MA - Two adults, 3 children killed in arson fire, Lynn, 24 Feb 1999

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Bathbuddys

Verified Family Member Thomas Schramm
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Hi.
This case is just the most bazzar lack of justice that I have seen lately besides a couple more recent trials going on right now.
I am new to this case and did a search to see if it was on here and I was not able to find anything on it.
This lady has been in jail for 10 years and they think she confesses to setting the fire to protect her son.
I have been watching some of the trail on True TV and I am so angry looking at this woman that seems to have mental disablities still in jail after ten years.
I hope more people are watching this as I cannot believe that this woman has been in jail for 10 years and looking at life without parole.
please share your thoughts with me on this.

It is in Masachuttes(sp)
 
Hi bathbuddys, I have no knowledge of this case. Can you please post some links so that I and other can follow with you and read up? Thanks.
 
Thank you , I'll have to check into this tomorrow morning, I need to take care of my own family now that they are home :)
 
Thanks you all for helping me with this. It is interesting and I will try to get some links to put in here. If you can during the day, this trial has started and is on in session (true TV)
I just cannot believe this.
It is just like that Adam Hermann case where he was missing for 10 years and a foster child and got lost until now? I dont understand this kind of treatment in our country?
It just doesnt make sense on how people with no money get so lost somehow?
I dont know all the details as I am sure you all will help me with this.
I am wanting to find out how this can happen.
Her son was testifying today and is VERY hateful to the courts. Rude!
 
Okay I'm still looking :)

This is an unusual case to say the least, given the time it has taken to go to trial but there is an article that discusses Commonwealth v. Hilton, 823 N.E.2d 383

I am assuming she is the Hilton in this supreme court of MA case.

Here is the article:

http://www.jaapl.org/cgi/content/full/34/2/257
 
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/11/28/pursuit_of_justice_waits_in_some_cases/

from link above:

"Judges, legal scholars, and lawyers who practice criminal law said they could not recall a similar case in the state of someone found competent to stand trial to have been imprisoned so long without one. Under Superior Court rules, murder cases in Massachusetts should not take longer than a year between arraignment and trial.

In fiscal 2008, more than 93 percent of all Superior Court criminal cases had been adjudicated within two years, according to the most recent data available from the state Superior Court Department.

Neither prison officials nor court officials could say whether Hilton is the longest-serving unconvicted inmate in state custody, but Joan Kenney, a spokeswoman for the Supreme Judicial Court, called such a delay very unusual.

Prosecutors declined to discuss why it has taken so long to try Hilton, who at the start of this year was one of 576 unconvicted of 11,364 inmates in Department of Correction custody.

"No constitutional rights have been violated, and if any further legal issues arise, we will address them in court," said Steve O'Connell, a spokesman for the Essex district attorney's office. "We decline to address them outside of court proceedings."

The above article is very interesting. It was hard to choose what to snip.
 
Prosecutors declined to discuss why it has taken so long to try Hilton, who at the start of this year was one of 576 unconvicted of 11,364 inmates in Department of Correction custody.

"No constitutional rights have been violated, and if any further legal issues arise, we will address them in court," said Steve O'Connell, a spokesman for the Essex district attorney's office. "We decline to address them outside of court proceedings."

The above article is very interesting. It was hard to choose what to snip.[/QUOTE]

WOW! this is just amazing to me on how this can happen in the US and not be against the law. They wont even discuss this unless it is in court?
sounds like someone has dropped the ball.

I would surely like to know who the Governor is and I can at least give him or her a piece of my mind.
 
I agree , 10 years is a very long time to delay a trial after waiving the right to a speedy trial.

I am curious to know what issues were argued before the supreme court other than the one that I found, an article above cited it was several.
 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090112/ap_on_re_us/fire_five_killed

"Natola said he had to push for the statements to be suppressed — no matter how long it took. The case twice went to the Supreme Judicial Court."

Natola is her Lawyer.

Natola goes on to add:

"There were two competing constitutional rights at work here — her right to a speedy trial and her right to a fair trial by virtue of having unlawfully taken statements suppressed," he said."

"Ultimately, the jury at Hilton's trial will be allowed to hear portions of her statements to police, including her claim she started the fire by pouring scented oil on the wooden stairway and lighting it with a cigarette. She allegedly said she hoped that if her son's girlfriend, Krystina Sutherland, had nowhere to live, she and the two children would return to her son, Charles Loayza, then 22.

But jurors won't be allowed to hear a statement she allegedly made to a court officer after her arraignment: "My son, I hope he forgives me. I could have killed my grandchildren."

The supreme court case listed above was about this.

"Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said the delay was unavoidable. "We would have liked to have tried the case sooner, but we respect the process and the defendant's rights," he said."

What a bizarre case.
 
They have been showing some of this trial on the CNN website.
FYI
 
Kathleen Hilton was just found not guilty on all 7 counts (5 deaths, burning a dwelling and injury to a firefighter). Her attorney has said that he will be driving Ms. Hilton to her eldest daughters home where she plans on living.


ETA - I watched this trial on TruTV and I agree with the verdict. My opinion is that she thought her son started the fire so she confessed to protect him. I am amazed at the statistics that have come out regarding the high number of false confessions. I also watched an interview with her attorney and he said that the 10 years she was in prison waiting on trial was an extremely long period of time. The prosecution kept appealing decisions on leaving out the confession and that took it to a higher level. Once there, it moves at the pace it moves and no one, not defense attorney or prosecution, can speed that up.
 
Wow! that was unexpected...while watching In Session it was announced that Kathleen Hilton was "getting married". Best of luck Kathleen.
 
Sorry, but they didn't say. Talking Heads seemd just as surprised. They wondered if Kathleen had met him prior to or after the fire. I'll see what I can find out.
 
Rose Killer said:
Sorry, but they didn't say. Talking Heads seemd just as surprised. They wondered if Kathleen had met him prior to or after the fire. I'll see what I can find out.
Click to expand...

Well! although I feel Happy that this woman is out of prison, I stil am VERY angry how this can happen in the USA!
I also saw her on true tv interview talking to the media. She was VERY happy and greatful to be going home.
She was going to meet her 7 year old grandchild and also her great grand children.
She was also asked what she would do for money and she said that she would re start the business she had before enetering prison and marry her fiance. I SURELY hope that her attorneys get her some kind of compensation for her lost life at this age.

I may have to read some past about her but STILL cannot believe that this women sat in prison (not jail like KC) for 10 years!

I am very happy about the verdict though.
 
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