billingsgriz
Well-known member
I agree with Griz Musician and Born--if you're presumed innocent, the prosecution takes a full run at you with 3 prosecuting attorneys, a professional witness, etc., and a fat trial budget, and you're acquitted, then you're innocence in the overwhelming majority's eye has been confirmed. You went into the trial presumed innocent, you're acquitted, how can you come out of the trial not presumed innocent?
Fat Freddy can say JJ was found not guilty (Some of my lawyer friends refer to The Missoula County Attorney as Fat Freddy.) not innocent, but if JJ went into the trial presumed innocent, was acquitted 12-0, after said-acquittal, he is considered innocent by the overwhelming majority of people, not withstanding a few legal scholars and the alleged victim's friends and family.
If anyone's credibility has taken a major hit in this case, it is the alleged victim who's credbility had been thoroughly shredded by this trial !!!
I have a friend in Billings now in private practice who used to be a prosecutor that handled rape cases among other crimes. He said that if JJ were Joe Sixpack, he doesn't get charged. Because the DOJ is breathing down his neck, Fat Freddy--according to my friend--almost had to charge JJ knowing his case sucked.
That probably explains why a week before the trial, Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenberg ordered his prosecutors to offer JJ a plea bargain: misdemeanor sexual assault. Fortunately, JJ turned down the offer--he would have had to register as a sex offender at least for a short period of time had he accepted this plea.
The Missoula County Attorney had his deputies offer this plea apparently because the alleged victim was getting cold feet just a week before the trial--She apparently finally realized she would be on trial as well as JJ, a message my friends that are lawyers say the prosecution would have reviewed with her before the Missoula County Attorney's Office charged JJ to warn her and inform her that she too would be dragged through the coals during a trial, not just JJ.--, and Mr. Van Valkenberg knew his case sucked even with alleged victim's full cooperation.
My source for that tidbit went to law school with some of the lawyers involved and I asked him doesn't that mean Fat Freddy knows his case is a dog a week out before the trial started, and his response to me, "Probably or the alleged victim wants to back out." Turns out it was for both reasons.
Fat Freddy can say JJ was found not guilty (Some of my lawyer friends refer to The Missoula County Attorney as Fat Freddy.) not innocent, but if JJ went into the trial presumed innocent, was acquitted 12-0, after said-acquittal, he is considered innocent by the overwhelming majority of people, not withstanding a few legal scholars and the alleged victim's friends and family.
If anyone's credibility has taken a major hit in this case, it is the alleged victim who's credbility had been thoroughly shredded by this trial !!!
I have a friend in Billings now in private practice who used to be a prosecutor that handled rape cases among other crimes. He said that if JJ were Joe Sixpack, he doesn't get charged. Because the DOJ is breathing down his neck, Fat Freddy--according to my friend--almost had to charge JJ knowing his case sucked.
That probably explains why a week before the trial, Missoula County Attorney Fred Van Valkenberg ordered his prosecutors to offer JJ a plea bargain: misdemeanor sexual assault. Fortunately, JJ turned down the offer--he would have had to register as a sex offender at least for a short period of time had he accepted this plea.
The Missoula County Attorney had his deputies offer this plea apparently because the alleged victim was getting cold feet just a week before the trial--She apparently finally realized she would be on trial as well as JJ, a message my friends that are lawyers say the prosecution would have reviewed with her before the Missoula County Attorney's Office charged JJ to warn her and inform her that she too would be dragged through the coals during a trial, not just JJ.--, and Mr. Van Valkenberg knew his case sucked even with alleged victim's full cooperation.
My source for that tidbit went to law school with some of the lawyers involved and I asked him doesn't that mean Fat Freddy knows his case is a dog a week out before the trial started, and his response to me, "Probably or the alleged victim wants to back out." Turns out it was for both reasons.