re: EBRP Deputy shot on O'Neal lane.

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In these situations, a system has been set up to curb their ability to make bad decisions. If the individual has a history of repeated bad decisions, his/her right to make any decisions is taken away from them.

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If only it was that simple & uncomplicated; it is not.

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Undercharging him has prevented the system from working. Plea bargaining to get a better conviction percentage skirted the reason for having a system. Those operating the system failed which caused a good man to lose his life.

Those who failed should now be forced to look his family in the eye and explain how they failed. They can also work harder to support two families. Their own and the one that their actions left without a provider.

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I have no idea the specifics of his prior cases -- if he was "undercharged" & why there was a plea accepted in his prior case(s) -- but if you know the accurate circumstances of all that, especially the prosecution's evidentiary details as far as what evidence they actually had versus what was going to be judged admissible at trial, what credible cooperative witnesses they did or did not have, etc., I'd be interested to know.

Politics are absolutely involved in any DA's office; the position of DA is largely a political one, but to just assume that all pleas & deals of that office with the accused are a result of politics & attempting to pad successful conviction records is much too simplistic of an explanation & is basically just inaccurate.

No doubt prosecutors want to win their cases; no one wants to lose, but for the vast majority of prosecutors, their motivation is not political nor some sort of ego trip. It is to convict the correct people responsible for the crimes, to get a fitting & deserved sentence for the crimes, hopefully so as to prevent the perpetrators from repeating their offenses, and to get justice for the victims & their families, particularly in violent crimes cases.

Although it seems unfair when reading/hearing in the media, after the fact, about deals made with pieces of shite and/or charges reduced, especially if said POS offends again or commits a more serious crime, and that perhaps those crimes could have been avoided had he received a stiffer sentence, usually there is a legitimate, albeit unfortunate & undesirable reason for the "light" sentence and/or reduced charges. Generally, prosecutors are not going to risk an acquittal of a known violent POS criminal in lieu of a felony conviction, even if it's a lesser degree than desired & deserved, and at least some prison time when their cases are mostly circumstantial; they have sketchy, unreliable witnesses with credibility issues; their forensics are lacking; their 'expert' witness testimony will basically be a wash due to 'expert' defense witnesses in battle of the 'experts;' they have a jury sympathetic to the 'plight' of the accused who will look for any excuse to acquit, no matter how minute & nonsensical & who do not have so much 'love' for law enforcement/prosecutors/judicial system; and have a judge whose evidentiary & overall pro-defense/pro-defendant rulings make it extremely difficult for a successful prosecution. I believe I read that one of this deviant thug's victims was a 10-yr-old girl. I wouldn't be surprised if her age & the trauma of a trial, even in closed court or chambers, played a part in any plea regarding that case, but don't know specifics, so can't say for sure.

I have no idea if any of this was the case with this particular POS's prior experience(s) with the judicial system, but I would bet these are some of the reasons for the plea(s) & reduced charges rather than the prosecutors' desire to pad their 'win record' or for political concerns in re the DA. I saw someone comment who was wondering if the judges who accepted light pleas & gave light sentences to this criminal in his prior cases were regretting their actions after his murder of the officer; I doubt it, but I don't doubt the prosecutors previously involved are sick about it.