BOOM goes the dynamite: Mother of alleged victim in Maryville case releases secret recording

[Are_grits_groceries]

Secret recordings made by the mother of an alleged victim in the Maryville, Mo., sexual assault case now headed to a special prosecutor seem to confirm her claims that she cooperated with authorities through the time when felony charges were dropped.
<snip>
Much more:http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/17/4559823/mother-of-alleged-victim-in-maryville.html

Well, well, well......
She knew how rotten they were.

[deminks]

1. From the article (BINGO)

(snip)

About two months after the alleged assault, Rice dismissed the felony charges against Barnett and Zech, claiming a lack of evidence and additional information brought to his attention about the encounter.

Coleman maintained that a friend with local political ties told her a week earlier that favors were being called in and that the charges would be dropped.

Rice has denied any political influence on his decision.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/17/4559823/mother-of-alleged-victim-in-maryville.html#storylink=cpy


I know, laws are for the little people.

[Doctor_J]

3. More like RICO

I love the smell of corruption in the AM

[riderinthestorm]

2. That the girls and their parents were willing to go public

Told me the sheriff and DA were lying that the girls/parents wouldn't testify or cooperate.

If they were willing to go on national tv with their story using their real names, they were willing to take their case all the way to justice.

[jsr]

4. Exactly.

[TorchTheWitch]

21. The sheriff? He and his dept. did everything right

And he's glad that a special prosecutor is coming in now. This was the prosecutor's doing. They brought him a good case they did a good job investigating, and Rice dropped it because of political ties.

I just read an article from the Star where the sheriff is named and gives that opinion, and now I can't find it again. It was right at the end of that article.

[groundloop]

5. I wonder about this one little bit in the linked article ..... didn't return to sign a transcript

Coleman told The Star earlier this week that she and her daughter participated in a July deposition with Rice and defense lawyer Robert Sundell.

She said she did not return to sign the transcripts. Soon afterward, Rice dropped the final charge in the case, the misdemeanor.


It seems like a small detail, but if she needed to sign transcripts from a deposition and didn't I'd think that could be a problem.

[joeglow3]

6. I doubt any statutes have lapsed.

What is the problem?

[groundloop]

7. I suppose I should have posed that as a question....

Is it significant that she didn't return to sign the transcripts?

If nothing else, not coming back to sign transcripts (if indeed that's a requirement to prosecute someone) could be seen as not cooperating (and therefore giving cover to the prosecutor in this case).

[gvstn]

8. Depositions are intimidating

It is you against people that interrogate for a living. They have a plan going in to get you to say something that they can use later. My feeling is that the deposition was hostile and she was frustrated.

Depositions are usually videotaped so there is a record of what was said along with the stenographer's account. Plus all the wheels of justice grind at whatever pace the lawyers decide. They can put off/cancel a deposition for months at a time and then suddenly say you have 5 days to sign some affidavit like their arbitrary timetable is written in stone. This is why people with good defense lawyers get off scott free because they don't play this game.

The prosecutor is working technicalities here, as it is clear this family wanted a prosecution for rape. I think he will find that it won't work when a strong light is shone on his actions. Clearly there was statutory rape (girl was 13--age of consent 14), underage drinking and not possible to consent when intoxicated--all illegal according to laws on the books in that state. All could have been prosecuted with or without the girl's testimony. To go from 2 felonies to nothing at all says political favors. I'm sure actions of the girl and her family gave the authorities some amount of cover but they still let too much slide considering the hospital exam and video evidence (which they say they never found but her brother says was passed around school--this should be investigated and confirmed or debunked).

[perdita9]

10. Thanks for the explanation

I don't know much about the legal system so I always appreciate it when someone explains how it works.

[alfredo]

11. Would she be able to read the transcripts before signing?

[gvstn]

13. I'm not really sure.

I think the signing just states that you told the truth. Depositions are under oath and are really equal to testimony in court. They should send you a copy of a deposition after it is transcribed but I only know from civil case not criminal but I don't remember reading a deposition and then having to sign that it was true. So I think the signing may be done when the deposition takes place. But if you found an error in the transcript you could ask that it be changed.

[alfredo]

16. That could be a reason why she didn't sign.

[okaawhatever]

14. I read, or heard that infuriating defense attorney, say that since the boy was also a minor,

statutory rape didn't apply. I didn't follow up on the boys age, though.

Once they dropped the rape charges, the woman had nothing to gain by signing those. She was probably too worried about getting out of town to go back, but I do have this question. If she signed them, in the cold light of day, wouldn't that have held her to a higher standard if she made a mistake than testimony given while still reeling from the incident? I'm wondering if someone was worried the accused could file a lawsuit for slander or something. I also wonder if they wouldn't have used some small inconsistencies against her?

[gvstn]

15. It is definitely a higher standard

And yes that is what they want to do is find small inconsistencies and use them against you. Any lawyer will tell you to say as little as possible during a deposition. Answer the question and only the question, do not elaborate or give any more information than absolutely necessary. It is very hard to do exactly that because most people want to tell the truth and the whole truth but that is not really what is in your best interest after the lawyers on the other side get through parsing your words.

She was probably in there with no lawyer against a prosecutor(s) that didn't want to prosecute and I'm sure there was a lot of legalese used to intimidate her and make her second guess herself.

It is the way the prosecutor says she refused to sign the deposition and I can show the transcript where that happened. That is probably true but he is playing with the facts when he neglects to mention that she thought about it overnight and called his office to come in and sign and he never got back to her. He is doing exactly what lawyers do, pick and choose which facts back up his case, and conveniently ignore the ones that don't.

The fact that both the Sheriff and the Prosecutor both went on tv the same day with that same talking point says to me that that is how they similarly bullied her earlier. She comes out the next day and explains she hesitated because the charge had been so reduced but did call his office to come in and sign and he ignored her. I believe her. The prosecutor later said he didn't "recall" her calling his office and he would have to look into that. Ugh.

[perdita9]

9. If true, the prosecutor deserves to lose her job

She has exhibited behavior which deems her unfit for public service.

[Doctor_J]

18. If by "lose her job", you mean go to prison, then I agree

[TorchTheWitch]

22. the prosecutor is a him

Robert Rice. A special prosecutor is being chosen by a Democratic judge though he hasn't chosen one yet.

And yes, he should lose his job and then some.

[Berlum]

12. Authorities infested with Republicon "Family Values"

Disgustipating.

[malaise]

17. Technology is catching a lot of scumbags

these days. The more recordings and cameras - the less they can lie. Exccellent!

[SamYeager]

19. Kicked and recommended. n/t

[fadedrose]

20. Kitty

I tried to use your messy kitty as a screensaver, but had luck only in getting it on the desktop, either centered or wallpapered with 50 kitties or so all spilling milk on my computer desk.

How would I go about setting it as a screensaver?