Saturday, December 24, 2005
Russellville Police Have a Suspect
Today's Courier has a story about the murder of Nona Dirksmeyer. While it is not exactly "breaking news," officials confirm that there is a particular suspect.
This is probably the most emotional case of homicide since the killing of three West Memphis children, so it is worth nothing that the accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. There is a heavy burden on prosecutors to come up with conclusive evidence.
If you have a good memory, you may recall the hysteria around the arrest of some young folks who were, in addition to being presumed killers, were also allegedly Satanists. One of the suspects was a guy named, of all things, Dameon.
Most of the presumptions center around the "boyfriend," so let's just remember that there is a lot of pressure on police and the prosecutor, who is also a politician, to get somebody charged and convicted. For them, delay looks like weakness.
Those of us who follow such things should not jump to any unfounded conclusions. This case will start looking a lot different when they start putting people under oath.
This is probably the most emotional case of homicide since the killing of three West Memphis children, so it is worth nothing that the accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. There is a heavy burden on prosecutors to come up with conclusive evidence.
If you have a good memory, you may recall the hysteria around the arrest of some young folks who were, in addition to being presumed killers, were also allegedly Satanists. One of the suspects was a guy named, of all things, Dameon.
Most of the presumptions center around the "boyfriend," so let's just remember that there is a lot of pressure on police and the prosecutor, who is also a politician, to get somebody charged and convicted. For them, delay looks like weakness.
Those of us who follow such things should not jump to any unfounded conclusions. This case will start looking a lot different when they start putting people under oath.
