News and Views From a Prosecutor's Perspective.

16-Year-Old Murders Six During Two-Day Shooting Rampage In New Jersey

	A 16-year-old has been charged with killing six people and wounding another during a shooting spree in Camden, New Jersey, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Camden County Prosecutor Lee Solomon called the circumstances of the case "chilling," saying the motive for the murders revolved around revenge, drugs and robbery.
Camden County Prosecutor Lee Solomon

Posted on Sun., Feb. 24, 2002

Boy, 16, held in rampage that killed 6

Drugs, robbery and revenge were the motive for the murders in Camden County this month, authorities say.

A 16-year-old boy will be arraigned tomorrow, charged with a 24-hour rampage this month that left six people dead, four in Winslow Township and two in Lindenwold.

Camden County prosecutor Lee Solomon calls the circumstances of the case "chilling," saying the motive for the murders revolved around revenge, drugs, and robbery.

"When you arrest somebody of those years involved in these sorts of crimes, under these circumstances, it's something that is incredibly troubling," Solomon said.

The identity of the suspect, who lives in the West Atco section of Winslow Township, where the first killings took place, has not been made public because of his age, officials said.

Solomon said the teen would be arraigned in juvenile court at 9 a.m. tomorrow, but that his office would seek to charge him as an adult.

The youth faces six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. Due to his age, Solomon said, the boy cannot be sentenced to death, but he does face the possibility of life imprisonment.

"He could spend the rest of his like in jail," Solomon said. "He's 16 years of age. That could be a long, long time."

Law enforcement officials involved in the investigation said they were not aware of a juvenile ever being charged with so many murders in New Jersey.

Janet Ferguson, mother of Chris Ferguson, who was killed in Lindenwold, said she was relieved that a suspect had been arrested.

"But that still doesn't erase what he did to my son," she said. "I hope that they do everything they can to make him pay for what he did."

Officials said the suspect went to a house at 122 Stevens St. in West Atco on the night of Feb. 4, possibly to settle a personal grudge.

He is accused of shooting to death there Una Bethune, 30, a mother of two who lived with her father in another house on Stevens Street; Absalom Giddings, 30, who was renting the house where the killings took place; Donald Mays, 42, of Winslow; and Corlis "Coco" Williams, 43, of Berlin.

The teen then robbed some items from the house, Solomon said.

The next night he visited the Greentree Apartments in Lindenwold, where he was frustrated in an attempt to buy marijuana, officials said. Police said he shot and wounded 18-year-old Torrance Lomax there.

The suspect then fatally shot Kasim Dale, 24, and Chris Ferguson, 37, both of whom may have witnessed the shooting of Lomax, officials said.

Dale's body was found on a path behind the apartments on Gibbsboro Road. Ferguson was found shot in the head at his home on Countess Avenue, which officials said was a five-or 10 minute jog from the apartments.

Law enforcement officers said the same gun was used in all the killings and that evidence at the crime scenes linked the youth to the killings.

The teen, who officials said became a focus of their investigation Friday, was arrested around 10 p.m. in West Atco Friday without incident.

So many slayings by a lone teen offender are rare, Kathleen Heide, author of the 1999 book Young Killers: The Challenge of Juvenile Homicide, said last night.

To have one juvenile apparently involved in a mass murder "is very unusual, certainly only a handful of cases in the nation a year," said Heide, a professor of criminology at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Youths killing relatives is a somewhat more common scenario, she noted.

Homicides committed by teenagers typically involve two or more offenders. "You tend to find several juveniles banding together and deciding to pull a robbery. Or they get into a drug-related dispute," Heide said.

Residents of West Atco, a sleepy neighborhood of single-story bungalows, said their community is one where a handful of families had lived for generations and where everybody knows one another.

"People are upset back here," Stella Thompson, 60, said. "We never had something like this happen."

Nobody in the neighborhood would speculate about the identity of the suspect, but all said the deaths and the arrest had left them trying to understand how such a crime could happen.

"It upsets me that a 16-year-old could do this," Daisy Robinson, 59, said. "It's just a shock."

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, Sun., Feb. 24, 2002

Gun Crime Means Prison Time! That's Goal Of Lexington's "Cease-Fire" Project
Cease-Fire Project aggressively enforces existing gun laws to reduce gun violence in Lexington. Larson pleased with 93% conviction rate in cases involving crimes committed with guns.

Fayette County’s "Cease-Fire" Project was created to aggressively identify, prosecute, convict and incarcerate criminals who choose to use firearms in the commission of crimes.

"We want to reduce gun violence in our community," said Ray Larson, Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney. "We intend to do that by relentlessly enforcing the gun laws already on the books."

Existing Kentucky law already prohibits:

The use of a gun in the commission of a crime;
The possession of a gun by a convicted felon;
The possession of stolen property (stolen gun);
Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.

Since the beginning of the "Cease-Fire" Project, the Office of the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney has handled the following cases:

Felony cases received:	195 felony cases involving crimes committed with guns;
Felony cases resolved:	76
Conviction rate:	93%
Average prison sentence:	5 years

The cooperation between federal and state prosecution and law enforcement agencies has allowed us to achieve our progress so far. We are extremely pleased," Larson said.

Mandatory Registration Of Sex Offenders Ruled Constitutional By Kentucky Supreme Court
Unanimous opinion written by Justice Wintershiemer says convicted sex offenders must register.

Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Donald Wintershiemer

Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Donald Wintershiemer wrote the opinion in which the Kentucky Supreme Court declared Kentucky's law which requires convicted sex offenders to register with their local office of Probation and Parole constitutional. Because Kentucky was one of the last states to pass a so-called Megan's Law, the United States and the supreme courts of most other states have already approved similar laws.

In cases involving convicted child molesters from Jefferson, Anderson and
Woodford Counties, Assistant Attorney General Anitria Franklin argued that our law was constitutional. The Kentucky Supreme Court agreed, and held that these sexual offenders must register with the local probation office. If such a defendant fails to register, or moves without first telling the officer, they can be convicted of a new felony and returned to prison.

That portion of the law which allows the Kentucky State Police to notify citizens of the release of these offenders through their website, www.kspsor.state.ky.us was also ruled constitutional.

Megan's Law is named for a New Jersey girl who was taken from her home, raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender. Now all 50 states and the federal government have these laws that inform and protect citizens.

Prosecutors Play Significant Role In Last Trial Held In Old Fayette County Courthouse
Lou Anna Red Corn and La Tasha Buckner prosecuted the last trial held in Fayette County's old courthouse

Lexington Herald-Leader

Wednesday, February 20, 2002

The Fayette County Courthouse held its first trial in February 1900; its last was Feb. 7, 2002. A new downtown courthouse complex has separate buildings for circuit and district courts.
From the first to the last, trials changed at Fayette courthouse
By Louise Taylor
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

The J. Winston Coleman Jr. Photographic Collection, Transylvania University Library

What a difference 102 years can make.

When the first trial -- a civil case -- in the old Fayette County Courthouse played out in February 1900, the players were all white, all male.

In the same courtroom on Feb. 7, the last trial was presided over by Fayette Circuit Judge Sheila Isaac and prosecuted by assistant commonwealth's attorneys Lou Anna Red Corn and La Tasha Buckner, who are respectively, Native American and African-American. Defending was former state Sen. Mike Moloney -- who used to watch election ballots counted in the same room as a boy 50 years ago. The jurors, too, were a diverse lot -- and women were in the majority.

Photograph by David Cronen

The defendant in the case, Antonio Leron Downing, 34, fared better than those accused of crimes in days of yore. Back then, black defendants often were tried and convicted in less than an hour.

Downing, who was accused of armed robbery, was acquitted after a trial that took a whole day.

F.B.I. Releases Safest And Most Dangerous Cities

F.B.I. data reveals America=s safest and most dangerous cities:

Safest Rank	City
1	Amherst, NY
2	Newton, MA
3	Mission Viejo, CA
4	Cary, NC
5	Brick Township, NJ
6	Simi Valley, CA
7	Sunnyvale, CA
8	Colonie, NY
9	Sterling Heights, MI
10	Clarkstown, NY
11	Orem, UT
12	Greece, NY
13	Thousand Oaks, CA
14	Canton Township, MI
15	Livermore, CA
16	Troy, MI
17	Irvine, CA
18	Dover Township, NJ
19	Arvada, CO
20	Warwick, RI
21	Huntington Beach, CA
22	Santa Clara, CA
23	Santa Clarita, CA
24	Fremont, CA
25	Newport Beach, CA

Most Dangerous Rank	City
1	Detroit, MI
2	Atlanta, GA
3	St. Louis, MO
4	Baltimore, MD
5	Gary, IN
6	Camden, NJ
7	Tampa, FL
8	West Palm Beach, FL
9	Compton, CA
10	Memphis, TN
11	New Orleans, LA
12	Washington, DC
13	Kansan City, MO
14	Richmond, VA
15	Dayton, OH
16	Flint, MI
17	Miami, FL
18	Youngstown, OH
19	Dallas, TX
20	Newark, NJ
21	Trenton, NJ
22	Chattanooga, TN
23	Orlando, FL
24	Philadelphia, PA
25	Reading, PA

PARADE's "National Survey About Our Criminal Justice System" "What Americans Say About Our Justice System," by Dianne Hales, PARADE, February 10, 2002

Last summer, PARADE conducted a nationwide survey, asking Americans how they felt about our criminal justice system.

PARADE’s survey of 2,011 men and women was conducted in June 2001 by the independent firm of Mark Clements Research, Inc. The overall sample was selected to conform to the latest available U.S. Census data for men and women aged 18 - 75. The results are accurate to within 2.2% at the 95% confidence level.

Here are some of the findings:

Trust the judicial system:
	Yes	52%
	No	46%
	No response	2%
Death penalty:
	82% of Americans support the death penalty.
	67% of this group believe it deters crime.
Repeat offenders:
	98% believe repeat offenders should be given longer prison sentences.
	85% believe repeat offenders should not be eligible for parole.
Juvenile offenders:
	66% want juveniles aged 12 to 17 to be tried as adults if charged with violent crimes.
Schools:
	54% feel their children are safe at school.
	83% support suspension for possession of a weapon or drugs as top method for addressing the problem.
	89% blame a lack of parental involvement for today's school violence.
	82% blame an unstable home environment.
Prison conditions:
	85% believe prisoners have too many amenities and privileges.
	71% want prisons to rehabilitate prisoners.

Wall Street Journal Features Fayette District Judge Megan Thornton's Approach To Domestic Violence

Judge Megan Thornton

When women return to their abusive husbands after persuading a court to issue restraining orders against them, Judge Megan Thornton has been charging them with contempt.

Judge Thornton isn't the only judge frustrated with the system. Judges in Illinois and North Carolina have taken a similar approach. The lesson - if you want the full protection of the law, don’t treat the law lightly.

Click here for story.

Lexington Herald Leader: "Legal Team Puts Power Behind Gun Laws"

Louise Taylor, Herald-Leader staff writer, reports that people who commit crimes with guns in Lexington may find themselves facing harsher punishment than they did in the past, thanks to new program that may be unique in the United States.

Posted on Mon, Feb. 04, 2002

Legal team puts power behind gun laws
Federal, county officials push harshest penalty
By Louise Taylor
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

People who commit crimes with guns in Lexington may find themselves facing harsher punishment than they did in the past, thanks to new program that may be unique in the United States.

The concept is simple, but the undertaking is massive: Every two weeks, federal and county investigators and prosecutors meet and sift through case files on recent crimes involving guns. Rather than work independently, as their counterparts in other jurisdictions do, the prosecutors and police cooperatively decide where the accused will face the maximum possible penalty: in federal or state court.

Gun control advocates and opponents long have argued over the need for more gun restrictions, often with the National Rifle Association among those asserting that existing gun laws go unprosecuted.

"Well, guess what? They were right. And we decided to emphasize existing gun laws and prosecute people who use guns in the commission of a crime, felons with guns, and those people who own illegal guns," said Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson.

The project was the brainchild of Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Rachelle Williams, who was a student at the University of Kentucky law school and wanted to carve out a job for herself last year at the office of the Fayette County commonwealth's attorney.

When Ray Larson told her he had no openings and couldn't hire her, Williams shot right back: "What if I get a grant?"

Go for it, Larson replied. And a few months later, last summer, Williams had snagged a three-year U.S. Department of Justice grant of about $40,000 annually to create Operation Cease-Fire. A one-time $30,000 state grant is paying for data entry and clerical work. Cease-Fire's aim: To reduce the number of gun crimes by increasing the prosecution and the punishment of those who commit them.

"I don't think this is going on anywhere else in the country," Larson said.

"A lot of people who have guns shouldn't have them. A big part of Cease-Fire is sending out the message that there are penalties attached to having a gun illegally."

The statistics are stark: More than 300 guns are seized each year in Lexington, where 70 percent of murders and more than half of all robberies involve guns.

Williams said that 172 cases in the past few months have been pored over at the biweekly Cease-Fire meetings, which are attended by representatives of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Larson's office, the county attorney, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Lexington police, the Fayette County sheriff and the state Department of Corrections. Of that, 76 have been resolved by convictions and others are awaiting action.

Nine of the cases resulted in federal indictments because federal charges carry the harshest penalty for most weapons crimes, said U.S. Attorney Gregory Van Tatenhove. Federal courts have abolished parole and have sentencing guidelines that mandate harsher penalties -- including prison time -- than state courts can give. "They have a bigger hammer, so to speak," Larson said.

Some of the cases have already wound up with convictions and sentences, including the federal ones against Octaivus Gillis and Joseph Mayberry, who pleaded guilty to related gun-shop burglaries in which a total of 22 pistols and rifles were stolen from The Gun Site in Lexington and Rigg's Guns in Frankfort. Gillis is now serving a one-year sentence while Mayberry does 21 months in federal prison for the crimes.

While federal prosecutors are taking on more gun cases, the Fayette commonwealth's and county attorneys are prosecuting cases that previously were considered "throwaways" against people who lie on federal firearms applications, Larson said.

Three cases have been pressed against those who have lied and unsuccessfully tried to buy guns while under domestic violence orders. Six similar cases were unearthed on Friday, and will be presented for state indictments, Van Tatenhove said.

And more are on the way: Larson is getting set to start prosecuting convicted felons who are caught lying on the forms, too.

About 40 people a year in Lexington are caught lying about domestic violence orders and their criminal records, Williams said. It is also illegal for foreigners, dishonorably discharged veterans, the mentally ill, those under indictment, drug addicts, and anyone who has ever renounced their American citizenship to buy guns.

The penalty in state court for those who lie is not huge: a misdemeanor that carries a small fine, but Larson said, "This way they have it on their record."

Throughout the Eastern District of Kentucky, more than 1,000 people have lied on firearms applications in the past three years. In most cases, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms simply sends the liars a letter telling them not to repeat the crime.

Eventually, those who lie in Lexington will not be the only Kentuckians charged for firearm obfuscation, Van Tatenhove said. "The next step is to take Cease-Fire as a success story and extrapolate it to other districts. Ray Larson is extending invitations to other commonwealth's attorneys" to replicate the program. Said Van Tatenhove: "We're pretty excited about it."

Source: Lexington Herald-Leader, February 4, 2002

Fayette County Grand Jury Moves To New Quarters In The Fayette County Courthouse

Monday, February 4, 2002, marked the first time the Fayette County Grand Jury met in its new Grand Jury quarters in the new Fayette County Circuit Courthouse. The facility marks a great improvement over the crowded room used by the Grand Jury in Lexington’s old Courthouse.

The new facilities include restrooms, a witness waiting area, a small kitchenette, and significantly more room for the Grand Jurors.

R.O.P.E. Project - Repeat Offender Prosecution Enforcement - A Real Success Story For Lexington

Experts tell us that only 6% of the criminals commit over 50% of the crime.

Jason Rothrock Shawna Virgin La Tasha Buckner

The R.O.P.E. Prosecution Team

In 1996, Ray Larson decided to target that 6% of the criminals. A Kentucky Justice Cabinet Grant permitted Larson’s office to focus on those Career Criminals in Lexington.

Since 1996, 1,209 Lexington defendants have been identified as career criminals. As a group, they have been convicted of 14,751 prior crimes. (That’s 12.2 prior convictions each.)

Larson’s office has charged and convicted 98.6% of them of being Persistent Felony Offenders and they have received prison sentences averaging 8 years.

"Our goal has been to identify, prosecute, convict and incarcerate these prolific criminals for as long as we can. The public deserves to be protected from them," says Larson. "As long as they are in prison they can’t commit crimes in our neighborhoods and on our streets."

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000* 2001**

Total
Defendants 133 138 225 204 257 257

Defendants
Convicted 129 135 224 192 226 146

Defendants
Awaiting Trial 0 0 0 6 20 97

Conviction
Rate 97% 98% 99% 97% 96% 99%

Total Prior
Criminal Convictions 1,368 1,374 2,452 1,958 3,915 3,684

Average Prior Convictions 10.3 9.9 10.9 9.6 15.2 14.3

Total Number of Years Sentenced 1,026 1,099 1,792 1,513 1,640 1,242

Average Amount of Years Sentenced 7.9 8.1 8.0 7.9 7.3 8.5

*Active cases of 2000
**Current numbers as of 1/18/02

Juvenile Courts Should Be Open To The Public

Courier-Journal's David Hawpe And Ray Larson Finally Agree On Something.
They May Agree, But For Different Reasons.

David Hawpe

Ray Larson

David Hawpe, Louisville Courier-Journal Editorial Director, says open court will prevent what he calls a "public abuse."
(The following is excerpted from David Hawpe's column dated August 19, 2001.)

Ray Larson, Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney, believes that the public has a right to know who the dangerous criminals are, and what crimes they committed even if they are juveniles.

Much of the rest of the country has been moving toward a more open system of juvenile justice.

In Kentucky, we still have judges who threaten lawyers with criminal contempt for showing, after a case is closed, what happened to their juvenile clients in court - even though state law does not prohibit them from doing it.

Juvenile court was pioneered in Chicago, back in 1899, as a place for protection and redemption. It was supposed to be a "supermarket for social services."

But according to Stephan Oestreicher, Jr., writing in a recent issue of Vanderbilt Law Review, today's youth are faced with a very different court system.

Today, juvenile court can look and sound a lot like adult criminal court.

But in today's political climate, there's also broad public support for punishment and thus more need to ensure that juveniles aren't victimized by the justice system itself.

There is a body of opinion, developed by court observers and academics, that juvenile judges at best have been uneven in handling cases, and at worst have abused their discretion.

Even the Supreme Court. . . has recognized that closed proceedings and confidentiality rules may actually hurt youngsters.

The best way to stop a public abuse is to let the public see it, hear it or read about it.

Most Americans believe that the fundamental purpose of government is to do all that it can to guarantee the safety of its citizens.

Unfortunately, today, many of the most violent crimes are being committed by juvenile offenders.

At the very least, the public has a right to know who these dangerous individuals are, whether they are juveniles or not. Under the present juvenile justice system in Kentucky, juvenile courts remain confidential.

Most juveniles who are convicted in juvenile courts are probated and put back on our streets. The public has no way of knowing who they are.

The public's interest in living in a safe community requires that juvenile courts be open to the public so we can all know who amongst us is dangerous and we can be on our guard.

University Of Kentucky Law Professor John Rogers Nominated To Federal Court Of Appeals

John Rogers

Well-respected and popular U. K. Law School professor John Rogers has been nominated by President George W. Bush to the Federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Rogers, who teaches international and constitutional law courses, is "an excellent choice," said U.K. Law School Dean Allan Vestal. "John is extraordinarily knowledgeable and well-regarded by his colleagues and by lawyers across the Commonwealth."

Rogers graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University and magna cum laude from the University of Michigan law school. A member of the Kentucky and District of Columbia bars, he has been an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, a Fullbright senior lecturer in China, and a UK moot court adviser. He has been at U.K. since 1978.

LexingtonProsecutor.com Pleased To Assist Other Web Sites With Web Page Design

Lawreader.com, a defense oriented web site, is just the latest to benefit from our design assistance. We are happy to help.

Check it out:

LexingtonProsecutor.com	Lawreader.com

National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center Provides Technical Assistance To America's Prosecutors

Caren Harp, Director

The American Prosecutors Research Institute (APRI) established the National Juvenile Justice Prosecution Center. It provides training and technical assistance to America’s prosecutors in the rapidly changing area of juvenile law and prosecution.

According to Caren Harp, Director of the Center, they are already at work creating a mental health curriculum for case evaluation and trial advocacy issues, as well as a policy development program to provide prosecutors with new strategies to implement in their jurisdictions.

The Center is about to embark on an expanded role to continue to meet the evolving role of juvenile court prosecutors. Prosecutors constantly call on the Center for additional training in this highly technical area of the law.

The Center also plans to meet the needs of local prosecutors by:

Serving as a training and resource center for prosecutors;

Being a clearing house for already successful crime prevention programs;

Developing expertise in meeting defenses raised in the prosecution of violent juvenile defendants.

If you have questions, contact Caren Harp at juvenilejustice@ndaa-apri.org

Kentucky's Commonwealth's Attorneys Add Their Support To The Jessamine County Deputy Sheriffs Memorial Fund

Left to right, Dave Stengel, Joe Walker, and Tom Lockridge.

Dave Stengel, Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney and President of the Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association, and Jessamine County Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Lockridge presented a $500 contribution to Jessamine County Sheriff Joe Walker for the memorial fund to support the families of slain and injured Jessamine County Deputy Sheriffs.

On November 13, 2001, Jessamine County Sheriff’s Captain Chuck Morgan and Deputies Billy Ray Walls and Sammy Brown were attempting to serve papers when all three were shot. Billy Ray Walls died at the scene, Chuck Morgan died later, and Sammy Brown has subsequently been released from the hospital.

"Law enforcement officers face significant dangers everyday on behalf of the citizens they represent," said Stengel. "The very least that we can do is to support the families of all of these brave men."

"Cease Fire" Project Takes Aim At Criminals Who Commit Crimes With Guns
Gun violence targeted by state, federal and local prosecutors and law enforcement.

Rachelle Williams, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, Coordinator of the Cease Fire Project

The "Cease Fire" Project is a Federal, State, and Local collaborative project specifically aimed at reducing gun violence in Lexington. It began in June, 2001 and represents a commitment on the part of law enforcement agencies to aggressively enforce existing state and federal laws which govern the unlawful possession and/or use of guns.

The participating agencies are:

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney
Fayette County Attorney
Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms
Lexington Division of Police
Fayette County Sheriff

The Problem: Crimes involving guns account for an unacceptably large percentage of the violent crimes committed in Lexington in recent years.

From 1998 through 2000:

Over 70% of the murders in Lexington were committed with a gun;
Over 50% of the robberies involved guns;
Over 20% of the aggravated assaults involved firearms;
Over 300 guns are confiscated annually by Lexington Police which were either used in a crime or encountered during an arrest.

Since the Cease Fire Project was launched, a "work-group" was created. It meets twice a month and is made up of representatives of each of the participating agencies and discusses criminal cases involving gun violence which are currently under investigation or in the early stages of prosecution. The Work-Group determines whether state or local prosecution would achieve the most effective prosecution. It focuses on:

Serious crimes committed with guns;
The illegal possession of a gun, and
The possession of an illegal gun.

Progress to date: Since the Work-Group has begun to meet, 47 potential defendants in conjunction with 26 separate cases have been reviewed. In addition, the Office of the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney has opened 85 new cases involving guns which have been referred for felony prosecution.

The Work-Group meetings have become an important means of communication among the agencies, and has lead to more effective investigations and prosecutions of cases involving gun violence in Lexington.

Anti-Death Penalty Opponent Sister Helen Prejean Excused From Jury Duty In New Orleans Twice

Sister Helen Prejean

The Louisiana nun who wrote "Dead Man Walking," the best selling book made into a 1995 movie starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, got excused from jury duty twice in New Orleans.

Sister Helen Prejean, an outspoken critic of the death penalty and the criminal justice system, was excused because of her views.

In the first case, Prejean said she didn’t agree with a possible sentence of life in prison without parole. "Anybody can change," she said.

In the second case, Prejean said she could not send someone to prison only on the testimony of police.

Editor’s comment: It appears that the sister is not just against the death penalty, from her comments, she also appears to be anti-law enforcement. At least she’s up front about it.

Source: www.bergen.com/yourtime/peep17200012179.htm

Prosecutor's internet site draws strong reactions. Web surfers praise, assail tough talk on crime punishment.
by Joe Gerth, The Louisville Courier-Journal

Ray Larson, Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney

Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson's Web site has court and crime news, plus a message of support for capital punishment.

(Photo/Arza Barnett)

''It's an opinionated Web site.
I don't apologize for that,'' says Larson.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Fayette County Commonwealth's Attorney Ray Larson is taking his fight against crime to the world with a tough-talking Web site that supports victims and blisters wrongdoers and ''the anti-death penalty bunch.''

Larson's novel Internet site, complete with flames dancing around his ''Outrage of the Month'' and an animated ''Sharp Eye'' on justice, has drawn national attention for mixing court and crime news with strong pro-capital-punishment and anti-parole messages.

Far from the sites used by many prosecutors to offer routine information, www.lexingtonprosecutor.com -- billed as the ''Criminal Justice Weekly News: A Prosecutor's Perspective'' -- combines Larson's conservative views and offbeat sense of humor with a harsh tone toward people who commit crimes and anyone who advocates leniency.

''Kentuckians have never understood why the anti-death penalty bunch never mentions the victims of these killers, or what was done to them,'' Larson wrote in one piece. ''They refuse to acknowledge the horrible things done to innocent murder victims. . . . Somehow they want us to feel sorry for these vicious murderers.''

Larson, who is responsible for prosecuting all felonies in Lexington, isn't afraid to take on judges who do something he questions. Even Catholic nuns aren't spared.

''I have too much fun with it,'' said Larson, the local prosecutor since 1985. ''It's an opinionated Web site. I don't apologize for that.''

But the Rev. Patrick Delahanty, a Catholic priest who heads the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, said Larson largely uses the site to spread death-penalty misinformation -- such as citing only some results of polls and reporting studies that death-penalty opponents claim are biased and inaccurate. Delahanty thinks the Web site is a waste of public money.

Larson's electronic postings are so unusual that ''The Prosecutor,'' a publication of the National District Attorneys Association, wrote about the site in September.

Frank Winters, chief of police in Clayton, N.J., heads a victims' rights committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He was checking Internet sites kept by prosecutors to learn about programs for victims when he found Larson's postings. Now, he's a fan.

''I don't know that I've seen as much editorializing anywhere else,'' Winters said. ''At first, I thought it was just a supporter, but then I realized this is your prosecutor. . . . I just chuckled to myself. I'd be proud of being part of that law enforcement community.''

Larson, who won his last re-election without opposition, writes all the stories on the site, and he doesn't hesitate to inject his views.

Among other things, Larson believes most news reporters have little understanding of the criminal justice system and therefore present an inaccurate picture to readers. He'll point to what he considers questionable rulings by judges -- but so far, not those he argues cases before in Lexington.

The site recently posted an item about the shock probation granted to Patricia Vaughn, wife of the man who shot and killed Cumberland County Commonwealth's Attorney Fred Capps. She had pleaded guilty to facilitation to murder because she drove her husband part of the way to Capps' house, and was sentenced to four years in prison. The name of Circuit Judge James Weddle, who granted Vaughn's probation, appears in red, and the story notes that the Kentucky Parole Board had earlier denied parole for Vaughn.

''Regardless, Judge James Weddle still let her out of jail early on shock probation,'' Larson wrote.

In an interview, Larson said, ''I'm not going after the judge. He went after himself. . . . I'm just reporting what he did.''

Weddle said he hadn't seen the piece but would make a point to look it up.

''I've known Ray for a long time,'' the judge said. ''I like him but I can't say anything about that.''

Criticizing a judge's decision is within Larson's First Amendment rights and doesn't pose any ethical problem as long as the criticism isn't personal, said Kent Westberry, a Louisville lawyer who is vice president-elect of the Kentucky Bar Association.

Jennifer dean, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Ben Chandler, said many lawyers in Chandler's office often visit Larson's site and find it ''informative.''

Dean, who runs Chandler's Internet site, said she's trying to make it more exciting but doubts if she will model anything on Larson's. ''I don't think we'll be adding animated flames any time soon,'' she said.

Larson writes at night and on weekends. He said the site costs $39 a month, with the money coming from seized drug assets. He and his staff maintain it during their spare time.

''My son's away at school, and my wife is a teacher and she grades papers at night, so I have a lot of free time,'' he said.

Last year, after a group of nuns in Springfield, Ky., started a national campaign to ring church bells for two minutes on every day an execution is carried out in the United States, Larson went on the offensive.

''It's the same old anti-death penalty song, just another verse,'' he wrote. ''Once again, death penalty opponents are doing all they can to make martyrs out of convicted and condemned murderers. Just like all the rest, however, they express no concern whatsoever for the thousands of innocent victims these murderers chose to viciously kill.''

Then he offered a suggestion: ''Why not ring the bells for two minutes every time an innocent victim is executed by a murderer anywhere in the United States? The only problem is the bells may never stop ringing.''

Jo Ann Phillips, executive director of Kentuckians Voice for Crime Victims, checks Larson's site weekly.

''It's great,'' she said. ''There is so much information and it puts people in touch with . . . things a lot of people would never read.''

She said ''it just gives a whole new perspective to crime news.''

On the site, Larson cites polls and studies that support the death penalty and lists the people on Kentucky's death row, along with sometimes gruesome details about their crimes.

''Web-voters want child killers to face the death penalty,'' one entry says.

Delahanty, the head of the anti-death penalty group, said he quit reading the site after Larson blocked people from voting multiple times in his online polls. Delahanty and others sometimes voted numerous times to skew the results, prompting Larson to take them to task online.

Larson, in the interview, said he didn't think priests were supposed to ''cheat. . . . As a prosecutor, I assume that almost everyone plays by the rules, but Delahanty, it turns out, doesn't.''

Delahanty said rigging the surveys wasn't any more dishonest than Larson presenting them as accurate gauges of public opinion. He suggested that the money spent on the site would be better spent helping crime victims or on programs designed to keep children out of trouble.

Larson fired back: ''I could just as easily say his time could be better spent helping the same people he's talking about rather than going around chasing windmills.''

Larson has received responses -- positive and negative -- from readers worldwide.

One came from Denmark: ''Sorry, but your site, your opinions, the way you think makes me sick,'' wrote R.S.G., a member of an anti-death penalty group. ''Praise God, someday people like you will not be on the earth.''

To that, Larson responded in an editor's note: ''I guess we will have to put R.S.G. in the undecided column.''

Source: The Louisville Courier-Journal, December 10, 2001 Edition

Outstanding Achievement Recognized At Winter Prosecutors' Conference

The 2001 Winter Conference of Kentucky’s Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association was held in Lexington on December 4- 6. President George Moore of Mt. Sterling presided. It is an opportunity for Kentucky’s felony prosecutors to receive continuing education on issues facing the criminal justice system. It also serves as an occasion to recognize outstanding contributions to criminal justice by some of Kentucky’s Commonwealth’s Attorneys. Awards presented at this years conference were:

Carroll M. Redford Award -

Phil Patton received the 2001"Carroll M. Redford Award" which recognizes Kentucky’s Outstanding Prosecutor for the year. The award, named after long time Commonwealth’s Attorney Carroll M. Redford of Glasgow, recognizes that Commonwealth’s Attorney who,

"Best exemplifies the attributes of the ideal prosecutor in fulfilling the duties of his office and in recognition of his diligence and leadership as a public servant and private citizen."

Phil Patton

"Life-Time Achievement Award":

This award is presented periodically to deserving individuals who have spent a career assisting prosecutors and the prosecution of crimes in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is not awarded to a prosecutor.

Patty Arnold has served as the Director of the Prosecutor's Advisory Council since its inception in 1976 and has been called the "heart, soul and conscience of Kentucky's prosecutors." She will retire after 30 years of service.

Patty Arnold

President’s Award:

George Moore, President of the Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association, recognized three of Kentucky’s Commonwealth’s Attorneys by presenting them with The President’s Award.

The President’s Award recognizes:

"Outstanding service to the prosecutors of the Commonwealth for leadership; for promoting unity within the prosecutorial community; and for professional integrity as a prosecutor.

Recipients of the President’s Award for 2001 are:

	Steve Wilson	Bowling Green, Kentucky
	Gail Cook	Murray, Kentucky
	Richie Bottoms	Harrodsburg, Kentucky
	Ray Larson	Lexington, Kentucky

Fred Capps Memorial Scholarship Award:

Named in memory of Commonwealth's Attorney Fred Capps, who was murdered while he was in the course of his duties as Commonwealth's Attorney by a defendant who was to go on trial the following day. The recipient of this $500 annual scholarship is a law student from a four-county judicial circuit.

Angela Moon received the inaugural Fred Capps Memorial Scholarship in 2000 and was awarded the 2001 scholarship. She has just completed her second year at Chase Law School at Northern Kentucky University.

Angela Moon

More People In Prison, Less Crime On Our Streets
It makes sense to average Americans that putting more of the ad guys in prison would reduce the crime rate. That's what happened. The incarceration rate went up, and the crime rate went down. The "anti-punishment" elitists just wring their hands in despair over so many criminals in prison. They just don't get it! Punishment Works!