a big if, he is able to use these irregularities to get himself a nice, comfortable cell the rest of his life he should count himself lucky.

dharmagrl

on Jun 30, 2005

I say that because any lawyer worth his wages would never let this guy face a jury.

No, but he's not getting just 'any lawyer worth his wages'. He's getting a public defender. An overworked, underpaid underdog of the legal profession.

This is a high profile case. The DA's going to be under a lot of pressure to charge this dude with the max...and a lot of times DA's under pressure will go for the gusto rather than charges they KNOW the offender will be found guilty of. Look at Robert Blake, for example. If the DA had opted for lesser charges, that man would probably be serving time right now. As it was, the DA went for the max...and the jury decided that there wasn't enough evidence and acquitted him.

bakerstreet

on Jun 30, 2005

Murder is murder, Dharma. Any DA that tried to paint Couey's act as 'manslaughter' or any lesser charge doesn't deserve the job.

Had Blake's wife been snatched from her bed, tortured, and buried in a close proximity to Blake's house, I'd agree with you. In reality, she was killed in a public place, after having lived a life practically daring people to do just what was perpetrated. Testamony of her acts showed that any number of people had a motive and ability to kill her.

There's no comparison, imho. If this guy's lawyer, as you say, is an underpaid civil servant with few resources, then won't he be MORE apt to suggest a plea, instead of fighting a battle he is ill-equipped to win?

dharmagrl

on Jun 30, 2005

Murder is murder, Dharma. Any DA that tried to paint Couey's act as 'manslaughter' or any lesser charge doesn't deserve the job

I know that, you know that, we ALL know that. Which would you prefer: Couey to walk because the DA steamed ahead and went with Murder 1 when he knew that he didn't have the evidence to support that because of the technicalities regarding the confession - or Couey in jail on Man 1?

It's not the DA's job to paint the act as anything. That's the defender's job. it IS the DA's job to bring charges against the accused and to prosecute.

The defender can advise whatever he wants...the accused doesn't have to take his advice.

I don't know what John Couey or his public defender will do. I do know that this technicality will probably cause them to re-think their strategy and make the most of the opportunity to plead to a lesser charge.

bakerstreet

on Jun 30, 2005

" don't know what John Couey or his public defender will do. I do know that this technicality will probably cause them to re-think their strategy and make the most of the opportunity to plead to a lesser charge."

From the safety of our living room you and I might. But if you were sitting in that chair, I don't think based upon this event that anyoen could flip such a scary coin knowing they have a definite 'in' for a jail cell.

Which is basically what I am saying. I am just differing with the idea that either one of them could possible envision walking away from this. You are saying they'll use it to seek a lesser charge. I don't think anyone as apparently rational as this waste or his lawyer would believe such a thing possible.

I think they will be happy to use this to lessen the punishment dolled out, not the charge. This kind of thing could spare his life. Kind of the same thing you are saying. I just look dubiously on the 'go free' part. Not a prayer.

If I'm wrong, I'll be right back here to eat my hat when it happens.

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