This letter, penned to me, by a Pittsburgh, PA former defense/prosecutor truly lifted my spirits. No it cannot bring my child back nor give me happiness or love from Justin back. However; what Edwards word proved to me is I am not in denial and I see very clearly what is wrong with Americas judicial system. Stand up, shout out, this system must be stopped and repaired before more innocent people or their loved ones die over senseless human mistakes. I am Justin's [sadly bereaved] momma
Hi Karen,
I wanted to reply to your heartfelt message sooner but it is taken me this long to assimilate and appreciate the import of your email. I hope this doesn't offend you, but when I first saw your picture I said to myself...that is one sad lady. After reading your story, I now understand why I had that weird impression. Before I begin to speak to your message, please be forewarned that I tend to babble and that brevity has never been my friend.
I have read as much as I could about Justin. He struck me as a fine, young man who would make any parent proud. To be struck down so early in life by a career criminal who never should have been breathing the same air as your son is an insult to all righteous people who believe in the sanctity of life. As you mentioned, this dirt-bag Williams should never have been unleashed on society in the first place. Had egregious mistakes not been made by those whose job is to protect society from degenerates, then your fine son would be with you today. How sad.
What really upset me was knowing that Williams will be eligible for parole in 2040 when he will only be 52 years old. We will provide him with life's necessities for 28 years and then a liberal parole board will probably release him to commit more atrocities. (I was a parole agent so I know a little about the system and how it works.) To add insult upon injury, his attorney-in-denial had the audacity to justify this reprobates behavior by insinuating the lenient sentence for first degree murder proved that his client was not some heartless soul. (My words but since I was also a defense attorney, I know from what I speak) To inflict further insult, the court sentenced the getaway driver to only fifteen years meaning he will probably be unleashed upon an unsuspecting society in 2021. Twenty-five and ten years respectively for FIRST DEGREE MURDER. Where is the justice?
{*Edward responded with the following pursuant to my complaint from Mr. & Mrs. Dan McCanns last meeting with the Baltimore City Police Department about their 16 year old daughter, Annie McCanns unsolved 5 year old murder, they were told they COULD NOT take notes?}
*You mentioned note taking in your moving story and I agree that it is ridiculous to deny individuals this right. Did you know that only eleven states expressly allow jurors to take notes during a jury trial? One state prohibits it and the rest leave it to the discretion of the judge. And with this collection of demigods deciding this important right (in my opinion jurors return a more rational sentence when they have the opportunity to memorialize testimony in the form of notes), only 37% recommend that jurors be encouraged to take notes during testimony. How is justice served if all precautions to ensure objectivity and fairness are eviscerated? It is because of this and much, much more that I refer to our judicial operations as the Criminal Injustice System.
I found it intolerable that the police and prosecutors seemed to minimize your son's death by implying that he was a drug dealer. Even if he imbibed occasionally, so what? And when did he find the time to get high? According to what I read, this man worked three jobs, tutored other students, and socialized with staff and classmates. Unlike Williams, he had no prior criminal record. He was a superior student. He was liked and respected by all. The participants in the Criminal Injustice system should have portrayed Justin as someone worthy of emulation. He should have been lionized, not criticized. How disturbing this must have been for you, to hear your son's life besmirched and degraded while his killer is granted every right, every privilege, every benefit of an inept system.
Allow me to digress with examples of the injustices in our country. While I was employed as a Protective Services Worker in northern California, the case of Polly Klass attracted national attention. This nine-year old angel was kidnapped and brutally raped by one Richard Allen in 1993. He was subsequently convicted of murder with special circumstances and sentenced to death in 1996. Upon conviction, he raised the middle fingers of both hands to the court as a parting gesture. As of today, he is on death row and still fighting his conviction due to a denial of his rights. Can you believe that? What about poor Polly's rights? The point of this story is that shortly after the kidnapping, Allen was stopped by the California Highway Patrol or the County Sheriff in a deserted stretch of a rural road. The traumatized Polly lay twenty yards away too petrified to scream. All the police had to do was to conduct a routine search of the area and they would have discovered the little girl and she would be alive today. But no, they didn't do that because they were afraid they would be accused of violating the suspects rights.
In 2005, Jessica Lunsford, a gorgeous nine-year old toddler, was kidnapped by a convicted pedophile named John Couey in Florida. Couey had an extended history of arrests dating back thirty years. The girl was removed from her home to a neighboring house where Couey lived with his half-sister and four other criminals.
Twice during the investigation, police questioned the half-sister and several of the residents. They had a suspicion that something was amiss but they did not have PROBABLE CAUSE to search the premises. They were unaware that Jessica, shackled and muffled, lay hidden in the closet. She was still alive during these visits by the police. The girl was subsequently brutally raped and then buried alive. She died from asphyxiation.
Couey was later convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to death. Before the state of Florida could execute the soulless predator, he died in prison.
John Walsh, best known for his television show, America's Most Wanted, underwent a tragedy similar as yours when his six-year old son, Adam, was kidnapped in1981. A suspect was quickly identified-Otis Toole. Along with Henry Lee Lucas, this pair of serial killers slaughtered between 50 and 100 individuals in the eighties. Toole, a practicing cannibal, was eventually convicted off several murders and died in prison before he could be executed. When he was questioned regarding the disappearance of young Adam Walsh, he denied any involvement. The police searched his residence and car for clues. Pictures were taken, evidentiary items cataloged. Nothing. Then, in the late 2000's, Walsh and his wife contacted a former police officer and requested his help in apprehending the actual and finally achieving closure. The officer requested and was given all the files pertaining to the Walsh murder 27 years earlier. He analyzed every single item in the files until he uncovered a photograph of Toole's car. It was a picture of blood on the backseat floor and it appeared to be the image of a face! After more investigating and analysis by forensics, it was determined that the image was that of Adam, captured for posterity in his own blood.
The Florida prosecutor's office later admitted that its investigators mishandled the case and apologized to the Walsh's. For over twenty years, the couple agonized over their son's death, not knowing the true circumstances. Utilizing routine investigative skills, the police would have quickly concluded that Toole was the murderer and the Walsh's twenty plus years of agonizing would have been avoided.
I could add more anecdotes but I do not wish to belabor the point. Mistakes are made every day which diminish the value of victims and coddle the accused. When I was researching my book concerning serial killers (it turned out to be too long, too convoluted, too much of this, etc. but I am re-editing it) I discovered numerous cases where mistakes were made by psychiatrists, social workers, police officers, penal authorities, and even judges that allowed serial killers to walk free, to be able to continue their murderous rampage. Scores of innocent victims could have been saved had only the people in charge done what they were supposed to do. Had they only done their job, nothing more, nothing less.
Before you fall asleep, I will conclude my dissertation. I can only applaud your efforts and courage. Because of you, victims have a voice. You speak for those who cannot. Your work offers solace and comfort to those who grieve for their loved ones. I hope you continue to fight the good fight, to rail against the injustices of this society, to provide a bastions of relief to those who need it the most. My hat is off to you, Karen. I hope some day we can meet. I will borrow a phrase from Mr. Spock when I say, live long and prosper.
Respectfully,
Edward
Hi Karen,
I wanted to reply to your heartfelt message sooner but it is taken me this long to assimilate and appreciate the import of your email. I hope this doesn't offend you, but when I first saw your picture I said to myself...that is one sad lady. After reading your story, I now understand why I had that weird impression. Before I begin to speak to your message, please be forewarned that I tend to babble and that brevity has never been my friend.
I have read as much as I could about Justin. He struck me as a fine, young man who would make any parent proud. To be struck down so early in life by a career criminal who never should have been breathing the same air as your son is an insult to all righteous people who believe in the sanctity of life. As you mentioned, this dirt-bag Williams should never have been unleashed on society in the first place. Had egregious mistakes not been made by those whose job is to protect society from degenerates, then your fine son would be with you today. How sad.
What really upset me was knowing that Williams will be eligible for parole in 2040 when he will only be 52 years old. We will provide him with life's necessities for 28 years and then a liberal parole board will probably release him to commit more atrocities. (I was a parole agent so I know a little about the system and how it works.) To add insult upon injury, his attorney-in-denial had the audacity to justify this reprobates behavior by insinuating the lenient sentence for first degree murder proved that his client was not some heartless soul. (My words but since I was also a defense attorney, I know from what I speak) To inflict further insult, the court sentenced the getaway driver to only fifteen years meaning he will probably be unleashed upon an unsuspecting society in 2021. Twenty-five and ten years respectively for FIRST DEGREE MURDER. Where is the justice?
{*Edward responded with the following pursuant to my complaint from Mr. & Mrs. Dan McCanns last meeting with the Baltimore City Police Department about their 16 year old daughter, Annie McCanns unsolved 5 year old murder, they were told they COULD NOT take notes?}
*You mentioned note taking in your moving story and I agree that it is ridiculous to deny individuals this right. Did you know that only eleven states expressly allow jurors to take notes during a jury trial? One state prohibits it and the rest leave it to the discretion of the judge. And with this collection of demigods deciding this important right (in my opinion jurors return a more rational sentence when they have the opportunity to memorialize testimony in the form of notes), only 37% recommend that jurors be encouraged to take notes during testimony. How is justice served if all precautions to ensure objectivity and fairness are eviscerated? It is because of this and much, much more that I refer to our judicial operations as the Criminal Injustice System.
I found it intolerable that the police and prosecutors seemed to minimize your son's death by implying that he was a drug dealer. Even if he imbibed occasionally, so what? And when did he find the time to get high? According to what I read, this man worked three jobs, tutored other students, and socialized with staff and classmates. Unlike Williams, he had no prior criminal record. He was a superior student. He was liked and respected by all. The participants in the Criminal Injustice system should have portrayed Justin as someone worthy of emulation. He should have been lionized, not criticized. How disturbing this must have been for you, to hear your son's life besmirched and degraded while his killer is granted every right, every privilege, every benefit of an inept system.
Allow me to digress with examples of the injustices in our country. While I was employed as a Protective Services Worker in northern California, the case of Polly Klass attracted national attention. This nine-year old angel was kidnapped and brutally raped by one Richard Allen in 1993. He was subsequently convicted of murder with special circumstances and sentenced to death in 1996. Upon conviction, he raised the middle fingers of both hands to the court as a parting gesture. As of today, he is on death row and still fighting his conviction due to a denial of his rights. Can you believe that? What about poor Polly's rights? The point of this story is that shortly after the kidnapping, Allen was stopped by the California Highway Patrol or the County Sheriff in a deserted stretch of a rural road. The traumatized Polly lay twenty yards away too petrified to scream. All the police had to do was to conduct a routine search of the area and they would have discovered the little girl and she would be alive today. But no, they didn't do that because they were afraid they would be accused of violating the suspects rights.
In 2005, Jessica Lunsford, a gorgeous nine-year old toddler, was kidnapped by a convicted pedophile named John Couey in Florida. Couey had an extended history of arrests dating back thirty years. The girl was removed from her home to a neighboring house where Couey lived with his half-sister and four other criminals.
Twice during the investigation, police questioned the half-sister and several of the residents. They had a suspicion that something was amiss but they did not have PROBABLE CAUSE to search the premises. They were unaware that Jessica, shackled and muffled, lay hidden in the closet. She was still alive during these visits by the police. The girl was subsequently brutally raped and then buried alive. She died from asphyxiation.
Couey was later convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to death. Before the state of Florida could execute the soulless predator, he died in prison.
John Walsh, best known for his television show, America's Most Wanted, underwent a tragedy similar as yours when his six-year old son, Adam, was kidnapped in1981. A suspect was quickly identified-Otis Toole. Along with Henry Lee Lucas, this pair of serial killers slaughtered between 50 and 100 individuals in the eighties. Toole, a practicing cannibal, was eventually convicted off several murders and died in prison before he could be executed. When he was questioned regarding the disappearance of young Adam Walsh, he denied any involvement. The police searched his residence and car for clues. Pictures were taken, evidentiary items cataloged. Nothing. Then, in the late 2000's, Walsh and his wife contacted a former police officer and requested his help in apprehending the actual and finally achieving closure. The officer requested and was given all the files pertaining to the Walsh murder 27 years earlier. He analyzed every single item in the files until he uncovered a photograph of Toole's car. It was a picture of blood on the backseat floor and it appeared to be the image of a face! After more investigating and analysis by forensics, it was determined that the image was that of Adam, captured for posterity in his own blood.
The Florida prosecutor's office later admitted that its investigators mishandled the case and apologized to the Walsh's. For over twenty years, the couple agonized over their son's death, not knowing the true circumstances. Utilizing routine investigative skills, the police would have quickly concluded that Toole was the murderer and the Walsh's twenty plus years of agonizing would have been avoided.
I could add more anecdotes but I do not wish to belabor the point. Mistakes are made every day which diminish the value of victims and coddle the accused. When I was researching my book concerning serial killers (it turned out to be too long, too convoluted, too much of this, etc. but I am re-editing it) I discovered numerous cases where mistakes were made by psychiatrists, social workers, police officers, penal authorities, and even judges that allowed serial killers to walk free, to be able to continue their murderous rampage. Scores of innocent victims could have been saved had only the people in charge done what they were supposed to do. Had they only done their job, nothing more, nothing less.
Before you fall asleep, I will conclude my dissertation. I can only applaud your efforts and courage. Because of you, victims have a voice. You speak for those who cannot. Your work offers solace and comfort to those who grieve for their loved ones. I hope you continue to fight the good fight, to rail against the injustices of this society, to provide a bastions of relief to those who need it the most. My hat is off to you, Karen. I hope some day we can meet. I will borrow a phrase from Mr. Spock when I say, live long and prosper.
Respectfully,
Edward
