#Gun Crimes Attorney in Sacramento

[stevewhitworth]

Protecting Your Rights: Why You Need a Skilled Gun Crime Lawyer

Nothing can evoke a sense of dread faster than facing a gun-related charge. Suddenly, the freedoms you have been constitutionally granted hang precariously in the balance, and your future teeters on the edge of uncertainty. A beacon of hope arises amid the chaos – a team of seasoned gun crime lawyers.

An essential component of our judicial system, these specialists grapple with the labyrinthine nature of firearm legislation on a daily basis. Navigating the contours of both federal and state gun laws, they ensure that you are not treated as a statistic but as a human deserving of just and fair legal representation. Understanding the crux of these laws is the first step in appreciating the value of a skilled gun crime lawyer.

Federal vs. State Laws: A Chess Game of Gun Regulations

Federal laws such as the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 primarily govern firearm regulation in the US. They lay down the rules for manufacturing, selling, transferring, possessing, and transporting firearms and ammunition. However, states have leeway to impose additional restrictions, often leading to a wide divergence in gun laws from one state to another.

For instance, states like California and New York impose extra limitations on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, while Arizona and Alaska maintain more lenient policies. This stark variance underscores the importance of having a proficient gun crime lawyer who is well-versed with state-specific regulations, as they can significantly influence the defense strategy.

Unraveling Gun Charges: Understanding the Scope and Severity

Gun crimes range from relatively minor offenses like illegally possessing a firearm to more severe charges like committing a violent felony offense with a firearm. Some of the most commonly encountered gun crime charges include:

•    Unlawful possession of a firearm •    Illegal sale or distribution of firearms •    Carrying a concealed weapon without a permit •    Use of a gun in the commission of a crime •    Unlawful discharge of a firearm

The severity of these offenses and the associated penalties makes it imperative to have qualified gun crime lawyers in your corner as soon as you face any gun-related charges.

The Unseen Warrior: What Does a Gun Crime Lawyer Do?

At this point, you might be asking yourself: what precisely does a gun crime lawyer do? They're much more than legal jargon-spouting professionals! A gun crime lawyer is a specialized defense attorney equipped with a profound understanding of state and federal gun laws. Their role involves interpreting these complex laws, preparing legal documents, and representing their clients in court.

Their prime objective is to challenge the prosecution's evidence, aim for reduced sentences or dismissed charges, and negotiate plea deals when appropriate. If, for instance, you're accused of possessing a firearm unlawfully, a gun crime lawyer would devise a defense strategy tailored to the specifics of your case, the applicable laws, and similar precedents.

Connect with Us Today

Are you in need of a legal defense against a gun crime charge? Invest in your future by investing in competent legal representation. Look no further than the Law Office of Steve Whitworth for aggressive, reasonably priced criminal defense and family law representation.

Contact us today and ensure your gun rights are fiercely protected. You are not alone in this fight.

[michaelcosio]

Ofc. JARED E. ROBINET 0520 - @SacramentoPoliceDepartment1849

Aug 2, 2022

STORY:

Officer JARED E. ROBINET, 0520 is one of two Sacramento Police officers who shot & killed 22 year old Stephon Clark & then denied him any first aid because they claimed he had a gun.

Later they said he didn't actually have a gun, but a crowbar…THEN they finally admitted that it wasn't a gun, or a crowbar, but HIS WHITE COLORED CELLPHONE.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the two officers took the time to ask how the other was doing. “Are you hit?” one asked. “No, I’m good,” the other responded…as Clark lay motionless on his grandmother’s patio.

The Officers next concern was to reload their guns, even though they had already fired a total of 20 shots, and could visibly see Stephon was motionless down on the ground.

Police officers continued to shout at Clark’s lifeless body that they would not administer aid to him until he “got rid of his weapon.” (his white colored cell phone)

The officers did not attempt to render any medical aid, and when they did approach Stephon, they put him in handcuffs while he continued to bleed out laying face down on the ground.

Once the shooting scene was secured, Officers TERRENCE MERCADAL & JARED ROBINET were released from further duties at the crime scene and their body worn cameras were muted. Several officers approached ROBINET & MERCADAL while at the scene but these conversations were not fully captured because THE OFFICERS MUTED THEIR MICROPHONES AT VARIOUS POINTS.

After the shooting, it was found that some of the 20 bullets that were shot at Stephon, went through the walls and almost hit his little sister who was inside their grandmother's house.

Both Officers were put on PAID administrative leave and eventually allowed to return to work for the same Department, in the same neighborhoods.

The Sacramento County District Attorney refused to press charges against the officers, claiming they did not break the law.

Both officers were eventually cleared to return to work, and Officer TERRENCE MERCADAL and Officer JARED ROBINET are still currently working with the Sacramento Police Department, patrolling the same neighborhoods, showing absolutely no remorse for the life he took.

Both officers involved haven't so much as even issued an apology to the Clark Family.

Contact the Sacramento Police Department today and voice your concerns about these K I L L E R C O P S they continue to let patrol our streets.

Tell them we want these M U R D E R E R S out of our communities!

Contact the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office and voice your concerns about her incompetent lack of action in this case.

Tell them WE WANT JUSTICE FOR STEPHON CLARK.

We want Officers JARED ROBINET and TERRENCE MERCADAL to be charged for the wrongful death of Stephon Clark, and let a jury or their peers decide.

#firejaredrobinet

#fireterrencemercadal

#justiceforstephonclark

Contact the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County District Attorney and voice your concerns. Make sure to blast this video all over their social media accounts too.

SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Phone: (916) 808-0800

Facebook:

/ sacramentopolicedepartment

Twitter:

/ sacpolice

SACRAMENTO COUNTY DA:

Phone: (916) 874-6218

Facebook:

/ saccountyda

Twitter:

/ saccountyda

[mystlnewsonline]

CA Attorney General Announces the Arrest of 62 in Hanford

The California Attorney General announced the arrest of 62 and the seizure of 34 illicit firearms and narcotics. HANFORD, CA (STL.News) California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Hanford Police Department Chief Parker Sever, Kings County Sheriff David Robinson, and Kings County District Attorney Sarah Hacker today announced 62 arrests and the seizure of 34 illicit firearms and narcotics as part of a multiagency investigation, with a large-scale operation culminating today in Hanford.  The operation, known as Operation Moovin’ Out, targeted members of a criminal street gang linked to criminal activity, including murder, shootings, human trafficking, fraud, and the sale of narcotics.  As a direct result of the investigation, three previously unsolved cases of homicide and two shootings have been solved.  Additionally, over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized a pipe bomb, 34 guns of various makes and models — including 4 ghost guns and a semi-automatic handgun that was converted to full-auto — as well as over 1,400 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine and 100 Norco pills.  The joint law enforcement effort culminated in the operation today, with agents executing 23 search warrants and arresting 46 suspects in Kings, Tulare, and Fresno counties. “The results of today’s operation highlight our ongoing collaborative efforts with law enforcement partners and our commitment to protecting our communities from violence,” said Attorney General Bonta.  “From holding accountable criminals seeking to inflict harm to seizing illicit firearms and narcotics, we will continue taking swift action against those who threaten the safety and well-being of Californians.  We’d like to thank our law enforcement partners across the state for their part in this tremendous collaborative effort and their tireless work to protect the people of California.” The investigation began in early 2023 as part of a cooperative effort with the Kings County Major Crimes Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, and the California Department of Justice.  The investigation also led to the arrest of 30 individuals who were engaged in alleged criminal schemes involving human trafficking. Through collaboration, the California Department of Justice’s Special Operations Unit provides statewide enforcement for combating violent crime, organized criminal activity, gangs, and organized crime groups, as well as intrastate drug trafficking.  The unit uses the latest technology and advanced investigative techniques to work alongside local law enforcement to enhance investigations into violent criminals and organized crime throughout the state. Attorney General Bonta is committed to making our communities safer for all Californians.  In April, Attorney General Bonta announced 17 felony arrests as a result of a months-long,multiagencyy investigation of rival criminal syndicates in Northern California responsible for numerous violent crimes in Sutter, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, and Merced counties. SOURCE: California Attorney General Read the full article

[pugzman3]

Ok, you ready? Here goes.

The entirety of the Special Services Division of the Sheriff’s Office (AGNET, Community Car and Community Revitalization Unit) teamed up with the Child Abuse and Sexual Assault Unit of the Sheriff’s Office, San Joaquin County Probation Department, Lodi Police Department, California Department of Justice, San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, Office of Correctional Safety Fugitive Apprehension Team, AB109 Task Force, Homeland Security, and Sacramento High Tech Crime Task Force. The Sacramento High Tech Crime Task Force consists of members from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Police Department, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Folsom Police Department, and the Placer District Attorney’s Office.

(In case you do not realize, that is a LOT of manpower, man hours, logistics, and more)

This operation was a multifaceted online and in-person decoy operation to combat individuals preying on juveniles for sexual-related purposes and those trying to pay for sex. In addition, sex registration compliance checks were made on 57 registrants across the county. All were found to be in compliance except for one person, who has a warrant forthcoming for his arrest.

A total of 202 arrests were made over the 10-day operational period, here is the breakdown.

38 persons arrested for online sexual predating of a minor

21 persons arrested for soliciting sex with a decoy deputy minor

127 persons arrested for soliciting sex

3 persons arrested for prostitution

5 warrant arrests

2 weapons arrests

3 battery on a peace officer arrests

1 stolen vehicle arrest

1 pursuit arrest

1 narcotics arrest

5 guns seized

Ready for the media coverage?

Again. no major news outlets. Only local media. Google only gives one news hit.

If you have to wonder why, you haven't been paying attention.

And those paying attention know that this, 👆👆👆 EXACT situation is happening all the time. Major arrests, pedophiles, people rescued, and only local media covers it.

[beardedmrbean]

A third person arrested in connection with the early Sunday morning shooting in Sacramento, California, that killed six and injured at least a dozen has been released on bail after he was charged with illegal firearm possession.

Two men, brothers Dandrae, 26, and Smiley Martin, 27, were arrested earlier this week on firearm possession charges. A third man, 31-year-old Daviyonne Dawson, was arrested late Monday and has been released on $500,000 bail, according to The Sacramento Bee. Police are continuing their investigation into those was responsible for the shooting.

None of the three men has been charged with any crimes directly related to the shooting, which has made national headlines and drawn messages of condolence and condemnation from local and state officials like Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as President Joe Biden. Both condemned the gun violence that is occurring throughout the country, with Newsom calling it a "scourge" in America. Newsom and Biden also called for reform of the nation's gun laws.

Police said that the gun recovered when Dawson was arrested likely was not used in Sunday's shooting, in which over 100 shots were fired, striking several buildings and vehicles in the area, the Bee reported.

The Bee also reported that Dawson has previous felony cases, from 2012, 2014 and 2015, and has been charged with being "engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity and did willfully promote, further and assist in felony criminal conduct by said gang members."

Smiley Martin also has prior felony convictions. Last year, the Sacramento County district attorney's office requested that he not be released early after serving part of a 10-year sentence for domestic violence and assault, the Bee reported.

He was seen on a Facebook Live video hours before the shooting with a gun, according to the Bee. Other videos that circulated on social media in the hours following the shooting showed several people involved in fights outside as bars and nightclubs closed at 2 a.m. Several gunshots can be heard in some of the videos.

Police said over 170 photos and videos have been submitted by the community. They have encouraged people with similar evidence or information to continue to come forward.

Earlier this week, the county coroner's office released the names of the victims who were killed. They are Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; and Devazia Turner, 29.

Police said in a statement earlier this week that the 12 people injured in the shooting were in conditions ranging from minor to critical but stable. Martin was put into police custody while being treated for an injury at a hospital.

The investigation into who fired the more than 100 shots is ongoing, and police said more charges will be filed once they have a "complete understanding of the incident."

[iali20ahsgov-blog]

Political Interest Groups, and PACs Assessment

1. National Group

a. American Civil Liberties Union b. The ACLU works to preserve the basic civil and human rights in this country which are granted by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They do this by working in courts, legislatures and communities. c. The ACLU is combating the Trump administration in their attempts to severely limit the inflow of immigrants fleeing from violence and corruption. They are also working on the Criminal Law Reform Project to deal with how the government and police abuse their authority in the name of fighting crime which leads to brutality and mass incarceration. The ACLU is also working n ensuring that the security policies of the U.S. line up with the Constitution’s and human rights after there was an eruption of torture, targeted killings, and religious discrimination after the events of September 11. Additionally, the ACLU believes in finally putting an end to the centuries long racial inequality in America which shows in public schooling, and police racial profiling. The ACLU works towards completely removing the death penalty from the U.S. using advocacy and public education. d.The ACLU aims to cut the number of imprisoned people in this country by half by spearheading the Smart Justice 50 - State Blueprints. e. The ACLU has subsets in all 50 states of the United States but their headquarters are in Lower Manhattan, New York City. I can get involved by donating to their causes, by attending the many rallies they have all over the U.S. in the name of their beliefs, and by attending one of their grassroots meetings and events such as the KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TOWN HALL on November 11. f. I did not find any specific volunteer opportunities but I am sure that one can always put forward their help by showing up to their meeting and putting forward their causes. g. Another interesting thing is the way the ACLU is promoting the 1st amendment right of free religion by ensuring that government does not promote any one religion or interfere with its free exercise.

2. State Group

a. California Civil Liberties Advocacy b. The CCLA works towards laws and policies that emphasize the rights of the individual of those who are in the state.  c. The CCLA’s main focus is to support or oppose bills in the passing process. One of the bills they support is one relating to the multifamily housing program for homeless youth and families. Another they support is a bill for information privacy from digital health and feedback systems. They also support a bill which requires the Attorney general to create a task force who studies the use of deadly force by officers and make recommendations for law enforcement agencies. Some bills they oppose however are one that expands the states gun violence restraining orders laws and anther that required peace officers to go through a training based on being open and nondiscriminatory towards race. d. The CCLA is supporting an active bill which relates to enforcing the end of employment discrimination. e. The CCLA is located in the capital, Sacramento, and there are opportunities to get involved such as being a legislative aid in which you must monitor committee hearings and bills. f.There are volunteer opportunities such as helping lobby Sacramento lawmakers for liberties and justice. g. Another bill that the CCLA supports is one that makes an election day holiday which I thought was interesting. 

3. Comparison: These organizations are very similar involving liberties but the CCLA seems to support the enforcement policies already in place while the ACLU thinks them to be too harsh since they lead to unjust brutality and mass incarceration. The ACLU has a larger following and seems more successful and both organizations’ target audience are people who want to expand and solidify the rights of the citizens.

4. PAC

a.  Equality PAC b. This PAC is moving towards the expansion of human rights in all ways such as race to end racial discrimination by the government especially, and extending rights for the LGBT community. c. They have raised $1,073,048 and have spent $958,461 and currently have $370,817 on hand. d. Whenever they spend money on a party, it always goes to the Democrats. e. A lot of the individual donors are listed as unemployed so perhaps the Equality PAC helps the interests and lives of those without or looking for a job.

[cmurgia20ahsgov-blog]

Political Interest Groups, and PACs Assessment

1.

a) National Association of Police Organizations

b) To advance interest in law officers through legislative advocacy, political action and education. Also that law enforcement officers play a vital role in maintaining peace and security.

c) 1. Police should wear body cameras. 2. Renewal of the bullet proof vest. 3. Safety Act (right to carry legislation). 4. Increased punishment for crimes against law enforcement officers and increased officer protection. 5. Provide gang deterrence and prevention.

d) President establishes commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Trump signed this and it will study issues related to Law Enforcement and the criminal justice system make recommendations that are taken to the Attorney General to prevent, reduce and control crime. Also increase respect for the law enforcement and assist victims.

e) Located in Virginia. No local events but events are held in Florida and Las Vegas

f) none

g) Something interesting is that it is the strongest unified voice supporting Law Officers in the US

2.

a) Peace Officers Research Association of California

b) To identify the needs of the law enforcement community and to provide programs to meet those needs.

c) 1.Maintain a leadership role in organizing, empowering and representing the interests of rank-and-file peace officers. 2. Identify the needs of the law enforcement community and provide programs to meet those needs. 3.Represent and protect the rights and benefits of peace officers. 4.Create an environment in which peace officers interact and work toward achieving common goals and objectives. 5. Conduct research, provide education and training, and define and enhance standards for professionalism. 6. Promote public awareness that encourages and maintains the image of a professional peace officer

d) On September 12th 2019 the SB 230 has been signed into law. This precedent-setting legislation will allow Law Enforcement in California access to the funding and training they need to continue the outstanding service they provide to their communities.

e) Located in Sacramento CA. Most all events are held in Palm Springs.

f) no volunteer opprotunities found.

g) I found it interesting that almost all their sources of communication are through social media, whether its twitter, facebook, a podcast or some other source.

3. They both seemed very organized and well thought out but I liked the Peace Officers Research Association of California better. They seemed very successful and had multiple acts of legislation passed. Both seemed to target all people but mostly adults. Also Trump was a supporter of the National Association of Police Organizations.

4.

I could not find any PACs related to my issue so I did gun rights because all Law Enforcement carries them.

a) National Rifles Association

b) They are a PRO Gun group 

c) They have raised $9,043,594 and spent a total of $779,114. They have $10,049,338 cash on hand.

d) 98% is spent on Republicans while only 2% is spent on Democrats.

e) Most of their donors are cattle ranchers, corporations, Universities and retired people. This reflects the interests because someone like a cattle rancher would need guns in order to kill pests that could possibly hurt their cattle.

[newagesispage]

                                                  APRIL                      2019

PAGE   RIB

***** The Rolling Stones have cancelled their North American tour. Mick Jagger apologized for cancelling due to undisclosed medical treatments.  Oh Baby, Get Well Soon!!!!

***** Mick and his squeeze, Melanie Hamrick have put together a ballet set to Stones music called Porte Rouge. After premiering in Russia it will come to NY on April 18 for an opening night charity event to benefit Youth America Grand Prix.  Tickets start at $600.

***** Tina Fey and Carol Burnett  are working on a movie about Carol’s book, Carrie and me: A Mother –Daughter love story.

***** When I hear Bernie Sanders going on, I can’t help but think of Jimmy Carter. He was pushing many of these messages in the seventies. He tried to get us to have more respect for the land and to save energy and the greedy wrote him off as boring and the era of greed took over. Will we listen this time?

***** The Mueller report was finally turned over to Attorney General William Barr. This has started a whole new set of problems. Barr gives us a summary that is like springtime for Trump. He jumps right in to those that done him wrong and FISA warrants. Should congress get a look at the full report? Everyone is talking over each other and don’t seem to hear what the other is saying. Everybody piles on Adam Schiff because they think he isn’t accepting the report like a good Dem should. If they would listen, he makes it very clear that he respects the findings but they need to see the report. How dare they ask HIM to resign as Intel committee chair. It was heartwarming to see his backbone. They must quit backing down. We still don’t have the whole story but he still free to say that he thinks the actions we already know of were wrong. What the hell is wrong with that? Barr is supposed to release the heavily redacted report in mid- April. No collusion? Perhaps, Scary Clown 45 would probably not get his hands dirty. Obstruction? We’ll see. ** Tyler Mcgaughey, William Barrs son in law will now advise Trump and the White House staff. ** I am really sick of listening to the old white man POV.

***** Dow chemical has donated a mil to Trump’s campaign. Strange that Trump has blocked a report  that took years of research and shows proof of Dow toxic pesticides which jeopardizes over 1,200 endangered species.

***** US from Jordan Peele opened to 70.3 mil. Just like his last movie, critics tell us to watch it twice. How great for the bottom line.

***** John McCarty, a dead man is running for village President in Spring Bay, Il.

***** Look out for the new film, The Kid, directed by Vincent D’onofrio. The western stars Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Hawk , D’onofrio , MorningStar Angeline and Leila George.

***** Did you ever see the reunion movie ‘Return to Green Acres? ‘  They tried to warn us of who Trump was a long time ago. How strange that it came full circle with that ridic Emmy Green Acres thing he did.

***** Shaq has become a deputy sheriff and has also been added to the board of directors of Papa John’s where he is an investor.

***** In sexual harassment news, Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman has accused Joe Biden of unwanted touching and kissing at a 2014 campaign event.

***** Mark Hamill will voice the Chucky doll in the new Child’s Play.

***** Law and Order will get its 21st season.

***** The daytime Emmy noms have been announced and Days got the most this year. WOO HOO! The soap was nominated for drama, writing, costume, music, casting, art direction and oh, just everything. In the acting category the lead noms are Marci Miller, Tyler Christopher and Billy Flynn.  Kate Mansi was noticed for a guest spot as Abigail so 2 actresses are up for Emmys in the same role. Other guest noms went to Thaao Penghlis and Philip Anthony Rodriguez. Kassie Depaiva, Linsey Godfrey (really?), Martha Madison, Greg Rikaart and Eric Martsolf were all nominated.  Younger actor nods went to Olivia Rose Keegan, Lucas Adams, Victoria Konefal and Kyler Pettis.  C’mon , why nothing for Lauren Koslow, Greg Vaughan, Casey Moss, Susan Seaforth Hayes and Robert Scott Wilson?? I think I would switch a few of these around but it is still great to see Days so blessed.  I was also happy to see Max Gail from GH get noticed. CBS led the networks in noms. Hooray for Wayne Brady for game show host and Mark Hamill, Ruth Negga and Steve Buscemi in animated programs. Watch for the Daytime Emmys on May 5 which will not be on television again.

***** General Robert Neller has told the Pentagon that funds diverted to the wall are keeping Marines from rebuilding hurricane hit bases.

***** Devin Nunes is suing Twitter for the parody accounts, Devin Nunes Mom and Dvin Nunes cow which is pretty funny.

***** The EU is banning straw, cotton swabs and plastic cutlery by 2021.

***** Jenny McCarthy has a book out that slams The View.

***** Roseanne is thinking about suing ABC and has said some rather nasty stuff about Sara Gilbert.

***** Michael Avenatti was arrested for trying to extort $20 mil from Nike in NY. He claims he was just doing some lawyering.  California has him on bank fraud charges.  Why is there so much shadiness in this world? Let’s start rewarding the people doing good in this world and quit talking these headlines everyday.

***** Why did this Jussie Smollett thing go away?

***** Wal Mart is walking back this getting rid of the elderly and handicapped greeter thing.

***** Tracy Morgan and Will Forte are to star in the new animated Scooby Doo movie.

***** Johnny Depp has sued ex Amber Heard over the abuse allegations.

***** Martha Stewart is diving into the Marijuana product industry.

***** New York charges Manafort with 16 crimes. Perhaps he won’t get off as lightly with the state crimes.

***** Season 9 of American Horror Story has no premiere date yet. Emma Roberts is confirmed to return. It looks like it will also include Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and silver medalist Gus Kenworthy.

***** New California Gov. Gavin Newsom has halted executions for now.

***** Dems will hold their convention in Milwaukee. And if I hear again that Hillary didn’t go to these sorts of places, I am gonna puke. She went! She went! Just not so much at the end.

***** Howard Stern will release his first book in 20 years this May.

***** Ok, so glad to see Whoopie Goldberg is starting to get back to work but it is just so unbelievable in this day and age and access to info that she seemed shocked that the insurance companies decide people’s fate. Of course, that is if you are lucky enough to have insurance.

***** Sandy Hook families can take lawsuits against the gun companies to court now.** Three suicides have recently come from survivors and a parent of Parkland and Sandy Hook. The pain goes on.

***** The Senate voted 59-41 to terminate the emergency declaration. VETO

***** Rick Singer, founder if a college prep business had pled guilty to money laundering, obstruction of justice and racketeering. The nationwide college entrance exam scandal involves about 50 people including Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin that dates back to 2011. People paid millions to use ringers to take or fix their children’s exams and sometimes faked photos with coaches to include them in sports they were never involved in. The U.S. attorney does not believe the schools themselves were involved. **Lawsuits have already begun from those claiming they could not get into a good college because those spots were taken by these alleged cheaters.

***** Jennifer Hudson will play Aretha Franklin in the biopic.

***** Experts say a recession is on the horizon.

***** Two Sacramento police officers will face no charges for their overkill of the unarmed Stephon Clark. Oh Big surprise!!

***** White supremacist groups on line are growing faster than ISIS. ** I never get it, if white supremacists are so supreme, so wonderful, wouldn’t they rise to the top naturally? Why do they need to rid the world of others or keep minorities down?? If they think others are so inferior, those they hate or fear should not be a problem .

***** Jeanine Pirro was pulled off Fox news after a racist rant about Muslims. ** And where is Rudy? The lawyer hasn’t been seen on the air since January. ** Is this true? Did Ivanka and Jared really try to resign? Did Scary Clown 45 try to push them into it and then not accept those resignations?

***** This can’t be true. Only 5 states have laws requiring patient consent for medical students to do vaginal exams on women under sedation.

***** I rarely think about Jay Leno but he was right about the late night comics all doing different versions of the same joke.  But, who is he to talk? I mean how many different things did you do on OJ and Clinton?? At least these guys are funny.

***** The talk that people stay in their bubble becomes crystal clear when you see the poll asking if the President is truthful: Fox viewers : 84%, MSNBC viewers : 21% and CNN viewers: 1%. Whoa!

***** Word is that Scary Clown ordered economic advisor Gary Cohn to pressure the Justice Department to file a lawsuit to block the Att-Time Warner merger to retaliate against CNN.

***** At least 250 power plants across the country are leaking toxic chemicals into nearby water.

***** Jay Inslee is running for president! I think Stacey Abrams and Jay Inslee would be a nice ticket>

***** Beta O’Rourke is running for President! The psychedelic warlord!

***** Kristen Gillibrand is running for President!

***** Conor McGregor was arrested and charged with felony strong armed robbery and criminal mischief in Miami.

***** The process is in the works to get Trumps tax returns.** The house Judiciary committee has requested 81 documents.** This can’t be true. Trump was signing Bibles for volunteers and survivors in Alabama??

***** Just when it can’t get any weirder: Li Yang and her hubby, Zubin Gong run a string of massage parlors with questionable reputations. Until recently they ran the one that Robert Kraft was busted in. They also had a web site that seemed to sell access to their buddy, Donald Trump with Chinese business contacts. As soon as the story broke, the sites for an international consulting firm, text only in Chinese and no prices for the meets came down. Li Yang and her associates are in pictures at the inauguration, the White House, Mar A Lago and Trump’s super bowl party with the Pres, his sons and other Trump family members. We should have seen this coming. The old adage that always holds true with this administration seems true here. They always blame others for what they are really guilty of, this explains the Pizzagate garbage. This could be bigger than we ever dreamed. Even stories that we may have thought a bit out there need to be looked at closer. Can we connect the sex trafficking, the White House, the money? It is time to quit fucking around with the sellers and customers of those exploited in the sex trade. I don’t get it, all these men from Trump to R Kelly have the power over the women they supposedly use and abuse and yet they are always so angry. Perhaps they wouldn’t be losing their power if you treated others with respect and dignity. They always want all the power for themselves. And c’mon media, stop talking your heads off about the Omar story and give this Li Yang story a closer look.

***** The story of the fall of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes is a sad one. It does show that greed and massive fraud are not just for the men of this world. When I first heard of her plans for the blood testing, I was so impressed with what she was accomplishing at her age. Yes, she was another poor little rich girl whose family fortune was quite diminished by the time it got to her. Even without the Fleischman yeast money, she did seem to have advantages. I can see how some of us were fooled but what about the big investors, the stalwart statesmen?  Do they not remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is? How can all the hype, the press, the marketing snowball before there is any proof that something is what is actually supposed to be?? I always assumed that by the time I am hearing about it, things are about ready to go. Seeing all these stories like Trump and Deutsche bank, light sentences for Manafort and now Holmes and her partner in crime seeming to get off lightly, there is not much hope for the little guy. WHY can’t we hold those involved in big money crimes really responsible??

***** It’s true, rich people cause socialism – Neal Brennan.

***** Even in 1692 the rich were different. –Stacy Schiff- The Witches.

***** FEMA released the personal data of 2.3 million victims.

***** They have dug up old words from Fox’s Tucker Carlson. Big surprise that he seemed to empathize with Warren Jeffs, thought women should just shut up and called a woman “cunty.”  The women who lap up the words of these men must not think much of themselves.

***** Why are we letting the banks finance detention centers and prisoners? It’s more than immigration or punishing criminals. Why is this big business?? I can’t believe this is still going on. Wake up!!! When will the children be free?  C’mon House and Senate, Pass the Shut Down child prison camps bill.

***** Somebody has to pay for this President’s folly: The scary clown new budget cuts:$ 1.5 trillion from Medicaid/ $845 billion from Medicare/ &25 billion from Social Security.

***** About 1 rural hospital a month is shutting down due to lack of support and lack of funds.

***** Globalization seems to be spreading a pathogen killing the olive trees in Italy.

***** A fake Melania?? WTF? UGH!

***** Matthew Whitaker is out! Bill Shine is out!

***** When will we ever be able to buy the boxed set of Late Night with Dave?? Hurry so the next generation can see the genius they may have missed.

***** Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale??

***** Hey Bill Maher, way to go with your PETA message about the terrible treatment of the geese used to make Canada Goose down jackets.  I will stay away!!

***** J Lo and A Rod are engaged.

***** Bette Midler and Judith Light will join the cast of The Politician.

***** Jussie Smollett has been indicted on 16 felony counts.

***** HBO’s Crashing was cancelled. Pete Holmes was great in this but I never really saw much promotion for it. I hate it when good stuff falls thru the cracks.

***** Kathy Griffin has a new film about the ridiculous Trump head, nearly career ending, Government harassment crap in her life. Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a story. Make that lemonade!! A girl has to take care of herself. It premiered at SXSW.** Speaking of SXSW, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez drew great crowds while she was there.

***** R Kelly lives in Trump tower in Chicago. Well, of course he does.  Why is it ok for the rest of us to put up with these arrogant, abusive males in this society? Everyone is giving kudos to Gayle King for her calm demeanor in her interview. Yes, how professional of her but why should she be subject to that disrespect??  She is in her workplace. Would R Kelly have liked his Mother or daughter to be treated that way?

***** So, word is that Isaiah 45 is a Trump thing with the evangelicals. This scripture refers to Cyrus , the anointed one. OY!

***** Days alert: Robin Strasser is coming OH BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** Judith Chapman and her old style soap acting just too much. ** C’mon Chloe and Rex!!** More Nurse Shelly!! ** Is Johnny Dimera on his way to town? ** I was so glad to see Tony, one of the best characters ever anywhere, even if it was part of an out of body experience.

***** Why do we have to keep talking about George and Kelly Ann Conway?? Are they just covering their bases? With one on each side of the Trump argument, they win no matter what happens right?

***** So now we know that about 400 Catholic clergy have been accused of sexual  misconduct in Illinois. It never ends.

***** End the electoral college!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***** S

***** Fox has hired Donna Brazile. People seem to finally be taking Bill Maher’s advice and telling their point of view to the other side. How else will sanity prevail if we don’t find common ground? We cannot look to this administration for guidance in this world, we have to figure these things out for ourselves, which we should be able to do anyway.

***** Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds.  We have to find our self- worth.  

R.I.P. Andy Anderson, Katherine Helmond, Nathaniel Taylor, Luke Perry, Alabama tornado victims, Jan Michael Vincent,  the Ethiopian airlines disaster victims, Hal Blaine, victims of the New Zealand Mosque shootings, Sydney Aiello, the Ogossogou village attack victims, Denise DuBarry, Larry Cohen, Jeremy Richman, Ray Sawyer, Tania Mallet and Nipsey Hussle.

[phroyd]

Police Misconduct Has A Whole Different Level in California! - Phroyd

They were at the tail end of their overnight shift when they spotted Gerald Simmons near a vacant lot in Inglewood.

The two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies said they saw the 43-year-old toss a plastic baggie of rock cocaine to the ground.

Their testimony would become the backbone of the 2009 criminal case against Simmons.

After a six-day trial, the verdict was swift. Guilty.

But jurors made their decision without knowing a crucial detail.

Jose Ovalle, one of the deputies who also booked the evidence, had been suspended five years earlier for pouring taco sauce on a shirt to mimic blood in a criminal case. He nearly lost his job.

Ovalle’s past was kept secret for years from prosecutors, judges, defendants and jurors, even though he was a potential witness in hundreds of criminal cases that relied on his credibility, according to a Times investigation.

The deputy took the stand in 31 cases before the district attorney’s office found out about his misconduct. Once his credibility came into question, prosecutors offered some career criminals generous plea deals in pending cases or dropped charges altogether. Some went on to commit serious crimes.

Ovalle is not an isolated example. Misconduct by law enforcement officers who testify in court is routinely kept hidden by California’s police privacy laws.

The U.S. Supreme Court requires prosecutors to inform criminal defendants about an officer’s wrongdoing — but the state’s laws are so strict that prosecutors cannot directly access the personnel files of their own police witnesses. Instead, California puts the burden on defendants to prove to a judge that an officer’s record is relevant.

Times reporters reviewed documents from hundreds of criminal cases in which the district attorney’s office identified Ovalle as a potential witness after he was caught faking the bloody evidence in 2003.

Few defendants tried to obtain information about Ovalle’s past. A handful of those who did weren’t given information about the deputy’s discipline. Judges never gave them a public explanation for why it wouldn’t have been relevant.

By the time the district attorney’s office learned about Ovalle’s misconduct, he had been a potential witness against 312 defendants. More than 230 were convicted.

A Times investigation last year identified Ovalle and others on a secret Sheriff’s Department list of deputies whose misconduct included falsely testifying in court, pulling over a motorist and receiving oral sex from her while on patrol, and tipping off a drug dealer’s girlfriend about a narcotics bust.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnell wanted to disclose the so-called Brady list of about 300 officers to prosecutors, but the deputies union went to court to stop him.

The state’s Supreme Court will soon decide whether McDonnell and other law enforcement agencies can tell prosecutors if a police witness has a record of serious discipline. An appellate court has ruled they cannot.

Ovalle now works as a sergeant in the Sheriff’s Department’s Century station in Lynwood. Last year, he was paid $240,000 in salary, overtime and other earnings.

When reached by The Times for comment, Ovalle said: “I don’t understand why the L.A. Times is so interested about me.” He declined to comment further and asked not to be contacted again.

‘It was stupidity’

Ovalle’s troubles began in August 2003.

Several gang members at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic had slashed an inmate’s neck and head with razor blades.

A 26-year-old deputy with just three years on the job, Ovalle was responsible for collecting the evidence and writing the incident report.

When he realized a bloody shirt from one of the suspects had gone missing, Ovalle took a clean one from the jail laundry, topped it with taco sauce and took a photo, according to court and law enforcement records.

A custody assistant watching Ovalle warned him not to do it, but the deputy went ahead and booked the photograph into evidence. The custody assistant reported him to a supervisor, according to court records.

Confronted by sheriff’s investigators, Ovalle confessed.

“It was stupidity now that I look back on it,” he told the investigators, according to a transcript of his interviewobtained by The Times. “This uniform means everything to me, this badge and gun, it’s my life. … I’m embarrassed.”

Sheriff’s Department officials told Ovalle he would be fired but then relented, noting that he had cooperated with investigators and accepted responsibility, according to internal documents. Ovalle was instead handed a 30-day suspension. He was ordered to serve 10 of those days and the remainder only if he committed a similar offense within the next five years.

In testimony he gave years later, Ovalle blamed poor training for his conduct and downplayed the significance of what he had done, insisting he hadn’t fabricated evidence because the bloody shirt had once existed.

“I don’t consider myself a liar,” he said.

The Sheriff’s Department never notified the district attorney’s office about Ovalle’s actions to see if he should be charged with a crime, according to law enforcement records. As a result, prosecutors handling cases in which Ovalle was involved had no way of knowing about his past actions.

‘Trying to hide misconduct’

Two years after his suspension, Ovalle was transferred to the Sheriff’s Department’s Lennox station in South Los Angeles, where he made arrests for drug possession, theft and assault and later testified in court.

Defendants who faced him had only one method of possibly learning about his misconduct, a procedure that is itself cloaked in secrecy.

Under California’s so-called Pitchess laws, defendants can ask a judge to examine an officer’s personnel records for allegations of excessive force, dishonesty, theft or other acts of “moral turpitude.” Few go through the trouble.

By the spring of 2008, Ovalle had been listed by prosecutors as a potential witness against 125 defendants. Only five tried to delve into Ovalle’s background, according to a review of court records.

If a defendant’s Pitchess motion is granted, a representative from the officer’s law enforcement agency meets with the judge in private to go over relevant complaints. Neither the prosecutor nor the defense attorney is allowed in the room.

If a judge decides to turn over anything, it is usually only the name and contact information of someone who made a complaint against the officer within the last five years.

You’ve been arrested by a dishonest cop. Can you win in a system set up to protect officers? »

It is then up to the defense attorney to figure out what happened.

Supporters say the Pitchess laws prevent accused criminals from fishing for information about police witnesses that is irrelevant in their cases.

David E. Mastagni, a Sacramento-based attorney who represents police unions, said most defendants don’t file Pitchess motions because “in the vast majority of cases, the officer’s credibility is not an issue.” If an officer has a history of dishonesty, he said, a judge will almost always disclose it through Pitchess.

“It’s a pretty perfect balancing,” he said.

But defense lawyers complain that the laws make it difficult for people facing criminal charges to ask for the information. Many of their jailed clients, they say, don’t want to spend weeks or months trying to find out whether a law enforcement witness has a history of complaints, especially if they could accept a plea deal that would speed up their release.

“It isn’t a defeatist attitude as much as it is a realistic understanding of your client’s life,” said David Kanuth, a former L.A. County deputy public defender who is sharply critical of the state’s police privacy laws. “They are trying to hide misconduct, and everyone should be against it.”

Inside a secret 2014 list of hundreds of L.A. deputies with histories of misconduct »

One of the defendants who tried to dig into Ovalle’s background was Lamar Dotson. He had been returning to the Acacia Inn in Inglewood from his job as a security officer when Ovalle and his partner ordered him out of his car with guns drawn.

The deputies said they smelled marijuana and found two baggies with the drug. When they discovered a stolen gun in the trunk, Dotson explained he had confiscated it from someone at one of the clubs where he worked.

In court records and an interview with The Times, Dotson insisted the deputies lied about him having marijuana in the car to justify the search. He said he had kept the gun because he had been worried about getting into trouble if he turned the weapon into authorities.

“I was 29 years old, never been in handcuffs, never been to jail,” Dotson told The Times.

Dotson’s attorney filed a Pitchess motion asking for the deputies’ history of misconduct, including fabricating evidence. The judge denied the motion. The case file and related transcripts have since been destroyed.

Dotson, who had no criminal history, ended up agreeing to a deal in which he pleaded no contest to carrying a loaded firearm and was placed on summary probation for three years. The misdemeanor conviction, he said, prevented him from obtaining a firearm permit for 10 years, hurting his efforts to find work as a security officer and bodyguard.

If he had known about Ovalle’s past misconduct, Dotson said, he would have fought harder for his case to be dismissed. But as months slipped by, his family members urged him to acquiesce.

“I was trying to get out of the situation as opposed to making it worse,” Dotson said. “It really upset me, to tell you the truth, but what can you do about it at that point? I did what I had to do to keep going forward.”

Word about Ovalle’s misconduct began to spread after he arrested 18-year-old Sergio Martinez on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine in May 2008.

Martinez challenged Ovalle’s account of his arrest. His lawyer filed a Pitchess motion seeking any complaints accusing the deputy of fabricating or planting evidence.

Superior Court Judge Hector M. Guzman reviewed Ovalle’s personnel records and saw the Sheriff’s Department’s internal report about the taco sauce incident.

In an unusual move, the judge gave the records to the prosecutor and suggested the district attorney’s office decide whether Ovalle should be added to the agency’s database of problem officers to alert future defendants.

But that didn’t happen.

The prosecutor in the case, William Frank, told The Times he informed a supervisor about Ovalle’s misconduct soon after the hearing — just before he started a new job with the state attorney general’s office.

“I understood the seriousness of the material even though I was a relatively new lawyer. I knew what it meant for the case,” Frank said. “I felt I had done what I was supposed to do.”

A district attorney’s spokeswoman blamed “a miscommunication among prosecutors.”

The charges against Martinez were thrown out.

There’s More ...

Phroyd

[michaelcosio]

Aug 2, 2022

STORY:

Officer JARED E. ROBINET, 0520 is one of two Sacramento Police officers who shot & killed 22 year old Stephon Clark & then denied him any first aid because they claimed he had a gun.

Later they said he didn't actually have a gun, but a crowbar...THEN they finally admitted that it wasn't a gun, or a crowbar, but HIS WHITE COLORED CELLPHONE.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the two officers took the time to ask how the other was doing. “Are you hit?” one asked. “No, I’m good,” the other responded...as Clark lay motionless on his grandmother’s patio.

The Officers next concern was to reload their guns, even though they had already fired a total of 20 shots, and could visibly see Stephon was motionless down on the ground.

Police officers continued to shout at Clark’s lifeless body that they would not administer aid to him until he “got rid of his weapon.” (his white colored cell phone)

The officers did not attempt to render any medical aid, and when they did approach Stephon, they put him in handcuffs while he continued to bleed out laying face down on the ground.

Once the shooting scene was secured, Officers TERRENCE MERCADAL & JARED ROBINET were released from further duties at the crime scene and their body worn cameras were muted. Several officers approached ROBINET & MERCADAL while at the scene but these conversations were not fully captured because THE OFFICERS MUTED THEIR MICROPHONES AT VARIOUS POINTS.

After the shooting, it was found that some of the 20 bullets that were shot at Stephon, went through the walls and almost hit his little sister who was inside their grandmother's house.

Both Officers were put on PAID administrative leave and eventually allowed to return to work for the same Department, in the same neighborhoods.

The Sacramento County District Attorney refused to press charges against the officers, claiming they did not break the law.

Both officers were eventually cleared to return to work, and Officer TERRENCE MERCADAL and Officer JARED ROBINET are  still currently working with the Sacramento Police Department, patrolling the same neighborhoods, showing absolutely no remorse for the life he took.

Both officers involved haven't so much as even issued an apology to the Clark Family.

Contact the Sacramento Police Department today and voice your concerns about these   K I L L E R  C O P S  they continue to let patrol our streets.

Tell them we want these  M U R D E R E R S  out of our communities!

Contact the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office and voice your concerns about her incompetent lack of action in this case.

Tell them WE WANT JUSTICE FOR STEPHON CLARK.

We want Officers JARED ROBINET and TERRENCE MERCADAL to be charged for the wrongful death of Stephon Clark, and let a jury or their peers decide.

#firejaredrobinet #fireterrencemercadal #justiceforstephonclark

Contact the Sacramento Police Department and the Sacramento County District Attorney and voice your concerns. Make sure to blast this video all over their social media accounts too.

SACRAMENTO POLICE DEPARTMENT:

Phone: (916) 808-0800

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SacramentoPo...

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SacPolice

SACRAMENTO COUNTY DA:

Phone: (916) 874-6218

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SacCountyDA

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/SacCountyDA

NEWS ARTICLE:

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/lo...

MUSIC:

"What If" by ‎‎@YOUNGGULLYTUBEYH

https://youtu.be/RhfcvAk88LU

from Cali Tito

[beardedmrbean]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A suspect arrested in connection with last weekend’s mass shooting outside bars in Sacramento served less than half his 10-year sentence because of voter-approved changes to state law that lessened the punishment for his felony convictions and provided a chance for earlier release.

Smiley Allen Martin was freed in February after serving time for punching a girlfriend, dragging her from her home by her hair and whipping her with a belt, according to court and prison records.

Those count as nonviolent offenses under California law, which considers only about two dozen crimes to be violent felonies — such as murder, rape, arson and kidnapping.

Martin, 27, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a machine gun. He is among the 12 people wounded during Sunday’s shooting, which killed six others.

Police have said the violence was a shootout between rival gangs in which at least five people fired weapons, including Martin’s brother, Dandrae Martin, who also was arrested. No one has yet been charged with homicide in the shooting.

Smiley Martin typically would have remained behind bars until at least May after serving a minimum of half his time for his previous arrest in 2017, but prison officials evidently used a very expansive approach to applying lockup time credits to his sentence, said Gregory Totten, chief executive officer of the California District Attorneys Association and a former Ventura County district attorney.

“They’ve been given very broad authority to early release folks and to give them additional credit and all kinds of considerations for purposes of reducing the length of sentence that somebody serves,” Totten said.

Corrections officials did not dispute that Martin was among thousands of inmates who received additional credits that sped up their releases under state law. But the officials said their policy prohibits disclosing what prison time credits Martin received.

They cited credits through Proposition 57, the 2016 ballot measure that aimed to give most of the state’s felons a chance of earlier release. Credits were also broadly authorized in California to lower the prison population during the pandemic.

Proposition 57 credits include good behavior while behind bars, though corrections officials declined to release Martin’s disciplinary report. Good conduct credit is supposed to be reserved for inmates who follow all the rules and complete their assigned duties.

The state “has implemented various credit-earning opportunities to incentivize good behavior and program participation for incarcerated individuals, including those created in furtherance of Proposition 57— which was overwhelmingly approved by voters,” state corrections spokesperson Vicky Waters said in a statement.

Supporters of the credits, including former Gov. Jerry Brown, who pushed for Proposition 57, have said it’s important to give inmates a second chance. The opportunity for earlier release encourages inmates to participate in education and other rehabilitative programs and helps to reduce mass incarceration.

“The most recent reforms in California are seeking to change a culture that has been churning out recidivism problems for generations,” said Will Matthews, spokesperson for the Californians for Safety and Justice group, which backed the changes. “The question we need to be asking ourselves is, how are we engaging in behavior change?”

Under Proposition 57, credits are granted for completing rehabilitative or educational programs, self-help and volunteer public service activities, earning a high school diploma or higher education degree and performing a heroic act. Officials added credits during the coronavirus pandemic, including 12 weeks of credit that applied to most inmates.

Martin was denied parole in May 2021 under California’s process for nonviolent offenders to get earlier parole, after a letter was sent from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said they objected to his parole based on his lengthy criminal record and asserted that Martin “clearly has little regard for human life and the law.”

Six months after he turned 18, Martin was caught in January 2013 with an assault rifle and two fully loaded 25-bullet magazines, prosecutors said. Months later, he pushed aside a Walmart clerk to steal computers worth $2,800, they said. In 2016, he was arrested as a parolee at large. And less than six months after that was the assault that sent him back to prison.

It’s not clear if Martin has an attorney who can comment on his behalf.

Martin pleaded no contest and was sent to prison on charges of corporal injury and assault likely to cause great bodily injury in January 2018 under a plea deal in which prosecutors dismissed charges of kidnapping — considered a violent felony — and intimidating a witness or victim.

The sentencing judge awarded Martin 508 days of credits for time he spent in Sacramento County jail before his conviction, based on a California law that allows judges to double the actual time in jail, which in Martin’s case was 254 days.

Martin also had “a variety of additional post-sentencing credits,” which corrections department spokesperson Dana Simas said were awarded for time served while awaiting transfer to state prison from county jail.

Before Proposition 57, he would have qualified for 20% “good time” credits — meaning he could reduce his time served by one-fifth — but corrections officials used their authority under the ballot measure to bump those to 50%. Pending regulations opposed by most of the state’s district attorneys would further increase good time credits to two-thirds of a sentence for such repeat offenders.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a progressive Democrat who formerly led the state Senate, was among those upset when he learned of Martin’s record.

“If people have a history of committing violent acts, and they have not shown a propensity or willingness to change, I don’t think they should be out on the streets,” he said at an event where officials requested more than $3 billion from the state to expand crime prevention programs.

Republican state Sen. Jim Nielsen, who once headed the state parole board, said “good time” credits are generally awarded automatically, without inmates having to do anything to earn them.

“It gives them enormous opportunity to free up beds,” said Nielsen, an opponent of earlier releases.

The state has relied on such efforts, particularly its powers under Proposition 57, to keep the prison population below the level required by a panel of federal judges who ruled that inmate crowding had led to unconstitutionally poor conditions.

Martin was released to the supervision of the Sacramento County Probation Department in February. County probation officials wouldn’t provide the terms, saying their records are not public documents.

Without discussing Martin’s case, Karen Pank, executive director of the Chief Probation Officers of California association, said generally someone coming out of prison under the state’s Post Release Community Supervision program with an extensive and violent criminal history would likely have been treated on a “high-risk” caseload.

That would subject the person to more intensive supervision, including a requirement to check in with a probation officer more frequently and in person, although individualized determinations on risks and needs would be made and treatment and services would continue to be offered.

Hours before Sunday’s shootout, Martin posted a live Facebook video of himself brandishing a handgun, a law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to public discuss details of the shooting investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pank said if there is evidence of a felon in possession of a firearm, that can be grounds for a violation, which may result in time in jail. However, it’s unlikely anyone from law enforcement could have acted in time even if they had seen the video.

“The big if is would they have known about it,” said Totten. But in this case, “it didn’t matter — it was so close to the time” of the shooting.

[gordonwilliamsweb]

How Rape Affects Memory, and Why Police Need to Know About That Brain Science

Annie Walker woke up one morning in 2019 with little recollection of the night before. She had bruises on her arms, legs, wrist and lower abdomen.

“But I literally had no idea what had happened,” she said. “And, for days, I was trying to put the pieces together.”

She knew she had gone to a Sacramento, California, bar and restaurant with a group of people, and she remembered drinking there and being left alone with the man she’d later identify as her rapist. But not much else.

Memories she couldn’t summon that first morning gradually came into focus over days and weeks, she said. The emerging details included what the man had been wearing, and the way he shoved her against the bar. One week after the attack, she reported the crime to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Then, in the days after making the report, another wave of memories surfaced — she recalled, vividly, that the man had raped her and had a weapon.

“I knew that there was a gun at my neck, at my back,” she said. “It was just clear.”

The detectives gave her a hard time, she said, when she called to report that she had remembered that her attacker had a gun. The Sacramento detectives assigned to Walker’s case didn’t seem to understand why she couldn’t remember all the details right away.

“I felt like I was just extremely cross-examined on the phone. Like, ‘Why didn’t you remember a gun? That’s, like, a really important thing.'”

Sexual assault survivors say interactions with law enforcement can be so intense, and so unsympathetic, that they add secondary trauma. Reporting a rape can be especially traumatic when officers cast doubt on victims’ stories.

But it doesn’t have to be, say scientists and scholars of criminal justice. If police gain a deeper understanding of what’s going on in the brain during and after a rape, they can change the way they approach rape cases and avoid making survivors feel blamed or disbelieved.

Scientists who study trauma and memory say it’s common for sexual assault survivors — as well as survivors of other serious traumas — to be unable to recall an attack fully. They might remember certain facts but not others, or struggle to recall events in the correct sequence.

When law enforcement officers aren’t aware of the neuroscience of trauma, or have no training to deal with it, there’s a tendency to dismiss or disbelieve victims who experience memory gaps, according to scholars and advocates for sexual assault survivors.

“There’s a real danger when investigators are asking people for information that was never encoded or has been lost,” said Harvard University psychologist Jim Hopper. “They can stress out the victim, leave them feeling misunderstood, incompetent, not wanting to further engage with the investigation.”

Walker’s alleged perpetrator was never arrested. And she’s still frustrated with the way detectives put pressure on her to remember details during the investigation.

The Brain in Survival Mode

When confronted with a crisis, the brain often activates its “fight, flight or freeze” response. In these scenarios, the brain’s “defense circuitry” takes over, explained Hopper. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for logical decision-making, is no longer in control and, instead, the areas of the brain responsible for scanning for danger take charge.

“And that’s what people are running on” when trauma happens, Hopper said.

Some people respond by mentally “dissociating,” or disconnecting from their physical selves. That survival response affects the ability to absorb what’s happening around them, Hopper said.

Studies on memory and recall during a traumatic event describe two types of details: central and peripheral. Central details are those that capture our attention and evoke emotions in the moment, such as a location. Peripheral details are those that a survivor might not have been paying attention to during the crisis, such as something the perpetrator said or whether other people were present. Central details tend to be stored more reliably and for longer than peripheral details.

Every day in courtrooms around the country, [defense attorneys] attack and question the credibility of victims of sexual assault for having the same kind of memories that soldiers have for their combat experiences.

Harvard University psychologist Jim Hopper

Sometimes survivors are unable to answer what might seem like a simple question if it involves a peripheral detail like the color of the attacker’s shirt. And Hopper said that can make officers suspicious.

Hopper, who gives legal testimony in sexual assault cases, said victims are often held to unfair standards, even compared with other trauma survivors.

“Every day in courtrooms around the country, [defense attorneys] attack and question the credibility of victims of sexual assault for having the same kind of memories that soldiers have for their combat experiences,” he said.

Victim advocates and criminal justice scholars say it’s important for detectives to be open to anything a survivor might say, whenever they say it — even if those details were not available in an initial report — because the information survivors provide later can be helpful for solving the crime.

Maintaining an Open Mind

Nicole Monroe, a police detective in Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento, said she and some of her colleagues have gotten additional education on brain science, and it has changed the way they approach sexual assault cases.

Monroe tells victims she works with that more memories will continue to surface in the days, weeks and even months to come.

“Smells will come back. Sights will come back. When you think of these things, give me a call and let me know, so that it can be added,” Monroe said. “Because little things like that are going to make a difference.”

Traditionally, law enforcement officers are trained to conduct an interrogation that may involve drawing out specific details, usually in chronological order.

“The expectation is someone is supposed to come in, sit down, they’re supposed to be ready to talk, they’re supposed to know what to talk about,” said Carrie Hull, a former detective with the Ashland Police Department in southern Oregon. “They’re going to tell you what happened to them from the beginning, through the middle, and then the end. That is a very traditional understanding.”

Hull is now a consultant for police departments, and part of her work involves advocating for the adoption of a technique known as Forensic Experiential Trauma Interviewing, or FETI. The training can help law enforcement learn how to ask questions differently: with empathy, patience and an informed understanding of how a traumatized brain makes memories and recalls them. Training in the technique is available through an online course, but it’s not a mandatory requirement for most police departments.

People who take Hull’s course learn specific strategies for helping someone resurface a relevant memory that he or she may not have had access to when they first walked into the interview room. Hull said FETI discourages counterproductive practices such as paraphrasing, changing the victim’s words, interrupting or giving advice.

Hull said the overarching goal of trauma interviewing is to first “collect the dots, then connect the dots.” In other words, simply interview the victim about what happened. The sharper, more aggressive investigative tactics can wait.

There isn’t research proving that law enforcement departments who take this training solve more rape cases. But victim advocates and scholars said it’s a best practice that could make working with police a more positive experience for victims and, eventually, help bring more perpetrators to justice.

“If I had my way, every one of them would be doing this,” said Dave Thomas, a program officer with the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Annie Walker is still struggling to recover from her sexual assault, but it’s complicated because she’s also healing from the way law enforcement handled her case. She said both police officers and survivors need more education on the way trauma affects memory.

She said if survivors knew what to expect in terms of memory issues, it wouldn’t be so frustrating. “They need to feel like the way that things are happening in their mind is normal. Normal for them.”

This story is from a partnership that includes CapRadio, NPR and KHN.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

How Rape Affects Memory, and Why Police Need to Know About That Brain Science published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[stephenmccull]

How Rape Affects Memory, and Why Police Need to Know About That Brain Science

Annie Walker woke up one morning in 2019 with little recollection of the night before. She had bruises on her arms, legs, wrist and lower abdomen.

“But I literally had no idea what had happened,” she said. “And, for days, I was trying to put the pieces together.”

She knew she had gone to a Sacramento, California, bar and restaurant with a group of people, and she remembered drinking there and being left alone with the man she’d later identify as her rapist. But not much else.

Memories she couldn’t summon that first morning gradually came into focus over days and weeks, she said. The emerging details included what the man had been wearing, and the way he shoved her against the bar. One week after the attack, she reported the crime to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.

Then, in the days after making the report, another wave of memories surfaced — she recalled, vividly, that the man had raped her and had a weapon.

“I knew that there was a gun at my neck, at my back,” she said. “It was just clear.”

The detectives gave her a hard time, she said, when she called to report that she had remembered that her attacker had a gun. The Sacramento detectives assigned to Walker’s case didn’t seem to understand why she couldn’t remember all the details right away.

“I felt like I was just extremely cross-examined on the phone. Like, ‘Why didn’t you remember a gun? That’s, like, a really important thing.'”

Sexual assault survivors say interactions with law enforcement can be so intense, and so unsympathetic, that they add secondary trauma. Reporting a rape can be especially traumatic when officers cast doubt on victims’ stories.

But it doesn’t have to be, say scientists and scholars of criminal justice. If police gain a deeper understanding of what’s going on in the brain during and after a rape, they can change the way they approach rape cases and avoid making survivors feel blamed or disbelieved.

Scientists who study trauma and memory say it’s common for sexual assault survivors — as well as survivors of other serious traumas — to be unable to recall an attack fully. They might remember certain facts but not others, or struggle to recall events in the correct sequence.

When law enforcement officers aren’t aware of the neuroscience of trauma, or have no training to deal with it, there’s a tendency to dismiss or disbelieve victims who experience memory gaps, according to scholars and advocates for sexual assault survivors.

“There’s a real danger when investigators are asking people for information that was never encoded or has been lost,” said Harvard University psychologist Jim Hopper. “They can stress out the victim, leave them feeling misunderstood, incompetent, not wanting to further engage with the investigation.”

Walker’s alleged perpetrator was never arrested. And she’s still frustrated with the way detectives put pressure on her to remember details during the investigation.

The Brain in Survival Mode

When confronted with a crisis, the brain often activates its “fight, flight or freeze” response. In these scenarios, the brain’s “defense circuitry” takes over, explained Hopper. The prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for logical decision-making, is no longer in control and, instead, the areas of the brain responsible for scanning for danger take charge.

“And that’s what people are running on” when trauma happens, Hopper said.

Some people respond by mentally “dissociating,” or disconnecting from their physical selves. That survival response affects the ability to absorb what’s happening around them, Hopper said.

Studies on memory and recall during a traumatic event describe two types of details: central and peripheral. Central details are those that capture our attention and evoke emotions in the moment, such as a location. Peripheral details are those that a survivor might not have been paying attention to during the crisis, such as something the perpetrator said or whether other people were present. Central details tend to be stored more reliably and for longer than peripheral details.

Every day in courtrooms around the country, [defense attorneys] attack and question the credibility of victims of sexual assault for having the same kind of memories that soldiers have for their combat experiences.

Harvard University psychologist Jim Hopper

Sometimes survivors are unable to answer what might seem like a simple question if it involves a peripheral detail like the color of the attacker’s shirt. And Hopper said that can make officers suspicious.

Hopper, who gives legal testimony in sexual assault cases, said victims are often held to unfair standards, even compared with other trauma survivors.

“Every day in courtrooms around the country, [defense attorneys] attack and question the credibility of victims of sexual assault for having the same kind of memories that soldiers have for their combat experiences,” he said.

Victim advocates and criminal justice scholars say it’s important for detectives to be open to anything a survivor might say, whenever they say it — even if those details were not available in an initial report — because the information survivors provide later can be helpful for solving the crime.

Maintaining an Open Mind

Nicole Monroe, a police detective in Elk Grove, a suburb of Sacramento, said she and some of her colleagues have gotten additional education on brain science, and it has changed the way they approach sexual assault cases.

Monroe tells victims she works with that more memories will continue to surface in the days, weeks and even months to come.

“Smells will come back. Sights will come back. When you think of these things, give me a call and let me know, so that it can be added,” Monroe said. “Because little things like that are going to make a difference.”

Traditionally, law enforcement officers are trained to conduct an interrogation that may involve drawing out specific details, usually in chronological order.

“The expectation is someone is supposed to come in, sit down, they’re supposed to be ready to talk, they’re supposed to know what to talk about,” said Carrie Hull, a former detective with the Ashland Police Department in southern Oregon. “They’re going to tell you what happened to them from the beginning, through the middle, and then the end. That is a very traditional understanding.”

Hull is now a consultant for police departments, and part of her work involves advocating for the adoption of a technique known as Forensic Experiential Trauma Interviewing, or FETI. The training can help law enforcement learn how to ask questions differently: with empathy, patience and an informed understanding of how a traumatized brain makes memories and recalls them. Training in the technique is available through an online course, but it’s not a mandatory requirement for most police departments.

People who take Hull’s course learn specific strategies for helping someone resurface a relevant memory that he or she may not have had access to when they first walked into the interview room. Hull said FETI discourages counterproductive practices such as paraphrasing, changing the victim’s words, interrupting or giving advice.

Hull said the overarching goal of trauma interviewing is to first “collect the dots, then connect the dots.” In other words, simply interview the victim about what happened. The sharper, more aggressive investigative tactics can wait.

There isn’t research proving that law enforcement departments who take this training solve more rape cases. But victim advocates and scholars said it’s a best practice that could make working with police a more positive experience for victims and, eventually, help bring more perpetrators to justice.

“If I had my way, every one of them would be doing this,” said Dave Thomas, a program officer with the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Annie Walker is still struggling to recover from her sexual assault, but it’s complicated because she’s also healing from the way law enforcement handled her case. She said both police officers and survivors need more education on the way trauma affects memory.

She said if survivors knew what to expect in terms of memory issues, it wouldn’t be so frustrating. “They need to feel like the way that things are happening in their mind is normal. Normal for them.”

This story is from a partnership that includes CapRadio, NPR and KHN.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

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How Rape Affects Memory, and Why Police Need to Know About That Brain Science published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

[seccamsla]

Families of shooting victims in California rampage are suing sellers of ‘ghost guns’Families of those killed and wounded in a rural California shooting rampage three years ago are suing manufacturers and sellers of “ghost gun” kits that provide easy-to-assemble firearm parts that make it difficult to track or regulate owners.A pair of wrongful death lawsuits filed last month in separate state courts accuse 13 defendants of negligence, public nuisance and violation of business codes. The cases were brought by Brady United, the national nonprofit that advocates against gun violence, which said Monday that the suits are the first of their kind in the nation.Ghost guns, which are cobbled together with various parts often purchased separately, have long been popular among hobbyists and firearms enthusiasts. The weapons that contain no registration numbers that could be used to trace them and require no background checks increasingly have shown up at crime scenes, gun control advocates say.“There is an ample and thriving gun market in this country in which law abiding citizens can get guns thru proper channels. This is an industry that appears aimed at supplying people who can’t legally have guns,” Brady’s chief counsel Jonathan Lowy said Monday.Cody Wilson, the director of Ghost Gunner Inc., one of the defendants, called the suits “low effort attempts to confuse the public and frustrate the lawful purpose of making your own firearms in California.” The other 12 defendants, most of them online retailers, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.The plaintiffs include the families of Michelle McFayden, Diana Steele, Daniel Le, and Joseph McHugh, who died in the November 2017 shooting, and Francisco Cardenas, who suffered serious injuries.Investigators say the shooter, Kevin Neal, manufactured an unregistered rifle used in the rampage with ghost gun parts despite being ordered by a judge to surrender all his weapons as part of a restraining order.Neal, 44, killed his wife and four others before he died by suicide while being chased by deputies in Northern California’s Tehama County. Neal targeted an elementary school while randomly shooting at homes and motorists in a sprawling rural subdivision about 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of Sacramento.“Defendants knew when they entered this business that they would foreseeably be supplying criminals, killers, and others whose possession of firearms pose an unacceptably high threat of injury or death to others,” the California court filings say. Their marketing materials “intentionally targeted prohibited persons and other dangerous individuals like Neal. Such tactics and practices were unfair, immoral, unethical, oppressive, and unscrupulous.”The cases were filed in Superior Court of Orange County and San Bernardino County. It’s possible the two lawsuits could be consolidated into a single trial, Lowy said.The court filings ask for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.“Companies who evade state and federal gun safety laws in order to market gun kits to people who cannot lawfully buy or possess guns in California should face liability for their negligence,” said Brady United co-counsel Amy Van Zant.The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives doesn’t consider the do-it-yourself kits to be firearms, so buyers don’t have to undergo the usual background checks and in most states the guns are not required to have serial numbers.In September California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to order ATF to change its policy, arguing that it violates the common definition of a firearm under federal law.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on http://techcrunchapp.com/golden-state-killer-suspect-to-plead-guilty-los-angeles-times/

Golden State Killer suspect to plead guilty - Los Angeles Times

In a moment his victims have long awaited, a 74-year-old former police officer who terrorized California as the Golden State Killer began pleading guilty to a long list of charges Monday in a university ballroom turned courtroom.

Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., clad in orange jail clothing and wearing a clear protective face shield, sat onstage at Cal State Sacramento, with cameras projecting his face onto the ballroom wall so all could see — bringing the Golden State Killer case to a close with more spectacle than court decorum.

DeAngelo scarcely spoke during the early part of the hearing, only answering questions from Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman in a shaky “yes” or “no.”

The plea hearing was scripted, allowing no room for ad-libbed confessions. DeAngelo is expected to admit guilt to 13 murders, 13 charges of kidnapping for purposes of robbery — the only crimes he is charged with — as well as some 62 other crimes of rape and abduction for which the statutes of limitations long ago expired.

The crime series ran from at least 1973 to 1986 and involved attacks on some 106 children, men and women. Fifty women were raped. Thirteen people were killed.

Sacramento County Assistant Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Thien Ho called the crimes “simply staggering” in scope.

“His monikers reflect the sweeping geographical impact of his crime,” Ho said, adding, “each time, he escaped — slipping away silently into the night, leaving communities terrified for years.”

Detectives did not have a final named suspect until 2018, when they used crime-scene DNA and genealogy services to identify the killer’s cousin and then, finally, DeAngelo.

Sitting in a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department interview room hours after his arrest, Ho said DeAngelo spoke to himself, saying: “I did all those things. I’ve destroyed all their lives. So now, I’ve got to pay the price.”

Prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty — the main request made by DeAngelo’s public defenders. In return for his guilty plea, DeAngelo will be sentenced to prison for the rest of his life.

The public will also be spared years of criminal proceedings, which prosecutors estimated could have cost more than $20 million. There will be no need for testimony by scores of rape victims, family members of those murdered and DeAngelo’s three daughters and ex-wife.

District attorneys from the eight counties prosecuting DeAngelo took the stage Monday to read into the record descriptions of the crimes.

As details about the murders of two other victims — Greg Sanchez and Cheri Domingo — were read aloud, Cheri’s daughter, Debbie Domingo, stood to face DeAngelo.

Jennifer Carole also stood, hands gripped behind her back, as the 1980 bedroom murders of her father and stepmother, Lyman and Charlene Smith, were described. She took off her mask so she could be seen, but did not make eye contact with DeAngelo.

Afterward, retired Sacramento County sheriff’s Det. Carol Daly stepped up to give Carole a hug.

DeAngelo’s whispery voice and wheelchair did not evoke any sympathy from Carole.

“Rest assured, it’s still an act,” she said, echoing the opening statement by prosecutors who said DeAngelo briefly feigned insanity when arrested for shoplifting in 1979 and suggested his statements of an alter ego when he was arrested in 2018 were conjured.

Six family members of Janelle Cruz, DeAngelo’s last known victim, stood together to confront him as he pleaded guilty to murder and admitted raping the 18-year-old.

Cruz was bludgeoned to death in 1986 with what detectives believe was a pipe wrench that had been stolen from the family’s backyard days earlier.

DeAngelo appeared to look down, not returning their gaze.

He again looked down as four relatives of Brian and Katie Maggiore, chased down and shot while taking an evening stroll in Rancho Cordova, stood just feet away from the raised stage where DeAngelo and his lawyers sat.

“How do you plead to that sir?” the judge asked. DeAngelo turned to his lawyer for a prompt, paused briefly before answering, “Guilty.”

All the women who were raped were referred to as “Jane Doe,” a decision that was criticized before the hearing by some who seek to be shed of decades of social stigma over their attacks.

“I don’t want that,” said Kris Pedretti, who was 15 when she became the 10th victim of a serial predator operating in the suburbs of Sacramento and known then as the East Area Rapist. “I want to be seen as a real person that he did this to and not as some Jane Doe.”

The Sacramento County district attorney’s office told Pedretti the decision had been made for her, she said, but conceded her request to be allowed to stand during the hearing when her 1976 attack is mentioned.

“We don’t have anything to be ashamed of, so we can stand up and he can take a look at us,” Pedretti said. “We’re not afraid of him. I think that’s more powerful than us staying seated and being a Jane Doe. Because, if he looks out, he doesn’t know who is who. He will today.”

While details about how DeAngelo had raped her were being read, Jane Carson-Sandler walked up to the edge of the stage to face DeAngelo squarely. He did not look at her.

Other victims silently cried, dabbing their eyes with tissue they had brought with them.

Because of COVID-19 spacing requirements, the proceeding was moved to the ballroom at Cal State Sacramento, the school from which DeAngelo received a criminal justice degree in 1972. The audience was composed almost entirely of victims and their families, with spaces awarded by lottery for 27 members of the media.

Unlike the mock court proceedings held in Sacramento school gymnasiums, the ballroom was not laid out to resemble a courtroom.

The judge, defendant and lawyers faced an audience of nearly 200 and banks of television cameras. Large projection screens displayed the faces of those at the podium, much like at a political rally. The hearing was livestreamed by Sacramento County Superior Court, a national true-crime entertainment network and multiple news programs.

“All that’s missing are the lions,” said one anonymous court official.

There was one notable empty chair in the ballroom — that of Phyllis Henneman, the first-recognized victim of the East Area Rapist. Henneman, who has been battling cancer for the past year, was admitted to the hospital over the weekend.

Nearly 40 victims and family members rose and stood silently to face DeAngelo when it came time to read the charges for the 1976 rape of Henneman.

Judicial experts said there is little the courts can do to stop such hoopla from forcing a balancing act between 1st Amendment rights to public access and 6th Amendment rights to a fair trial.

“It’s the reality of today’s world,” said U.S. District Senior Judge Reggie B. Walton, who presided over the 2007 perjury trial of former White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, covered by news outlets across the world, and who most recently ruled on U.S. Department of Justice censorship of the highly politicized Robert S. Mueller III report.

“That’s just something that courts have to adapt to and put in place — processes that make the proceedings accessible to all of those who are concerned but at the same time, not letting that accessibility impact on the obligation to be fair to both sides,” Walton said.

“It’s a challenge, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”

Trials such as this fed a public appetite for drama long before there was reality television programming.

“We watched O.J., both the Bronco chase and the trial, like it was on HBO,” said Benjamin Holden, a lawyer-turned-reporter who covered the 1995 Los Angeles double murder trial of former football star O.J. Simpson and now teaches media law at the Illinois College of Media. “Not only are we to be burdened with this affliction of entertainment rearing its ugly head in the courtroom, we probably always have.”

From beginning to end, the crimes involving DeAngelo played out in the public eye.

The East Area Rapist drew so much media attention that he caused a public panic, prompting citizen patrols, bounties and a run on sales of guns, door locks and guard dogs. Midway through the series of rapes, detectives believe, the attacker began to feed off that public hysteria, and he began to instruct victims to pass on death threats to the police and future victims.

DeAngelo was fired from his Auburn, Calif., police job in 1979 after he was caught shoplifting. The murders that ensued as he and his wife moved to Southern California — again involving bedroom attacks and rapes — at first went unconnected. The unknown assailant was given new local nicknames: the Diamond-Knot Killer and the Night Stalker, later changed to Original Night Stalker after another serial killer took that sobriquet.

Advances in forensic DNA changed the case dramatically. In 2001, detectives were able to link the attacks up and down the state.

Homicide experts said serial killers themselves often have no insight into their crimes, and often blame them on external forces.

“At their core, serial killers are manipulative, egocentric, disingenuous, dysfunctional, unreliable and mean-spirited,” said Enzo Yaksic, founder of the Atypical Homicide Research Group, a national network of law enforcement, forensic psychiatrists and others who study serial killers. “It is their own personalities that lead others to ostracize them, which in turn urges the serial killer to adopt a negative worldview. Serial killers grow accustomed to being on the fringe of society and come to enjoy the duality of their lives.”

The crime spree became media fodder again as a television series, then was picked up by a Los Angeles writer, Michelle McNamara, who re-branded the perpetrator as the Golden State Killer and marketed a book on her attempts to chronicle, and perhaps solve, the crimes.

A 2016 decision by unnamed investigators at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to break the chain of custody and allow McNamara to take home 37 boxes of case files and two bins of evidence has now become fodder for legal challenges against the law enforcement agency. The defense lawyer for a man serving life in prison for another DNA-solved rape and murder cited the evidence breach to support his own allegations of laxity and misconduct within the county crime lab.

The defense lawyer said McNamara’s research assistant told him the case files were returned to Orange County after McNamara’s sudden death in April 2016, before the release of her book, which has been turned into an HBO series. The first episode aired Sunday, and the series is to conclude just before DeAngelo’s sentencing in August.

Victims have been told to prepare impact statements to be read aloud during proceedings expected to last a week before DeAngelo’s sentence is declared.

[thekillerblogofkillers]

Robert Alton Harrison (1953-1992)

Robert Alton Harrison was an American murderer who was executed in San Quentin’s gas chamber in 1992 in connection with the 1978 murders of 2 teenage boys in San Diego. His execution was the first in the state of California since 1967. He was born at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on January 15, 1953, the 5th of 9 children born to Kenneth and Evelyn Harris. Kenneth was a sergeant in the US Army who earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service in WWII. Both of Harris’ parents were alcoholics and Robert was born 2 months premature as a result of Kenneth kicking his wife in the abdomen. It is also believed that Robert suffered with foetal alcohol syndrome and was often the target of abuse from his father, who believed Robert was the result of his wife having an affair. The family moved to Visalia, California in 1962 after Kenneth Harris was discharged from the Army. Kenneth was jailed in 1963 for 18 months and again in 1964, both times for sexually abusing his daughters. With Kenneth in jail, the rest of the family lived a migrant life around the San Joaquin Valley.

Robert spent 4 months in juvenile detention at around 13 for stealing a car. During his time there, Harris was repeatedly raped. In 1967, Harris was abandoned by his mother in Sacramento, leaving him to fend for himself. After making his way to Oklahoma to live with his brother and sister, he stole a car and ended up being arrested in Florida. He spent the following 3 years in the Florida juvenile detention system but when he turned 19, the system couldn’t keep him and he was sent to Chula Vista, California. In June 1973 Harris got married and had a son, Robert Jr., born in October 1974. The following year whilst living in a trailer park in Imperial County, Harris beat his brother’s roommate to death, claiming he was protecting the roommate’s wife, but it was later determined that he beat the victim without any provocation. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and imprisoned in San Luis Obispo – during this time Harris’ wife filed for divorce. Harris was paroled in January 1978.

In May-June 1978, Harris, now 25, asked his brother Daniel, 18, to help him plan a bank robbery. On July 2, Daniel stole 2 guns from a neighbour’s house in Visalia, California, and the 2 drove to San Diego that night. They spent the next few days buying ammo and practicing the robbery in a rural area near Miramar Lake. On July 5, the Harris brothers encountered John Mayeski and Michael Baker, both 16, sitting in a green Ford LTD eating burgers in a supermarket parking lot in Mira Mesa. Mayeski and Baker were best friends who were going to spend the day fishing to celebrate Mayeski’s new driving licence. Robert Harris hijacked Mayeski’s car and ordered him to drive to Miramar Lake, with Daniel Harris following behind. Robert Harris told the boys that they would be using the car to rob a bank, but nobody would get hurt. At Miramar Lake, the Harris brothers ordered the boys to kneel down – the boys began to pray. Robert told the boys to “quit crying, and die like men” before shooting the boys multiple time. The Harris brothers then returned to Robert’s home and finished the victims’ half-eaten burgers while Robert boasted about the killings. Around half an hour later, the brothers robbed the Mira Mesa branch of the San Diego Trust and Savings Bank across the street from where they had abducted the 2 boys, and managed to flee with about $2,000. A witness followed the brothers home and called police. They were arrested less than an hour after the robbery. One of the officers that apprehended the brothers was Steven Baker, father of victim Michael Baker, who at the time was unaware that his son had been killed, let alone by one of the men he was arresting.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges of auto theft, kidnapping, murder and burglary against Harris, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed bank robbery charges against him. On March 6, 1979, he was convicted in the San Diego County Superior Court of 2 counts of 1st degree murder with special circumstances as well as 2 counts of kidnapping, and was sentenced to death. Daniel Harris was convicted of kidnapping and was sentenced to 6 years in state prison – he was released in 1983. A clemency appeal to California governor Pete Wilson (mayor of San Diego at the time of the murders) was rejected in a live TV news conference, where Wilson read a statement acknowledging Harris’ abusive childhood but ended with a clear rejection of the clemency request, stating: “As great as is my compassion for Robert Harris the child, I cannot excuse or forgive the choice made by Robert Harris the man.” Wilson left without waiting for questions. In 1990, federal appeals court Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. issued a stay of execution, as Harris argued that childhood brain damage interfered with his judgement during his crimes.

Harris was executed on April 21, 1992, in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison. It was the first execution in California in 25 years. For his last meal, he requested and received a 21-piece bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, 2 large Domino’s pizzas, a bag of jelly beans, a 6-pack of Pepsi and a pack of Camel cigarettes. At 6:01am Harris was escorted into the gas chamber. The execution order was given at 6:07am and Harris died at 6:21am. His body was removed from the chamber at 7:00am and was taken to a funeral home at 8:15am. Harris’ execution was originally scheduled for 12:01am on the morning of April 21, but a series of 4 stays issued by 9th circuit appeal court delayed the execution until just after 6am. In the order vacating the 4th stay of execution, the U.S. Supreme Court stated, “No further stays of Robert Alton Harris’s execution shall be entered by the Federal courts except upon order of this Court.” Harris’ execution is specifically remembers for his odd choice of last words: “You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everybody dances with the grim reaper,” a misquotation of a line from the 1991 film Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.