Thursday, August 11, 2011

Rot in peace

It's a little rare for a defense attorney to express glee at a criminal defendant receiving a long sentence. Usually, even if I agree a defendant is guilty and is a danger to society, I still overwhelmingly feel it's a tragedy for someone's life to be finished out in prison. I will make an exception in this case, though. This judge deserves every day of those 28 years, and probably a few more. (I've written about this case numerous times over the past two years, starting here.)

A judge who would screw juvenile defendants out of their rights to counsel and to trial deserves to be stripped of his own rights. (After he has received due process of law, of course.) And a judge who would incarcerate juveniles for his own personal gain deserves to be stripped of his own liberty. For good. I will not spend one second worrying about how difficult it must be for this well-educated man, used to receiving respect and deference, to now have his every move dictated to him by prison guards. I will not shed a tear for his family who now must celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings, holidays, etc. without him. But I do sincerely hope that he spends every night for the rest of his life haunted by images of the kids whose lives he ruined.

See, I do have the ability to be mean and vindictive. But only with people entrusted with protecting the Constitution and providing due process of law who outrageously violate that trust.

1 comment:

Onofarar said...

Sarah, I agree 100% - this judge deseves every bit of his sentence for what he has done to ruin the lives of children. His claims that he was "entitled" to these $1 million in payments is ludicrous. Thank God his fellow judges saw him for the sorry piece of humanity he was and sent him away for a long time - his lawyers wanted a reasonable sentence - and the sentencing judge judge complied - looked at what he had done and gave him just what he deserved - a reasonabe 28 years - just a shame he may be paroled in 1/3 that time.

 
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