Pleasantville man admits prostituting minors:
Casson Coward of Pleasantville, New Jersey was arrested back in June for pimping out two girls ages 14 and 16 from Allentown, Pa. on craigslist.
Yesterday Coward pleaded guilty to interstate transporting of minors for the purposes of prostitution. His partner Kevin R. Mayfield was also arrested. Both of them are looking at 10 to life and a $250K fine.
The so-called victimless crime continues.
Veteran cop unmasked as a major marijuana dealer:
When I was but a lad in my 20’s I wanted to be a cop. I had cops as friends, I have cops as relatives, and I wanted to make a difference. However, two things prevented me from doing so. One, I didn’t possess the physical prowess it took to pass the physical test and two, I heard too many stories of guys who were just in it to collect a paycheck or worse. This one of the stories about worse.
37-year-old Glen Smokler was a 13-year-veteran of the NYPD. He was arrested this past Wednesday and uncovered as a major marijuana dealer. He allegedly belonged to a ring that smuggled millions of dollars in reefer from Canada to Long Island. Police were tipped off when someone reported that Smokler robbed from the ring leaders.
Apparently, he never figured that even criminals call the cops sometimes.
Thanks to Jim for the link.
Father of Victim to Convicted Killer: ‘I’m Here for You’:
For 14 years Mark Byers was convinced that the West Memphis 3 killed his son Christopher Byers. For those same 14 years, the WM3 supporters have accused Mark Byers of being the “real killer”. Now at least half of hell has frozen over because now with the new DNA evidence that’s been released Byers is now saying that the WM3 did not kill his son.
“I didn’t want to see it,” he said of learning of the new evidence. “I felt like Benedict Arnold. I’m going against everything I believed for 14 years.
“I want these three men to know I’m here for you,” said Byers, who had himself been suspected of involvement in the murders by some people in West Memphis. “I hated you for years. I believed with all my heart you killed my son — and I’m sorry for that.”
Authorities have never called Byers a suspect.
Byers told ABC News that he now wants “justice” for his son and the other boys.
“They let down not just me and two other family members,” he said of the government officials who handled the case. “They let down every citizen who pays their salary.”
I wonder how this is going over with the “Free the WM3” crowd. From what I’ve seen without going to the WM3 website most supporters are still convinced that Byers did it. Now I’ve made my thoughts known on this case that the right men are in jail. However, Byers does have a certain air of suspicion swirling around him. I just don’t think it’s for killing those kids. Honestly, I don’t think Byers really believes what he’s saying. It seems like to me since some of the suspicions have been taken off of him with the DNA evidence he’s cuddling up to the WM3 supporters to get all the suspicion off him.
St. John’s gunman to spend 3 months at psychiatric center:
St. John’s gunman Omesh Hiraman has been ordered to spend 90 days in a New York psychiatric facility. At the end of the 90 days, the state will decide on whether or not he should be committed indefinitely.
Date set in Orange High shooting trial:
You remember Alvaro Rafael Castillo, don’t you? He’s the nut case who shot and killed his father while his father slept and then went to Orange High School in North Carolina and shot the place up. Luckily only two students were injured. He is also a mutant of the highest order. Not only did he have an obsession with Columbine but he also e-mailed Columbine principal Frank DeAngelis shortly before going on his spree.
Anyway, he was in court yesterday to receive the date of his trial which is set for May 5, 2008. And he did this to piss somebody off.
After Morgan agreed to the date, Castillo smiled and tossed a slight wave over his shoulders to the courtroom before being led out of the back of the building to a sheriff’s car.
It pissed me off anyway. People who are on trial for murder should not smile ever.
AG spokesman: Review in West Memphis appeal will take time:
The Arkansas State Attorney General’s Office said that it would take some time for the DNA “evidence” that has been presented in regards to the West Memphis 3 case to be processed.
In a statement, a spokesman for Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said state officials are seeing the evidence put forward by lawyers representing Damien Echols for the first time.
“As litigation goes, this process will likely take months and possibly years,” spokesman Gabe Holmstrom said. “Indeed, counsel for Echols has taken years to develop these claims so it will take the state a fair amount of time to properly respond.”
And for those of you that keep calling the trial a witch hunt…
The state Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the Baldwin and Echols’ convictions in 1996, citing what it called substantial evidence of guilt.
In 2002, the state Supreme Court authorized further DNA testing in the case. In 2005, the high court rejected an effort by Echols to reopen the case so he could argue that his trial lawyers mishandled his defense.
The State Supreme Court isn’t a bunch of country bumpkins that got their law degrees from a box of Moon Pies. But since most of y’all have a prejudice against the south you think they are. Little Rock is a far cry from West Memphis.
But hey, keep drinking the Kool-Aid if it makes you feel better. Just know that you’re giving a convicted killer exactly what he wants.
Man Who Allegedly Set Girlfriend On Fire Could Get Death Penalty:
It’s been over a year since we’ve heard anything about Dane Abdool. He’s the man, and I use that term loosely, from Florida who is accused of killing his girlfriend, Amelia Sookdeo, by setting her on fire. The last we heard the State’s Attorney’s Office was more than likely considering the death penalty for Abdool. That consideration is now a reality as they have made it official that they are seeking the death penalty. The trial is set to start in February.
West Memphis Three: Defense Attorney Says New Evidence Clears His Client:
A press release was issued yesterday by the public relations firm that represents the defense team for convicted killer Damien Echols, he of the infamous West Memphis 3. Click the link if you want to read the entire release otherwise it basically just talks about the DNA evidence that was originally made public back in July.
Apparently, the lawyers got around to filing the papers about the DNA and felt that it was so important they needed a PR firm to issue a press release about it. What’s next? The next time Echols drops a deuce are they going to issue a press release about it? It just screams of attention whoring. Hey remember us, we have this DNA stuff that we think will set a killer free. Please look at us. Then again the WM3’s best weapon has been the media and they wield it well. I mean look at how many sheep they’ve collected in the past 15 years.
Like I discussed before they’re now claiming that the DNA evidence points to Terry Hobbs the step-father of one of the victims. However, the WM3 supporters pointed the finger so long at Mark Byers it’s almost like they can’t be taken seriously.
As I’ve also discussed before the press release states that Hobbs’ ex-wife and mother of one of the victims think that Hobbs is capable of the murders. Like she wouldn’t have a reason to lie.
Basically, the WM3 team is grasping at straws while trying to make themselves look like they just found Jimmy Hoffa. As far as I’m concerned the highly lauded DNA evidence neither proves nor disproves anything.
***
I’m writing this part up a couple of hours after I wrote the above part. I just went to two different threads on two different websites about the WM3. One was a respected blog that had a handful of commenters and the other was a huge site devoted to news links. In both threads, WM3 supporters are still hanging on to Mark Byers just because he looked guilty in the documentaries. If you’re going to support a cause do some research people. At least pay attention to the latest news.