"The Anti-Death Penalty Vandals Strike Again With Smear Brush!"

LawReader.com says:

• "The anti-death penalty vandals are a real problem for the Dept. of Public Advocacy."
• "The anti-death penalty vandals once again are willing to sacrifice the best interest of their clients for an opportunity to attack the death penalty."

LawReader.com also says of DPA's Anti-Death Penalty Vandals: 

• "They are "a cadre of true believers. . .who are willing to sink DPA, sacrifice their own client, and trash the whole judicial system and anyone who stands in their way."
• "They have a paranoid bunker mentality and they smear anyone who had anything to do with a conviction. . ."
• "They even attack their own trial lawyers."

THE ANTI-DEATH APPEAL VANDALS 
STRIKE AGAIN WITH SMEAR BRUSH! 

Public Advocate Daniel Goyette of Louisville continues to demonstrate a scorched earth policy of smear and slander in the media, by his attacks against Retired Judge Ray Lape and former Commonwealth’s Attorney Don Buring.  In an article in the Kentucky Post, Goyette is reported to have filed a motion seeking the removal of the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office from further representation in the Gregory Wilson death sentence appeal.  He also accuses Judge Lape and Buring of “prosecutorial and judicial misconduct”. Who does he want to replace the Attorney General’s Appellate Division, Kenneth Starr? 

Let’s review this a bit.  Judge Lape busted his judicial buns trying to get someone to Represent Gregory Wilson.  He posted notices in the court house and called on volunteers after the Dept. of Public Advocacy  conveniently sacrificed Wilson’s defense in what we all know was an effort to politically extort more funding from Kenton County and the State.  Dennis Alerding and Deanna Dennison finally stepped in and subjected themselves to the public abuse that everyone knows comes from the Anti-Death Appeal Vandals of the Dept. of Public Advocacy.   They did a great job, and the whole bar owes them a depth of gratitude for their hard work.   But the Anti-Depth Penalty Vandals once again are willing to sacrifice the best interest of their clients for an opportunity to attack the death penalty.   LawReader wants to know where was the Dept. of Public Advocacy when all the heavy lifting was being done in actually trying this case? 

LawReader is tired of their practice of wresting the appeals process away from the trial attorney, and then using the press to try to gain an advantage in their appeal by slandering the trial lawyer, the prosecutor and the judge. The next time we get another taxpayer mailed newsletter from the Dept. of Public Advocacy asking us all to support their efforts for more funding so they can slander even more trial attorneys and judges, we will be sorely tempted to do something creative with it!

LawReader doesn’t like the death penalty a whole lot either, but as long as it is the law of the land, it is the job of all attorneys and judges to uphold the law. Ray Lape conducted a fair trial, and Buring did what prosecutors do.  We can’t see how it benefits Gregory Wilson to advance a defense that Brenda Humphrey  was sexually involved with a judge who had nothing to do with the trial. Let’s see, since a witness was trying to curry favor from a judge who had nothing to do with her case, she was therefore conclusively encouraged to lie against Gregory Wilson?   Is this the first time that Goyette ever heard of  the jury being the one to judge witness credibility?   And is it suggested that Alerding and Dennison failed to attack her credibility?  That’s a stretch, everyone knows that Deanna Dennison is like a chain saw on cross-examination, and Alerding certainly knows his way around the court-room..  So okay,  the credibility issue is a theory, weak but a theory, but why drag Lape and Buring into this mess?   The Anti-Death Appeal Vandals just can’t pass up an opportunity to burn down the court house in their maniacal effort to repeal the death penalty.  Are they just using Wilson as a pawn to attack the death penalty?  Is an attack on a respected judge and prosecutor really going to shame the Supreme Court into granting Wilson a new trial?  LawReader suggests they focus on the Legislature that passed the death penalty law…but wait…. isn’t that the body that writes their pay checks ?

Ray Lape accommodated the witness by allowing her to share a bathroom other than the one Gregory Wilson used.   She was accompanied at all times by a court bailiff…as she was in custody at the time.  Judge Gilliece’s  office was adjacent to Judge Lape’s office and the public restrooms are not the most secure place to take prisoners during a murder trial (…every hear of angry family members?) Any decision made to separate Brenda Humphrey from the man she was testifying against is certainly not “judicial misconduct”. How would it had been better if Lape had forced her to share a restroom with Wilson?.

If  Judge Gilliece, who is now dead, got some strange on the side, with the assistance of a bailiff who is now dead, and a jailer who is now dead, what does this have to do with Judge Ray Lape?   Unless Goyette has some real evidence, we wish he would stop smearing a judge who did his job in an exemplary manner.   He claims that Buring admitted knowing about the sexual liason between Gilliece and Humphrey, and Buring denies this. Classic “he said - she said” speculation.  So we ask where is Gouyette’s evidence? Instead of offering evidence, he merely smears by asking for an investigation.

We are familiar with the old political trick of “asking for an investigation when you have no real evidence”.  This makes for great press and spares you of having to really prove anything.  The game appears to be “slander first, and then the facts aren’t all that important”.  Let’s face it, the only thing Goyette has is against the three dead people involved, who are no longer able to defend themselves. Consequently, he lashes out at Buring and Lape, and of course he gives no credibility to their denials of any knowledge of Judge Gilliece’s sex life.   Make no mistake about it, when Judge Ray Lape says he knew nothing of a relationship between Gilliece and Humphrey, he is telling the truth!  

The Anti-Death Appeal Vandals are a real problem for the Dept. of Public Advocacy.  DPA has struggled to obtain funding from the legislature, and their trial lawyer division is by and large made up of hard working, dedicated people who do a lot of good. When the trial lawyer division was separated from the appeals process, a cadre of true believers was created, who are willing to sink DPA, sacrifice their own client, and trash the whole judicial system and anyone who stands in their way.   They have a paranoid bunker mentality and they smear anyone who had anything to do with a conviction….they even attack their own trial lawyers!. Who polices these people?  Where is the KBA and their duty to uphold the integrity of the Bar? We know there are cooler heads at DPA….when will they speak up?