re: Update: Alleged Perp in custody: Garret James Ward of BR for 2nd Degree murder

Ok I've got to say 1st, if this is true, frick Ward and let him rot for a majority of his good years on this earth.

2nd and maybe most important of all, if it was this bad then obviously the cops knew it was this bad from the second degree battery charge the night of, yet the judge set a 10k bond and let him right back on the street while a man was left clinging to life. On what world does this make sense or is NO court system just full of the biggest pieces of shite that society could drum up? Seriously, you have a witness statement that this guy did all that and they let him out hrs after with a bail similar to reckless driving or theft? I'm not saying he should have been denied any rights to bail but 10k after that? Just blows my mind. I had to bail a friend out of Morgan City on DUI 1st offense and judge set bond at 2,500 and held him 48 hrs bc we disturbed his fishing. Someone needs to set fire to the entire city of New Orleans and start over.

And I say all this only if what the witnesses are saying happened actually happened. But even then that is pretty much all the judge had to go on and still said frick it, 10k and you can head home. See you in court in a couple months bro.

I see where you’re coming from, but I respectfully disagree. I can certainly understand feeling “threatened” by pandhanders depending on the context, time, and location. Does it give One the right to kill a man? Probably not, but it absolutely in my mind lessens the moral blame of the culprit relative to beating a completely innocent bystander to death.

Do I think it’s a defense to get off free and clear? No, of course not...I’m just saying In the minds of a reasonable person the victim certainly in some way contributed to his own demise if he in any way instigated the entire interaction, whether by panhandling or whatever.

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So we’ve had witness claim that the victim was attacked while breaking up a dispute between Garrett and an unknown female

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We've had no witness reports say this, fwiw. That's been hearsay from the daughter and ex wife of Red.

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Yeah, but if I was judge jury and executioner I’m handing down a lighter sentence if the victim in any way contributed to the altercation.

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What exactly constitutes "contributing" for this particular case, in your opinion?

What if Jackson just said a lot of really really harsh words to Ward? Would that justify Ward's actions?

I don’t think harsh words would “justify” Ward’s actions, but I absolutely think it would/should lessen his overall culpability.

If the victim in any way contributed to his own demise, it IMO should lessen the blame/sentence to defendant. Laying out that sliding scale would be difficult and certainly have lots of gray areas for interpretation, but my main point would be that it would absolutely lessen, not eliminate, the defendant’s responsibility.

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see where you’re coming from, but I respectfully disagree. I can certainly understand feeling “threatened” by pandhanders depending on the context, time, and location. Does it give One the right to kill a man? Probably not, but it absolutely in my mind lessens the moral blame of the culprit relative to beating a completely innocent bystander to death.

Do I think it’s a defense to get off free and clear? No, of course not...I’m just saying In the minds of a reasonable person the victim certainly in some way contributed to his own demise if he in any way instigated the entire interaction, whether by panhandling or whatever.

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Lol Jesus dude. Grow a pair. Unless he was swinging or his lauguage, body or spoken, implied he was about to, "agressive panhandling" isn't instigating a fight. Certainly not one where a 60 year old gets kicked at least twice in the head while on the ground.

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I don’t think harsh words would “justify” Ward’s actions, but I absolutely think it would/should lessen his overall culpability

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You have me curious.

All the "facts" indicate Ward committed 2nd degree murder. That carries a life w/o parole sentence in LA, not a range just life.

Let's say Red addressed Ward with the worst possible couple of sentences you can possibly imagine. How much off "life" (lets assume that is around 50 years for Ward) would you shave off.

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How many people do you know crazy enough, or mean enough, to kill weak 60 year old men with their bare hands? I am not saying he will intimaidate other prisoners, I am saying he has a potential psychotic tendency that may make a prisoner who messes with him regret it

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Jeffrey Dhamer was not tiny and raped other dudes in the Army. He had what you would consider psychotic tendencies and he got his arse beat to death in prison so...theres always a bigger fish

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Jesus Christ....... Arnold Jackson wasn’t a fricking panhandler. He was known around that area as he would walk that area daily. I jog the neutral ground in the evenings from the Ponchatrain Expy to Napoleon. I’ve seen him out there a bunch of times. He’s usually just by himself or talking to the bell staff at Hotel Indigo. He was quite frail too. I don’t believe for a second that he started anything with Ward. There’s a woman that was mentioned by every witness so far. Ward better hope she’s on his side or she’s going to send him to jail for a long time.

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Damn, nice addition. Basically what's being reported. Guy was known in the area, just minding his own business.

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B) joe beats a panhandler that threatened him to death

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That's one small step for man, one GIANT LEAP for mankind