TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

Category: Crime

  • Post trial WM3 confession

    Tape with post-trial confession played in court:

    In their appeal to get a new trial the post-trial confession of Jessie Misskelley was played in court.

    On the audiotape, Misskelley said he, Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin were drinking alcohol next to a ditch when the boys approached. He said Echols grabbed 1 of the boys and started hitting him and that, within moments, Misskelley and Baldwin attacked the other boys.

    At one point, Misskelley said, Baldwin pulled out a knife. He said that’s when he realized the boys were going to be killed.

    That’s funny, I know it’s been some time since I watched the movies but I don’t remember anything on them about a post-trial confession. I wonder why Misskelley would confess a second time especially after he had been already convicted. Hmmm. Maybe it’s because they actually did it.

    But don’t let emotion get in the way of facts.

  • Jury seated in Zarate trial

    Mother of slain Randolph girl to be first to testify in suspect’s trial:

    A jury has been selected in the trial of Jonathan Zarate. The trial, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is scheduled to begin this coming Monday.

  • Did teacher know about gun before Dillard shooting?

    Dillard Teacher May Have Known About Gun:

    A teacher at Dillard high school may have had prior knowledge of Teah Wimberly having a gun has been placed on administrative leave.

    There are several theories on whether or not the teacher knew before the fatal shooting of Amanda Collette. One says that a student received a text message about shooting from Wimberly and told the teacher. Another says the teacher wasn’t told until after the incident. And the last one says that the student and the teacher don’t speak the same language. There is also a fourth theory that says the student is full of it.

    Personally, I can’t think of any shooting that’s taken place in a school where a teacher had prior knowledge of a gun and didn’t do something about it.

    According to the article, it’s looking more like the teacher will be cleared according to sources.

  • The real reason behind school shootings

    Study: Many Teens Overconfident, Have ‘Wildly’ Unrealistic Expectations:

    Teens today are overconfident and harbor more unrealistic expectations than teens in the 1970s, a study published in the November issue of Psychological Science finds.

    And researchers say the culprits behind the arrogance that many teens possess are their parents and teachers.

    And this is why we have school shootings in my opinion. These kids think that they’re so special and that everything should be handed to them that they don’t know how to react when reality kicks them in the ass. Then when it does they lash out with extreme violence.

    It isn’t bullying, it’s coddling.

  • Sean Brown eligible for parole

    Sentenced In March, Murder Victim’s Classmate Soon Will Be Eligible For Parole:

    For those of you who have been reading this site for a while now may remember the murder of Ashton Glover. She was the 16-year-old girl from Texas who was shot in the head by her ‘friend’ Matt McCombs. McCombs shot her out of what he called ‘morbid curiosity’. Also in the truck at that time was Sean Brown.

    McCombs was sentenced to 50 years for Ashton’s murder. Brown was sentenced to 10 for helping McCombs try to hide Ashton’s body. But as we all know 10 years doesn’t always add up to 10 years.

    In January of 2009, Brown will be eligible for parole. If paroled that would be less than a year Brown spent in prison on a 10-year sentence.

    Ashton Glover’s mother, Carolyn Sue Smith, is outraged over this and is requesting everyone in her community to write the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Parole Board to try to keep Brown in prison. But why just stick to the community when you can get the whole internet involved.

    Thanks to reader Letha I have all the information you need to send the Texas Parole Board a letter of protest.

    His file has ALREADY been sent to the Huntsville Parole Board Office and they have to respond to him by January 24, 2009. I would write letters and send to both the Austin address and to the Huntsville address or fax to Huntsville.

    Huntsville Parole Board
    P.O. Box 599
    Huntsville, TX 77342
    936/291-2161 Phone
    936/291-8367 Fax

    Texas Board of Pardons & Paroles
    Correspondence Department
    P. O. Box 13401
    Capital Station
    Austin, Texas 78711

    SID # 07789006
    TDCJ # 01491487
    BROWN, SEAN HUSTON
    CURRENT FACILITY: NEWTON COUNTY
    PAROLE ELIGILIBITY DATE 01-24-2009

    You will need to put the offender’s name and TDCJ number under the address and each page of the letter.

    And please people if you are going to write a letter or fax please be professional about it. Please do not use profanity or any kind of threatening mannerisms in your letter.

  • Mitchell Johnson sentenced

    Jonesboro shooter sentenced on drug, theft charges:

    Mitchell Johnson, he of the Jonesboro shootings, was sentenced to 12 years behind bars on state drug and theft charges. If you’ll recall Johnson was arrested for using the ATM card of a customer that dropped the card at the mini-mart that Johnson worked at.

    This sentence will be served after his 4-year federal sentence on weapons and drug charges.

  • Was Dillard shooting preventable?

    Student may have told Dillard High officials about gun:

    Police on Florida are investigating whether or not Teah Wimberly showed her gun to another student prior to her shooting Amanda Collette and whether or not that student told a school faculty member.

    Some students are also saying that Wimberly had romantic feelings for Amanda and that’s what led to the shooting.

    If that is the case Uncle Trench has to remind the kids again. Listen kids, again I’ll tell you, your romantic lives don’t end with whomever you fall in love with in high school. And no person out there is worth ending yours and somebody else’s life over. I know it doesn’t feel like that now but trust me. Once you get out of high school you’ll realize how unimportant it was in the grand scheme of things.

  • Zarate can use insanity defense

    Judge rules accused killer Jonathan Zarate can use insanity defense:

    Superior Court Judge Salem Ahto ruled today that Jonathan Zarate’s attorney can, in fact, use the diminished capacity defense in his trial for the murder of Jennifer Parks.

    I was angry about this when I first read the headline but as I read the article and the ensuing comments I began to calm down and realized what this really means.

    If Zarate was convicted without the diminished capacity defense it would have been left way open for appeal.

    It also means that the prosecution can present the evidence that in their opinion that Zarate was faking his ‘mental illness’.

  • More on the Dillard High shooting

    Updates in the shooting death of Dillard High Student Amanda Collette.

    The suspect has been named and she is 15-year-old Teah Wimberly. She has been charged with first-degree murder.

    After the shooting Wimberly walked across the street to a restaurant and told police she had just shot her friend. Also, a witness stated he saw the pair arguing when Wimberly pulled out a gun and shot Amanda.

    Wimberly is being held for 21 days to undergo a psych eval.

    Most of the reports say that prosecutors are leaning towards charging Wimberly as an adult.

    The motive behind the attack may have been a falling out between the two. Wimberly allegedly brought the gun to school so Amanda would know what it’s like “to feel pain”.

  • Dillard High School shooting leaves one dead

    Student Killed In Shooting At Dillard HS:

    15-year-old Amanda Collette of Dillard High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida was found unconscious in the school’s hallway. She had been shot and rushed to the hospital where unfortunately she did not survive.

    Police received a call from a seafood take out place that said there was a girl there that might have shot somebody. When police arrived they arrested a 15-year-old girl and seized a handgun.

    No motive has been discussed as of yet but police say this was an isolated incident between the victim and suspect.

    More on this as details become available and as time allows.

    Thanks to Bonnie for the tip.