Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Standard-Examiner: Weber County Prosecutors Office Puts in "The Fix"

Civil libertarians should be appalled about how this case still "develops"

Disheartening writeups for Utah civil libertarians in the Standard-Examiner and Salt Lake Tribune this morning, in re this still fast-developing 1/4/12 Ogden Shootings Story. It all gets wackier by the minute, fer shure:
And if we consolidate all the important facts from these two stories, what do we wind up with? Here are the most important points, so far:

1) Despite the protests of Defense Lawyer Randy Richards, and notwithstanding his heretofore zealous representation of Defendant Stewart, the County Prosecutor's Office nevertheless somehow convinced this apple-faced 2nd District Judge Noel Hyde, that it would be better to appoint a couple of no-name public defenders, rather than the lawyer of the defendant's choice.

2) Judge Hyde has apparently ignored defendant's demands for timely pretrial discovery. The Standard reports that Defense Council again raised this issue YESTERDAY. A justice-oriented Judge would have made an order to immediately release all evidence to the defense, SUA SPONTE. But yet Judge Hyde Didn't do that!

3) After over a month of watching the Weber County Prosecutors' Office spill out a steady stream of innuendo and other "evidence" which tends to taint the local jury pool and incriminate Defendant Stewart, "Get this"... County prosecutor Dee Smith suddenly moves for a "gag order."

Civil libertarians should be appalled about how this case still "develops".

Civil liberties "skeptics" should register no surprise in saying "The Prosecutorial 'Fix' is in."

5 comments:

Ernie the Attorney said...

Think about it.  It's a totally sick system, when the prosecution appoints counsel for the defense.  I don't think this is what the USSC was thinking about in Gideon v. Wainright

As it is in all things however in wingnut GOP Utah, Dee Smith and his cheap ass Republican jackasses will have to learn their lessons the hard way.

Good to see Attorney Richards already raising important issues and preserving  the record on appeal.

blackrulon said...

Dee Smith can rest happy that the hag order cannot be applied retroactively. There was not a problem with stories in the media until the defense started giving another side of the case.  Basically it seems that the judge believes "okay we have to give you legal representation but we don't have to give you good representation".

Smilelikeyoumeanit said...

Can someone answer me this? why did the strike force decide to wear full army gear when they went to Stewarts house? That is not their "normal Attire" I find it quite disturbing that they did that knowing he had mental issues from being in the service and I thought the mentally ill were a protected class, to me it seems they set out to play some kind of sick mind games with him, because they were told beforehand he allegedly said he would go out in a blaze of glory. I'm not saying he shouldn't have been breaking the law if in fact he was, but the fact that they knew he had issues from the service, and they wore attire that would freak him out,and make him not know who they really were because then if he advanced to them they would have every right to shoot him dead, I think them wearing that,and confusing him also contributed to their fellow officer being shot. and why can't they be held accountable on some degree?

From_Utah said...

It's pretty obvious prosecution has something major to hide.  

snowbird said...

people are so fed up with this unmercible assault against their neighbors and friends that many states are finding they can't even put a jury together that would convict (jury nullification) - however here behind the Zion curtain, they prefer to fill their fat ass pockets and jails

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