In this country an accused person is "Innocent until proven guilty" which I have typically agreed with. Ferret out the facts in court and prove one way or the other. Do innocent people go to prison sometimes? Yes they do. I believe with the advances in DNA testing and other methods of gathering evidence that the number of truly innocent people has declined in major cases such as murder. But here we are as a family, our funny, loving, handsome, precious little boy Joey died from horrific injuries to his body and head by the hands of a man who was supposed to love him and protect him. That man's family still insists it was a "tragic accident." When you listen to the doctors explain the extent of the injuries and that the story this monster presents could have in no way caused these extreme multiple injuries you know he is guilty. We knew he was guilty long before we stepped foot inside the courtroom for the preliminary hearing, we knew at the hospital that first moment the doctor's explained what they knew at that point. This was no accident. This was deliberate abuse on our precious Joey.
So now after several months of waiting for the bond motion to be filed it has finally come to pass. Since the death penalty is not being sought by the prosecution the monster has a right to bond. That's how our judicial system works. While so many people are outraged at this notion it is the law. On Monday we appeared in court to listen to the defense lawyer present his case for bond and what he thought that bond should be. Let's just say that he asked for a bond that is significantly lower than the bond that was placed when his client was first arrested on Felony Injury to a Child (the charges were of course changed to 1st Degree Murder after Joey was declared deceased and that bond was no longer in place). The defense attorney tried to use the fact that his client was Security Forces with the US Air Force and stationed at Mountain Home, that he had never been in trouble with the law, that his mother moved here from Texas and has "permanent" housing, etc. The prosecutor on the other hand gave information to the judge that the US Air Force discharged him from their service last week (less than honorable), that he is still a Texas resident and that his mother's "permanent" housing is not really that permanent (I won't go into detail of that but let me just say I had to chuckle when I heard what this "permanent" housing is) and that while he has nothing on record for conviction there was another case against him in 2012 that was ended in a conditional dropping of the charges. After all was said and done he was given a 1.5 million dollar bond, if he bonds out he will wear a GPS tracking device, a No Contact Order was placed and the other normal bond requirements.
Like I said before, several people are outraged that he got a bond set, but that's the law. I just wish that people would understand what bond is (he's not walking away free) and understand from my daughter's perspective how incredibly frightening this is. The only comfort I take in the possibility of him getting out on bond until trial is that nearly every officer in Mountain Home knows my daughter (either through family friendships or because of Joey's death) and that there is a certain group of people whom I know will protect her and my grandson, but it still scares the daylights out of me. My hope and prayer is that they won't be able to come up with the needed money to secure a contract with a bail bondsman. So for now we sit and wait to see if that phone call comes letting us know if he is bonding out. It feels as if this nightmare will never end.
Grandma Kathy
So now after several months of waiting for the bond motion to be filed it has finally come to pass. Since the death penalty is not being sought by the prosecution the monster has a right to bond. That's how our judicial system works. While so many people are outraged at this notion it is the law. On Monday we appeared in court to listen to the defense lawyer present his case for bond and what he thought that bond should be. Let's just say that he asked for a bond that is significantly lower than the bond that was placed when his client was first arrested on Felony Injury to a Child (the charges were of course changed to 1st Degree Murder after Joey was declared deceased and that bond was no longer in place). The defense attorney tried to use the fact that his client was Security Forces with the US Air Force and stationed at Mountain Home, that he had never been in trouble with the law, that his mother moved here from Texas and has "permanent" housing, etc. The prosecutor on the other hand gave information to the judge that the US Air Force discharged him from their service last week (less than honorable), that he is still a Texas resident and that his mother's "permanent" housing is not really that permanent (I won't go into detail of that but let me just say I had to chuckle when I heard what this "permanent" housing is) and that while he has nothing on record for conviction there was another case against him in 2012 that was ended in a conditional dropping of the charges. After all was said and done he was given a 1.5 million dollar bond, if he bonds out he will wear a GPS tracking device, a No Contact Order was placed and the other normal bond requirements.
Like I said before, several people are outraged that he got a bond set, but that's the law. I just wish that people would understand what bond is (he's not walking away free) and understand from my daughter's perspective how incredibly frightening this is. The only comfort I take in the possibility of him getting out on bond until trial is that nearly every officer in Mountain Home knows my daughter (either through family friendships or because of Joey's death) and that there is a certain group of people whom I know will protect her and my grandson, but it still scares the daylights out of me. My hope and prayer is that they won't be able to come up with the needed money to secure a contract with a bail bondsman. So for now we sit and wait to see if that phone call comes letting us know if he is bonding out. It feels as if this nightmare will never end.
Grandma Kathy