GUILTY NC - Kathy Taft, 62, Raleigh, 6 March 2010 - #6

Sooooo glad I'm not on the jury. Death by boredom.

Ok, i'm back. LOL. so, i'm obsessed. so what.

I was especially touched and at the same time, I wanted to scream into the DT teams's ears,:banghead: that it took KT's older daughter, JG, to reach for the hand of Gramma W. when Gramma was leaving the area and going through the swinging door of the bar.

Yes, JG reached for her hand and squeezed it. How loving and how caring. Gramma seemed touched.

Whew.

gracielee said:

I felt the same way, NCE. Hugs to you. I don't think I've ever heard either of mine say 'i love you'. And if I had, I'd know it wasn't sincere anyway. Makes one wonder, 'eh? As you said, JW was loved, cared for, dad has memories of him, etc. Some kids seem to have so much, while others just strive to survive. And how they turn out........

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Well, glee, you and NCEast (bbm) were just made of stronger and different stuff, and you obviously had to give up a lot of "I want this" and "You owe me that" type thoughts. The id was overcome by the survival instinct, IMO.

And you could have used it as a "reason" to do the same bad or negative things your parents did, to others, or you could have used it to never do that to anyone. You made your choices, and the world and those who truly love you are so much better for it.

Just as the horribleness of JW's selfishness touched so many lives in such awful ways, you can see a lot of what your decisions did to do so much good to & for others. And you can bet you both will never see all of the good you did -- small & big things you never even thought about... That's why we wuv you both!

laces said:

Now that i'm a grandma, i understand her feelings. My mom used to say, "there but for the grace of God, go I." I know i'm a soft touch. I'm bawling for her.

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Her son & d-i-l kept it from her for as long as they could, as I would have done.

OT/ Finally a trial date set for Raven Aboroa, late October, 2012. Although they've been stacking up, at least they are moving along now. Anybody know when, what was her name, Ackerman??? the young mother murdered by the father of her kids and his new wife??? Isn't that one scheduled for early next year?

gracielee said:

Yup, jason *chose* the puffing, huffing, burgling punk crowd. Even his friends who were still kids themselves saw jason was joining the punks.

Gosh, I used to take my kids to the skate place on Glenwood. Was it Skate Town or Skate Ranch?

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I can't remember which was which, glee -- I took my son there, too, after checking it out -- it was clean, as much as a skating rink (the rink part) could be, well-supervised, and reserved just for the b-d partiers. It was fun to watch them. The other one was off of US-1 (Capital Blvd.).

Skates still had 4 wheels then -- 4 wheels EACH!!!

laces said:

Ok, i'm back. LOL. so, i'm obsessed. so what.

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Wow -- that was fast!!

Are you a speed-reader or what, laces??!! You read both those books and now you're back -- right?? Or not?

O/T

Abaroa blurb.

Set to go at the end of October in Durham County. I ASSUME this year... they did not say. Maybe more info a bit later...

End O/T

borndem said:

I can't remember which was which, glee -- I took my son there, too, after checking it out -- it was clean, as much as a skating rink (the rink part) could be, well-supervised, and reserved just for the b-d partiers. It was fun to watch them. The other one was off of US-1 (Capital Blvd.).

Skates still had 4 wheels then -- 4 wheels EACH!!!

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LOL, I loved to skate. I remember when I began taking my older two to skate there, my youngest was probably around three. They put the smallest skates they had on her and she skated with me. We'd usually go during the daytime, in summer, when the little kids could safely skate without the big, fast skaters bowling them over. I used to take my Brownie Troop there to skate too.

I don't recall the one on Capital Blvd., I remember as the kids got older we began going to 'The Rink' off Wake Forest Rd., IIRC. In fact my sister broke her ankle there. :fence:

gracielee said:

OT/ Finally a trial date set for Raven Aboroa, late October, 2012. Although they've been stacking up, at least they are moving along now. Anybody know when, what was her name, Ackerman??? the young mother murdered by the father of her kids and his new wife??? Isn't that one scheduled for early next year?

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Don't know about Ackerson (is it? maybe between the two of us sharpies, we'll land on it!). That trial will be here in Wake County, so there's no tellin.'

What you said sounds about right, but I've seen nothing on it lately...

Hey all,
I decided not to listen today so I missed his ex-girlfriend's testimony. I'm glad I missed it. I don't need to hear anything more about what evil things Jason has done. This evening, I've been trying to listen to the WRAL recordings of his dad, Keith (who I met a few times and thought was a very sweet, friendly man. He came over here and took over the lawn duties that Jason had been doing, after Jason was arrested.) It got too intense for me so I had to shut it off. I also tried to listen to Miss Edna, his grandma, for a while. Again, way too much for me to handle.
The scope of Jason's crimes is incredibly wide and deep. I suffered plenty and I was just his neighbor for a few months. I cannot imagine what Kathy Taft's family has gone through. I can't bear to listen to his family talk about how much he's hurt them, as well. Jason never needs to get out of jail but I can't deal with hearing any more from the people he's devastated. I am officially putting this terrible last two years in my past. I just can't take it anymore.

no1~ I've been trying to listen to today's testimony as well and I feel the same way... I can't get through it. I know it's even more personal for you. I can't blame you for wanting to put this behind you. I hope you will continue to check in here. I will be praying for you.

PS You're number 1, not no-one

Rigby, I'll check in until this is all done and over with. But I can't listen to any more testimony. I had a lot of questions when this trial began, some of which have been answered and some of which will probably never be answered. I can't say I could ever understand why it happened but I know that my heart is too hurt from what I've already heard to be able to hear any more.
Like I said, I was just his neighbor for a few months. Still, being here at that time was life-changing. What I have gone through is NOTHING compared to what Kathy's family has been through. He ended Ms. Taft's life, brutally. He devastated the lives of her family, Jessica's life, his ex-girlfriend's life, the lives of his entire family and he's put a huge scar, that will never go away, on so many other lives.
I'm a grown woman but I'm only a few years older than Jason is. While I came from a fairly sheltered place, where I know not of a single murder ever taking place in my hometown, I would see that murders took place in a populated area such as Raleigh-Durham all the time. However, I had NO IDEA how truly devastating it is when someone has their life stolen away from them until this happened. I don't think anyone can possibly understand how far-reaching and horrific MURDER really is until you find out it has had it's dark, icy fingers creeping around your front door. Kathy Taft's family knows what it's like and, in fact, they know what it's like for murder to come slithering through the door, taking the life of their mother, grandmother and sister.
I don't have a strong opinion on whether Jason gets the death penalty or not. I think it's very unlikely he will and I think life without parole is good enough. But if that SOB ever somehow gets out of prison, I will move as far as I possibly can to be away from wherever he's going to be.

gracielee said:

One of my daughters was a real *challenge* to raise. She tried to get in with certain *crowds*. But mom didn't work ( outside the home ), mom became quite adept at honing detective skills. Snooping, questioning, interrogation processes, etc. Lot's of kids hung out at our house after school, because I was a stay at home mom. Anyway, she was a challenge. When she turned 18, graduated, I told my friends "I was thrilled I'd managed to keep her alive, not pregnant, and graduated from high school.' But my job didn't end then, she still needed somebody keeping track of her goings-on. Now that she's a mom of a couple kids, one special needs, she's cried and apologized to me for 'all she put me through' growing up. She says 'now that I've had children of my own I truly understand how much you loved me and tried to keep me safe.' I write this in response to nature vs. nurture. Anybody else have thoughts on that? My other daughters were really easy in comparison. Not that they didn't have their moments, but certainly nothing as continuous and intense.

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Oh, yes, I was most definitely a challenge for my mother. Later, after having my own children and growing up, I apologized profusely to her. It still wasn't enough. I'll always regret what I put her through.

IMO

no1uknow said:

Hey all,
I decided not to listen today so I missed his ex-girlfriend's testimony. I'm glad I missed it. I don't need to hear anything more about what evil things Jason has done. This evening, I've been trying to listen to the WRAL recordings of his dad, Keith (who I met a few times and thought was a very sweet, friendly man. He came over here and took over the lawn duties that Jason had been doing, after Jason was arrested.) It got too intense for me so I had to shut it off. I also tried to listen to Miss Edna, his grandma, for a while. Again, way too much for me to handle.
The scope of Jason's crimes is incredibly wide and deep. I suffered plenty and I was just his neighbor for a few months. I cannot imagine what Kathy Taft's family has gone through. I can't bear to listen to his family talk about how much he's hurt them, as well. Jason never needs to get out of jail but I can't deal with hearing any more from the people he's devastated. I am officially putting this terrible last two years in my past. I just can't take it anymore.

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I thank you, uknow, for sharing with us what was a horribly frightening and earth-shaking part of your life. I sense that it has eased a bit now that you know he will never put his foot down on any city street unless it's in chains. I am glad you had someone close to you that helped you -- and you, her -- stand up and go about your life, one day at a time.

We are all much richer for having known you while we were together on this odd, unreal, and all-to-real piece of the planet -- it has now changed its color. I hope your sleep is smoother and your nerve and spirit strong after you "come down" a bit from this last chapter of "the horrible thing."

May your finger-picked banjo music sail out into the world, and may your voice rise up to the clouds and make folks tap their feet and clap their hands! May you and your roomie have ice cream together, and may the crick behind you now sing a new song to you. The bad thing is gone and the air is crisp and clean. Sing a new song and dance a new dance.

With love and carrying fond memories of your fighting spirit,
borndem

morning, all. anybody here?

It has occurred to me that maybe Jason is relieved to be in the prison environment. He has boundaries, he will not have the freedoms he had before to make the wrong decision. All the structure he needed is already put in place. The largest problem will be protecting him from other inmates, or from finding some way to commit suicide. How sad to have to be put into confinement to have the boundaries of your life made secure.

Mornin' Peeps, hope everybody--espeically Glee--is well this morning. I tuned in to see the last 15 minutes of who was he....Warden Aiken? Very impressed with him. I don't know if I am going to sit here all day if the defense will be continuing their parade of character witnesses but I do want to hear from the Taft children if they speak. So I'll be in and out.

I'm here, laces!! :seeya: Good point about the benefits of prison for JW. We were told by his mother, IIRC, that he did best in a structured environment. And in any prison, as far as I know, there are cells for "safe-keeping" if an inmate needs to be taken out of harm's way, so he should be okay in this regard -- no need for worry about him; no need for a bleeding heart (which I often am -- but not for this piece of human ugly).

[Court break till 10:45]