UVA student missing

[Anonymous]

Are those of you with college-aged/high-school-aged daughters going to show the videos to your kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former public defender here . . . lawyer's don't "get people off." If they are acquitted, its by a jury because the government didn't prove its case. As it should be. If you are going to lock someone up you had better prove in court that they did it. And they had better have someone arguing their case for them, since they are up against the government with all its resources.

The system wouldn't work without defense lawyers. if they all went on strike, we would have no criminal justice system. if you want a strong and fair system, you support a vigorous defense.

I understand the system. But I don't understand how as a human being you can defend someone that you KNOW committed a heinous crime. If they went out and did it again I would feel personally responsible and could not live with myself. This is off topic though, sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they reveal the forensics report? Do they need to release it at any point? I wonder with the timing of everything that it's just a tactic to get him to talk? Pretending that they have something on him to get him to share more details? Even if they can't really prove it.

I am not defending or supporting him, but it just seems odd how this is all being played out. And yes, too many L&O episodes.

Definitely too many L&O episodes. The police would rarely release forensics or indeed any valuable evidence at this point--they haven't even had a proper interrogation of the suspect and the collection of forensic evidence is far from complete without Hannah. There is an obligation to provide certain evidence to his counsel privately once this moves towards trial (if it ever does); otherwise, some evidence made not be made "public" other than as part of the prosecution's case at trial.

So they could be bluffing - or even blatantly lying to him - that they have evidence against him in order to pressure him to talk?

How do you get that from what I wrote? Put it this way, they do have to have real evidence to get the warrants (search and arrest) issued -- no lying to the judge.

[Anonymous]

I think he did it and I think he may be implicated in the Harrington case and Fairfax rape case, as well. There, I've said it.

[Anonymous]

Apparently Matthew was kicked out of Liberty University after a rape allegation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767276/Jesse-Matthew-charged-abduction-Hannah-Graham-expelled-Liberty-University-girl-claimed-raped-campus.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are those of you with college-aged/high-school-aged daughters going to show the videos to your kids?

Yes.

Recently the ex-president of GW University was on the radio discussing campus sexual assault. He also made the point that students need to get a handle on binge drinking. He said that excessive alcohol consumption makes it hard for female students sometimes to object and defend themselves against predatory sexual behavior. Of course, he was pilloried for "blaming the victim." But I think the sad facts of the UVa student's case show that the college president's words are wise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they reveal the forensics report? Do they need to release it at any point? I wonder with the timing of everything that it's just a tactic to get him to talk? Pretending that they have something on him to get him to share more details? Even if they can't really prove it.

I am not defending or supporting him, but it just seems odd how this is all being played out. And yes, too many L&O episodes.

Definitely too many L&O episodes. The police would rarely release forensics or indeed any valuable evidence at this point--they haven't even had a proper interrogation of the suspect and the collection of forensic evidence is far from complete without Hannah. There is an obligation to provide certain evidence to his counsel privately once this moves towards trial (if it ever does); otherwise, some evidence made not be made "public" other than as part of the prosecution's case at trial.

So they could be bluffing - or even blatantly lying to him - that they have evidence against him in order to pressure him to talk?

No, they aren't bluffing. They have probably cause to believe he committed a crime. And I doubt they have any expectation that he will talk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently Matthew was kicked out of Liberty University after a rape allegation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767276/Jesse-Matthew-charged-abduction-Hannah-Graham-expelled-Liberty-University-girl-claimed-raped-campus.html

There was not enough evidence to press a criminal rape charge but enough evidence for Liberty to kick him off the football team and remove him from the university.

That makes you feel better when you consider he later was driving a cab for a while and then moving patients under anesthetic around a hospital.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently Matthew was kicked out of Liberty University after a rape allegation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767276/Jesse-Matthew-charged-abduction-Hannah-Graham-expelled-Liberty-University-girl-claimed-raped-campus.html

And the victim ended up in the hospital with injuries.

[Anonymous]

I am the OP who started this thread. Sorry for the initial misspelling of the word missing. I have college-aged kids both in Virginia schools. I have watched the conversation on this thread morph over the last two weeks and it's been really interesting. I think one thing that really bothers me is the lack of conversation around how friends should take care of friends. Somebody earlier asked if we would be showing the videos to our kids. The answer to that for me is absolutely. But, they have likely already watched.. The bigger conversation is around being responsible for your friends. Figure out a way to make sure everyone comes home safely. Because honestly we're not going to change college kids' behavior on this thread. The best thing we can do is work to protect and educate our kids. You know there is a group of young women and men who will never forget what they did or didn't do to protect Hannah the night she disappeared. Ditto for other college disappearances and murders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently Matthew was kicked out of Liberty University after a rape allegation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767276/Jesse-Matthew-charged-abduction-Hannah-Graham-expelled-Liberty-University-girl-claimed-raped-campus.html

There was not enough evidence to press a criminal rape charge but enough evidence for Liberty to kick him off the football team and remove him from the university.

That makes you feel better when you consider he later was driving a cab for a while and then moving patients under anesthetic around a hospital.

Yeah, I've been thinking about those jobs too. I was especially surprised that he was able to get hired at the hospital with what news reports are saying is a pretty lengthy rap sheet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apparently Matthew was kicked out of Liberty University after a rape allegation.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2767276/Jesse-Matthew-charged-abduction-Hannah-Graham-expelled-Liberty-University-girl-claimed-raped-campus.html

There was not enough evidence to press a criminal rape charge but enough evidence for Liberty to kick him off the football team and remove him from the university.

That makes you feel better when you consider he later was driving a cab for a while and then moving patients under anesthetic around a hospital.

Yeah, I've been thinking about those jobs too. I was especially surprised that he was able to get hired at the hospital with what news reports are saying is a pretty lengthy rap sheet.

really? I thought it was just trespassing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Former public defender here . . . lawyer's don't "get people off." If they are acquitted, its by a jury because the government didn't prove its case. As it should be. If you are going to lock someone up you had better prove in court that they did it. And they had better have someone arguing their case for them, since they are up against the government with all its resources.

The system wouldn't work without defense lawyers. if they all went on strike, we would have no criminal justice system. if you want a strong and fair system, you support a vigorous defense.

I understand the system. But I don't understand how as a human being you can defend someone that you KNOW committed a heinous crime. If they went out and did it again I would feel personally responsible and could not live with myself. This is off topic though, sorry.

NP here. I was wondering whether after the acquittal you'd ever confess to anyone in a private conversation that you had your doubts about the innocence of the defendant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are those of you with college-aged/high-school-aged daughters going to show the videos to your kids?

I have a HS aged son and he's a little young, yet...

But, yes, I'm going to show him the videos and talk to him about Hannah and some of the other people seen in those videos..

[Anonymous]

There are many defense attorney in criminal cases who never ask the defendant whether he/she committed the crime. They cannot ethically be aware of some fact and then let the defendant lie about it in court.

Our system of justice requires a defendant to be afforded counsel against the government that often has a lot more in the way of resources. Many defendants, including innocent people, don't receive competent representation especially when they have to rely on public defenders - not a knock on public defenders because they are often over-burdened with very limited resources.