Prosecutor: Moussaoui (death penalty) case may not go forward

[DeepModem Mom]

(Note on edit: It's the death penalty part of the case that is the issue here. Life in prison is apparently still an option. The articles are unclear, especially in the first few paragraphs.)

CNN: Prosecutor: Moussaoui case may not go forward
U.S. mulls appeal, other options after judge bars key witnesses
From Phil Hirschkorn
CNN
Wednesday, March 15, 2006


ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors are considering abandoning their crippled death penalty case against al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, a transcript of a closed-door meeting with the judge reveals.

"Without some relief, frankly, I think that there's no point for us to go forward," prosecutor Robert Spencer told U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema after a ruling Tuesday that gutted half his case.

Because of misconduct by a government attorney, Carla Martin, Brinkema decided to bar "any and all witnesses and evidence dealing whatsoever" with aviation security.

She lambasted prosecutors, saying, "In the annals of criminal law, I don't know if there has ever been a case with this many significant problems."

Moussaoui has admitted participating in an al Qaeda plan to fly jetliners into landmark U.S. buildings. A jury has been hearing testimony that will help them decide whether Moussaoui should be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison....


http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/03/15/moussaoui.trial/index.html

[saigon68]

1. ASS-CLOWNS in 3 Piece Suits

I especially enjoyed the Victims Family members,

pining for revenge BUT now being shut out from watching the guy get fried.

[BR_Parkway]

2. IF you were one of the MIHOP/LIHOP crowd, you'd almost have to

wonder how the government could have been so incompetent (even blatantly doing the opposite of what the judge ordered) in a case where the guy already pled guilty.

just saying...

[ewagner]

5. I'm not LIHOP or MIHOP

yet.....

but a couple more of these incredibly bizarre events and I'm on-board :tinfoilhat:

an experienced federal prosecutor COACHING MULTIPLE WITNESSES?

come

on

now

:tinfoilhat:

[worldgonekrazy]

6. It does almost seem as if they WANTED to blow it

I mean, it seems like it should've been a slam dunk case, yet they coached witnesses against a man who had already admitted to the crime.

But one thing that confuses me: does this mean the case is thrown out altogether, or just the death penalty option?

On edit: The article indicates that only the death penalty option is being thrown out here: Brinkema's ruling stopped short of granting the defense request to dismiss the death penalty option, but it gutted half of the government's case for executing Moussaoui.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. I edited the subject line to make it clearer that the death penalty...

is the issue. I've now read three articles about this to get a better picture of what is going on. Thanks for your post!

[Fredda Weinberg]

8. It was never open and shut for the death penalty

Yeah, the bastard was taking flight lessons, but the government's argument hinged on its ability to respond to a known threat. Its own witnesses undercut the case, hence the witness coaching.

In its own crude way, justice is being served.

[Virginia Dare]

3. This is just too convenient...

another VERY strange turn of events surrounding the whole 9/11 thing.

[Rex]

4. Coaching witnesses, how amateurish.

I laugh at the criminal justice system - might as well put on some clown makeup and start honking an oversized horn!

Criminal justice? Honk, honk!

[sattahipdeep]

10. Clown

Honk, honk!

[Rex]

12. Honk honk!

"Sit, beg, rollover, loose my job."

[sattahipdeep]

9. Silent Wings

seemslikeadream (1000+ posts)
Wed Mar-15-06 03:14 PM

#26. STOP THE TRIAL NO MORE TESTIMONY

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2146415#2167997?az=view_all&address=102x2146415

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2146415#2146885

Thank you seemslikeadream

[BR_Parkway]

11. Are you saying the prosecutor deliberately tanked it to prevent Able Dange

Danger testimony from being called on the defense side? Wow!

[Geoff R. Casavant]

13. Just a clarification

Moussaoui is already getting life in prison regardless because he pled guilty and that's the minimum sentence.

This current trial is to see if they will kick it up a notch to the death penalty.

[DeepModem Mom]

17. Thanks, Geoff -- see post 16. nt

[leesa]

14. Of corse not, because the US government did 9-11 and calling his witnesses

might expose that, right Curt Weldon?

[sattahipdeep]

20. $120,000 a year (Carla Martin)

Now Martin is facing charges. Brinkema told her she could be
charged with civil or criminal contempt, and later said she
appeared to have violated rules of legal ethics. That means she
could be fined, disbarred or imprisoned, or some combination of those.

Martin, whose formal title is attorney-adviser, earns about
$120,000 a year, according to TSA officials. She came to the
agency from the Federal Aviation Administration in April 2002.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5690604,00.html

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/03/16/national/a063135S84.DTL

She came from the Federal Aviation Administration in April 2002 :eyes:

Carla Martin what she did was evil?

[HuffleClaw]

15. so, basically they SCREWED UP their ONLY '911' case ?

is that the bottom line here?

[DeepModem Mom]

16. IMPORTANT: Moussaoui will be sentenced to at least life in prison

"Since he pleaded guilty to conspiring with al Qaeda to hijack planes and crash them into buildings, the only question for jurors is Moussaoui's punishment.

If the jury rejects the death penalty, Moussaoui, a 37-year-old French citizen of Moroccan heritage, will be sentenced to life in prison."

[Bassic]

18. As far as I'm concerned, life in prison

is better than death. Not only am I against the death penalty, I would also want to prevent him from thinking he's only going to paradise with 70 virgins for the few remaining years of his life.

[saigon68]

21. J'aime votre ligne de signature

[Bassic]

22. Merci, j'aime bien les textes de Félix Leclerc. nt

[sattahipdeep]

19. "Nothing Moussaoui did or said even a lie caused anyone to die that day"

Considered a headache and even called "cuckoo in the head ''
by one al-Qaida leader, Moussaoui "was intentionally isolated
from the real hijackers in the United States,'' MacMahon argued.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5667382,00.html

Zacarias Moussaoui he's the only one they have.

Sunday March 5, 2006 6:31 PM

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Zacarias Moussaoui may be the
defendant, but it's the FBI that will likely be on trial once
testimony begins Monday in the confessed al-Qaida :eyes:
conspirator's death penalty trial.

Much of the evidence against Moussaoui is still classified and
will be available to the jury and lawyers but not made public.:eyes:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5664669,00.html