Posted by Case “bleeding to death” with Doubt? – MJEOL Bullet #114
Civil rights attorney Avery Freedman appeared on CNN Live Saturday (March 27) along with defense attorney Richard Herman, to discuss the Jackson case during CNN’s legal roundtable. Freedman estimated that the grand jury would take about a week or so to hear evidence (alleged evidence) against Jackson.
It’s expected that the accuser and family members will testify in front of the grand jury. As you remember, this family already has a history of lying under oath in other cases before the current Jackson case.
According to documents released by the attorney for JCPenney, the family not only told two different stories about whether or not the father was truly abusive to them, but they also suddenly added on the charge – two years after the fact – that the mother was allegedly sexually fondled by one of the security guards during an altercation where the children were found shoplifting merchandise out of one of the JCPenney stores (see Even More Damaging Docs ).
It is indeed a baffling move, in a series of questionable decisions, made by prosecutors in this case. Freedman says Sneddon could have had a “mini trial” by taking the case to a preliminary hearing instead of this rather late decision to have a grand jury after essentially tainting the jury pool by already arresting and charging Jackson. Freedman also says the case is filled with reasonable doubt even at this early stage:
So he’s decided to do it in secret with a grand jury. And this case is already bleeding to death with reasonable doubt. So, that’s why we are looking at the grand jury (see CNN Live Sat.-Case Bleeding to Death w/reasonable doubt-TRAN ).
Freedman in certainly not the only lawyer, legal expert, or pundit who feels that the current district attorney’s decision to call a grand jury is at best questionable and at worst utterly ridiculous. More about that coming up in another MJEOL Bullet.
Stay tuned.
-MJEOL