Three people were killed this morning in an Atlanta courtroom because an asshat judge didn’t want to shackle a violent criminal, lest it prejudice the jury. Well, he got what was coming to him.
You had an extremely dangerous accused rapist/kidnapper in your courtroom, but didn’t want to cuff him. As a result, you’re dead, and so is your court reporter and a deputy. Three senseless deaths that could have been easily prevented if you had just taken the commen sense step of restraining the defendant. I hope there weren’t young children in any of the deceaseds’ families. You fucking moron. How could you have been that stupid and naive?
As for Mr. Nichols, I just hope he doesn’t hurt anyone else before the cops fatally phlebotomize him with a rain of steaming lead.
Very few defendants are shackled in the courtroom at all, and most of those who are are unshackled before the jury makes its entrance. You are displaying some severe ignorance here, as well as being a fucking asshole.
Why aren’t you pitting the guard for performing his job so imcompetently as to allow a dangerous criminal to take his gun? Oh, because that doesn’t fit in with your attack on soft-on-criminals judges. Fucking asshole.
Why aren’t you pitting the criminal, the murderer? Because you’re a fucking asshole.
Most defendants don’t need restraining because most aren’t crazed violent sociopaths, This Year’s Model. This guy should have been in cuffs. I’ll plead guilty to the ignorance - perhaps you can explain the procedures used to determine whether a defendant should be restrained. If the prosecutor and defense didn’t make it clear to the judge that this guy was dangerous, then I’ll excuse him.
You’re right, the guard should get blame too. Maybe it isn’t the judge’s fault at all - it just looks like he could have prevented this from where I’m sitting. I did pit the criminal - he’s included at the bottom. I didn’t waste a lot of words on him because he’s scum. I expect nothing from scum, but I expect much more from a judge. There’s not a whole lot to say about Nichols, and what there is I already said: I hope the cops take him down swiftly and without further injury to anyone else.
On an aesthetic note, you might want to try expanding your repertoire of insults beyond “fucking asshole.”
I would also like to rescind and apologize for the “he got what was coming to him” remark. It was just something I typed in the heat of the moment. He certainly did not deserve to die for his (apparent) error.
I’ve been watching this on Fox and they say he took the female’sgun who was transporting him. They are also saying it prejudices the jury to cuff someone unlss they frea out in front of the jury. Also, they are trying to tie it to the judges family being shot last week as its a judge killing trend now. I’m sure they will find him. He’ll be cuffed next time.
True, which is why I referred to him as a defendant and an accused. I did call him a criminal once though. I assume this guy had a history. If not, mea culpa, but I think his criminality has been well established now.
Well, that’s what pushed my button. I’ll rescind my “fucking asshole” remarks.
As far as shackling a criminal defendant, there must be hearing that shows a compelling need to do so, and that lesser remedies will not work. There isn’t any evidence that anybody even asked that he be shackled. Obviously, if he is taken alive, I’d certainly expect that he’ll be shackled at his next trial. But remarks that the defendant was viewed as “very violent and unpredictable” do not by themselves demonstrate the need for shackling. It is so completely prejudicial that extremely good reason needs to be there. Presumably he made it through his first trial without it. Hindsight is always 20-20.
My pleasure. Did you notice that sodomy with a child over the age of ten is not ‘aggravated’? The minds of the Georgia legislators that wrote that are strange and scary places indeed.
I have heard it referred to as forced sodomy multiple times on the radio today. Part of the rape of his girlfriend.
Also, according to reports (and we all know how journalists issue sterling reports all the time in the heat of the moment), he has apparently tried multiple times to sneak weapons into court. So, not shackling was probably not a great idea. At the same time, grabbing a gun from a deputy isn’t exactly an everyday occurence.
I had just read that, and was coming in to update my attitude. There is absolutely no reason he could not have been shackled while in transit. My issues (and various courts’ issues) with shackling are when it occurs in the presence of the jury.
Since he has been in custody, and was being transferred from jail to court, he should have been shackled. I’m not sure this has anything to do with the judge, though - seems to me this would fall under police procedure.
