If you were the jury, what would you do?

[granny2young]

Officials: Dad kills neighbor accused of molesting girl
POSTED: 7:28 p.m. EDT, August 30, 2006

FAIRFIELD, Connecticut (AP) -- A lawyer climbed through a neighbor's bedroom window and stabbed him to death after being told by a family member that the man had molested his 2-year-old daughter, authorities say.

Barry James, 58, was stabbed in the chest nearly a dozen times Monday. The lawyer, Jonathon Edington, 29, was charged with murder and burglary and was released on $1 million bail Wednesday.

Capt. Gary MacNamara said that police had not received a complaint about the child being assaulted before the killing, and "we have no indication it's true or not true."

Edington's attorney, Michael Sherman, said the information came from Edington's wife. "The daughter gave the mother information which was alarming and disturbing. The mom relayed it to her husband. That was the spark," Sherman said.

James' 87-year-old mother discovered his body. When officers went to Edington's home, they found him standing by his kitchen sink with what appeared to be blood on him, and a large kitchen knife next to him on a counter, authorities said

"He's in shock," Edington's attorney said. "This is the most unexpected turn of events one can imagine with this young man's background."

Police had gone to the neighborhood before, when Edington called to complain that he could see James through a window, police said. "Either he was partly clothed or revealed parts of his anatomy that were inappropriate," MacNamara said.

Edington, a graduate of Syracuse University and Fordham University Law School, has been practicing patent law, Sherman said. Police said Edington has no criminal record.

Rita James declined to comment on her son's death.

James served two days behind bars in 2001 on a drunken driving charge, according to the state Correction Department.

"He had some bizarre behavior over the last month," said Darrell Maynard, a neighbor. "He drove his car through his garage, hit the other neighbor's building."

Another time a neighbor found James intoxicated on the street, Maynard said. James shouted obscenities at children, he said.

As for Edington, Maynard said: "Something had to happen that was terrible for this to have occurred." Edington "seemed like a computer geek or something. He was not anybody you would ever feel you were threatened by."

www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/30/neighbor.stabbing.ap/index.html?section=cnn_topstories

[TF Admin]

Unfortunately, for his defense, they will have to put the daughter on the stand. He's still going to face jail time, if it indeed happened. If it turns out that his daughter was not molested, then he most likely play the Insanity card.

I'd convict either way, but I would have to hear the daughter's testimony to know how to sentence. If I did not hear from the daughter directly, I'd still say guilty, and give him 15 to 25 years.

That poor child's life is ruined any way you look at it as well as the victim's family.

TF

[granny2young]

the daughter is 2 years old. My granddaughter is 3. My mind cannot comprehend

[DarkenedSoul]

Well think about this, a Man Die's. Leaving behind the only thing people will remember. He's a Child Molester, never having the chance to prove his Innocents. Only his mother is left to do that, and chances are this will kill her.

[zipzam]

wow... what a sad story... and where to start???

if i were the judge... hmmm.

1st, i'd look at the case of the child molestation and see how much proof was really there.

2nd, we'll assume pretty good proof showed this killed neighbor molested the child, i'd give the father a light sentance IF he'd plead the case out.

what the father did is dead wrong. now... had the court had a chance to prosecute the neighbor and let him go on a "technicality" while the father KNEW the neighbor committed the crime... i'd be a little more lenient.

while the legal system is FAR from perfect... allowing vigilanties (sp?) is even worse.

[rutrow]

Before I can make up my mind on this, I would have to hear more details. Like was there more problems with this James fella before that fatal day? Was he exposing himself in front of the child? Did he make prior improper advances to this child and other children in the neighborhood? It doesn't make sense to me that someone would go berserk over one or two incidents. There has to be more to the story. Something like Edington exhausted all avenues to stop something this guy was doing and he felt that he had no other remedies. I know it still wouldn't make this right even if he had exhausted all avenues. Something had to push this guy over the edge.

What a tragedy. A man lost his life and another may spend the rest of his life in jail. The real loser is the child, who will have recessed memories and no father in her life.

[granny2young]

it is a tuff call either way. On one hand, the legal system cannot allow vigilanties to take justice into their own hands, but there again, if it were your little precious 2 year old you could understand the mentality of ruining a child for the rest of thier life. I would certainly hate to be the judge deciding the fate of this man, but if he is allowed to go free, it opens the door for everyone to go kill someone accused.

[DarkenedSoul]

granny2young said:

it is a tuff call either way. On one hand, the legal system cannot allow vigilanties to take justice into their own hands, but there again, if it were your little precious 2 year old you could understand the mentality of ruining a child for the rest of thier life. I would certainly hate to be the judge deciding the fate of this man, but if he is allowed to go free, it opens the door for everyone to go kill someone accused.

THAT's Right, Only ACCUSED, NEVER PROVEN- YET. If Possible NOW. Reguardless a man took matter's into his OWN hands, with out getting the PROOF he NEEDED.... Right or Wrong he deserve's to Spend his life in Prison. I could understand if he had gone to Court and the system Failed, then Kill if it had been Proven.

My Dark Heart goe's out to the Mother of the Dead man, and mainly the Child..........

[zipzam]

granny2young said:

it is a tuff call either way. On one hand, the legal system cannot allow vigilanties to take justice into their own hands, but there again, if it were your little precious 2 year old you could understand the mentality of ruining a child for the rest of thier life. I would certainly hate to be the judge deciding the fate of this man, but if he is allowed to go free, it opens the door for everyone to go kill someone accused.

not that tough of a call for me granny.

if i were the judge, the best he'd get is the minimum sentance. again, i'd go more on a limb IF the father gave the system a chance to work. i'd have more sympathy for the father IF the neighbor had been prosecuted and let go while the father KNEW the neighbor committed the crime.

we actually have pretty good laws on the book. unfortionately, they aren't enforced like they're suppose to be enforced. a guilty person will walk b/c of who they know while an innocent person will serve b/c of who they don't know.

[All Seeing Eye]

I lean more towards zipzam, but I like TF's suggestion of hearing testimony from the daughter. If she says it happened, and maybe daddy snapped, I'd say 5 to 10 years, possibly minimum, but I think daddy also needs to be psychologically examined. To me that would play a part in my decision. ASE

[DarkenedSoul]

nn. - A lawyer in this quiet suburban community was charged with killing a 58-year-old neighbor he suspected had molested his 2-year-old daughter, prompting police to investigate whether the molestation actually occurred.


"We have no indication it's true or not true," Capt. Gary MacNamara said Wednesday, adding that authorities had not received a complaint about the neighbor before the killing.

Jonathon Edington is accused of stabbing neighbor Barry James to death on Monday after his wife told him that James had inappropriate contact with the child.

"The daughter gave the mother information which was alarming and disturbing. The mom relayed it to her husband. That was the spark," said Edington's attorney, Michael Sherman.

Police said Edington, 29, climbed through James' bedroom window and stabbed him nearly a dozen times in the chest. James' 87-year-old mother, who lives in the house, discovered his body.

Peter Ambrose, an attorney for James' family, said the molestation claim is unsubstantiated.

"There's nothing that would arouse any suspicion," Ambrose told The Associated Press on Thursday. "It's totally without precedent. It's just unfounded. It comes as a complete surprise to his family."

Police had gone to the neighborhood before, when Edington called to complain that he could see James through a window, police said. "Either he was partly clothed or revealed parts of his anatomy that were inappropriate," MacNamara said.

Edington, a graduate of Syracuse University and Fordham University Law School, has no criminal record, police said. James served two days in prison in May 2001 on a drunken driving charge, according to the state Department of Correction.

Pat Wysocki, a neighbor who has known the James family for 39 years, described Barry James as a "very nice fellow" who worked for a funeral home and said she found it hard to believe he would molest a child.

"But then again, you don't know," she said.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060831/ap_on_re_us/neighbor_stabbing



Before you people convict him, let's make sure hes GUILTY.

[TF Admin]

Hey DS

Granny asked what we would do if we were on the jury? We can only go on the information we have, which is little, but we are just speculating. I think most everyone is asking for more info. which we will probably get in the near future.

TF

[DarkenedSoul]

admin said:

Hey DS

Granny asked what we would do if we were on the jury? We can only go on the information we have, which is little, but we are just speculating. I think most everyone is asking for more info. which we will probably get in the near future.

TF

To Bad the Moron had to Kill the suspect, BUTT heres more on the story. And Granny asked a Question about what we would DO, with out any PROOF. And only the One sided story. How do you think this Man's Family feel's. He's DEAD and NO ONE to DEFEND HIM. Guilty or NOT we are all INNOCENT until Proven GUILTY. So HOW can You expect US to make a JUDGEMENT CALL like That. With Little or NO PROOF.

[granny2young]

that is true dark, no way to actually say what you would do with just this little information. I was (like the media main frame) assuming the man was guilty of molesting the little 2 year old.

[King Rat]

If I were on the jury and the defense convinced me that the dead guy did molest the defendant's child I would vote NOT GUILTY. Period. No "minimum" sentence. NOT GUILTY. Without convincing evidence of the molestation I would vote guilty.