Comments on Advance Indiana™: Desmond Turner Convicted On All Counts

Great question, Guy. I don't know why a minori...

2009-10-23T17:06:21.648-05:00

Great question, Guy. I don't know why a minority defendant in this county would ever waive his right to a jury trial (unless she's a city councilor). You're almost assured of getting some minority members on the jury. I know he got the death penalty taken off the table, but let's face it, death penalty cases get the closest scrutiny on appeal.

I am curious as to why the defense chose a judge v...

2009-10-23T16:39:23.774-05:00

I am curious as to why the defense chose a judge vs. a jury of twelve. It seems to me that it'd be easier to find one juror with reasonable doubt?

That's DNA evidence, Guy. There's no DNA e...

2009-10-23T13:49:52.381-05:00

That's DNA evidence, Guy. There's no DNA evidence in this case that ties this defendant to the crime. There are no fingerprints that tie this guy to the crime. He supposedly shot the hell out of a tiny house that a police officer described as being sprayed with blood and bone fragments. He supposedly turned the place upside down looking for the goods. The vehicle he supposedly drove has no physical evidence forensic experts can find. There's no blood evidence in the home at which he was staying. There's no weapon. This guy must be a hell of a lot smarter than O.J. Simpson.

Nothing in the Real World is simple. But, other t...

2009-10-23T12:46:36.390-05:00

Nothing in the Real World is simple.

But, other things being equal, (they never are) I'd trust forensic evidence above eye witness testimony.

We now have over 100 men freed from prison after DNA evidence proved CONCLUSIVELY that they didn't commit rape.

Guy, And I would give little credibility to circum...

2009-10-23T12:25:14.044-05:00

Guy, And I would give little credibility to circumstantial evidence the police "discovered" two years after the case was opened that had been in their custody the entire time. Sort of like that bullet the FBI agent just found laying on a gurnee at Parkland Hospital that became such a critical piece of evidence in the Kennedy assassination case. Police have been known to plant evidence. People should never lose sight of that fact.

"Circumstantial" evidence can be stronge...

2009-10-23T11:34:01.761-05:00

"Circumstantial" evidence can be stronger than eye-witness evidence. e.g. A ballistic expert's testimony that the pistol found on the accused fired the bullet found in the victim's head is circumstantial. It requires an inference.

An eye witness who testifies that he saw the accused shoot the victim is not circumstantial.

If I were a juror I'd put more credence in the circumstantial evidence.