Anonymous wrote:It's been a long time since I read up on this incident, so I may have my facts wrong. Didn't the kids say this man had been harassing them, and specifically, harassing some of the girls in the group? Or was this disproven already?
Anonymous wrote:I’ve been following and hope he gets off. The behavior of the teens was and it was reasonable that he was scared. I’m sorry the kid died and sorry that some of the others are clearly traumatized but I also hope they’ve spent some time thinking about their own culpability. Did the case go to the jury today?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I’ve watched much of the trial and am anxious for the verdict. I’m a former prosecutor and defense attorney so I bring that experience.
Miu really messed up lying to the police - I think he’s just a scared person who was afraid of the consequences but I also think he was legitimately scared of that ‘pack of wolves’ that surrounded him - a group of very intoxicated teenagers taking on a guy who is overweight, out of shape and only a year or two since he’d had open heart surgery. He described having tunnel vision and not being able to really hear what was being said to him but just being fearful for his life after they pushed him into the water twice and he fell back into the river rocks.
They shouldn’t have confronted him, and he shouldn’t have been expected to go away just because they demanded he go - the river doesn’t belong to them.
Having done criminal law for some years, I know that people act all sorts of ways and even good people can lie under the pressure of an aberrant situation. I think his lifelong good character and zero history of violence or any criminality should weigh in his favor but it will be interesting to see what the jury decides - most of them are in his age group so that may influence their decision.
I’m his age and I just spent several weeks working with kids at a youth development program and I quit after seeing some students physically assault a staff member- I didn’t want to wait for my turn. I hate to say ‘kids these days,’ but a lot of kids are feral these days and you add a lot of intoxicants and the mob mentality, that is a recipe for disaster.
I think he was truly scared. I don’t think he intended to kill anyone and was truly trying to get them to back off. It’s too bad he didn’t know better than to speak to the police and that he lied, most likely out of fear.
Those "intoxicants" are medication.
Anonymous wrote:Corey Chirafisi, the lead defense for Miu, knocked it out of the park with his closing argument. I’ve seen many trials in my time as a defender and prosecutor, and watched many trials all around the country on Court TV over the years - this was one of the best closings I’ve ever seen. Miu got his money’s worth, whatever the outcome - but I really think the jury will acquit.
Anonymous wrote:I’ve watched much of the trial and am anxious for the verdict. I’m a former prosecutor and defense attorney so I bring that experience.
Miu really messed up lying to the police - I think he’s just a scared person who was afraid of the consequences but I also think he was legitimately scared of that ‘pack of wolves’ that surrounded him - a group of very intoxicated teenagers taking on a guy who is overweight, out of shape and only a year or two since he’d had open heart surgery. He described having tunnel vision and not being able to really hear what was being said to him but just being fearful for his life after they pushed him into the water twice and he fell back into the river rocks.
They shouldn’t have confronted him, and he shouldn’t have been expected to go away just because they demanded he go - the river doesn’t belong to them.
Having done criminal law for some years, I know that people act all sorts of ways and even good people can lie under the pressure of an aberrant situation. I think his lifelong good character and zero history of violence or any criminality should weigh in his favor but it will be interesting to see what the jury decides - most of them are in his age group so that may influence their decision.
I’m his age and I just spent several weeks working with kids at a youth development program and I quit after seeing some students physically assault a staff member- I didn’t want to wait for my turn. I hate to say ‘kids these days,’ but a lot of kids are feral these days and you add a lot of intoxicants and the mob mentality, that is a recipe for disaster.
I think he was truly scared. I don’t think he intended to kill anyone and was truly trying to get them to back off. It’s too bad he didn’t know better than to speak to the police and that he lied, most likely out of fear.
Anonymous wrote:Anyone following this trial?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:You leave. You leave and you call the police. He had time to leave and call the police. At the end of the day, it was a cell phone. Leave it. You can get a new cell phone; you can’t get back a dead teen, or your ruined life.
You leave and you call the police.
It’s like we tell our kids: you don’t fight, you don’t hit, you don’t get violent, you walk away and ask for help.
He was under no obligation to leave. He wanted to keep looking for the phone. They didn’t have to surround him, continue to harrass him, and start a physical altercation first.
Never said they were justified in doing what they did. What I did say was—in any escalating, dangerous situation—YOU LEAVE. And he had the opportunity to do so. Now a teen is dead, and he will go to jail for life or will have some other significant sentence. He will be separated from his family. He will pay exorbitant legal fees. He will think about this every day for the rest of his life. And a teen is dead. If that was your teenage son or daughter, would you have wanted this guy to “stand his ground”? You walk away. Period.
You leave? Is that what the police are supposed to do? back down anytime they are challenged or attacked? Thought not.
Let me tell you something to share with any of you who have stupid kids like this. I conceal carry and will absolutely end their lives if they threaten or attack me or a member of my party. That's called real life. I defend myself. I don't rely on others.
Looking forward to seeing your sketchy mugshot on the Fox5 website someday! Enjoy your time in jail. Your “concealed carry” won’t help you when Big Rick and the boys sniff around the fresh meat.![]()