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

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Thanks, glee, for the link. The interview with the 3 jurors was excellent, and a good final chapter to this horrible but well-finished case. I highly recommend watching it!

It appears that JW is going to be at Central for at least a while. They have gotten his incarceration/custody info compete at the NC DOC/Public Safety site now.

Here's a link to his record there at this time:

http://webapps6.doc.state.nc.us/opi...turl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1

This will be hard time for our boy Jason, methinks, but I feel sure his family will visit him as often as they can. Maybe he can stay on his meds and stay out of trouble. We'll see..
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I was kind of hoping that he'd get sent to stay with our other Jason -- you know -- that Young man who's at Alexander for LIFE for killing his poor sweet pregnant wife and the mother to his sweet little daughter who knew that "Daddy did it." Alexander is another "tuff time" place, and apparently Alexander has some medical resources there as well.

Well, no matter, Central will accommodate JW just fine, IMO. The Jasons may end up prison buddies some time or other; they've got the rest of their lives, let's hope.

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Thanks to all of you for so generously, honestly and politely (i.e., following the rules w/out being rude, insulting or nasty, etc.) added to everyone's knowledge of this case. This one was very near to my heart.
:grouphug:
When we all contribute ideas so well, it helps all of us, IMO, and maybe it helps jurisprudence in some respects as well.
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:websleuther:

"Call the next case!"
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:justice:

:yesss:
 
Here's one more tag-on to this case. C.Willoughby and 1st Chair Defense Attorney Connors separately discuss this case and how the DP affected pleas, etc.

Also, WRAL reports that the DT costs for this case were just over $760,000. Good grief. That's a high figure to swallow. But at least, IMO, Williford was well & effectively represented -- I can't imagine a suit involving inadequate counsel.

http://www.wral.com/specialreports/kathy_taft/story/11351464/
 
Agree, agree. JW got excellent representation. No matter what, that cannot be disputed. However, hearing so many details about his background, along with the details from mother and father, just made me sad. My anger and outrage about the murder and all the damage kind of dissipated into sadness. All these horrible murderers began like you and me, little children learning about life. How much should we be doing for the children to prevent them from growing up to commit these horrid crimes? I don't know. I am left with more questions than answers. xo
 
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so! I knew Willoughby rejected the plea offer. This may be the first time in my life that I agree with a defense attorney (Conner in this case).

It's just too bad he didn't have the gumption to take the deal and save the money. No one gets executed here anyway. What a waste, and it was horrid to put the Taft family through this ordeal when there was a perfectly fair alternative.

I am so pi$$ed at Willougby about this. And BTW, the $760K doesn't include the costs of travel, expert witnesses, etc., etc. This had to have cost over a million.

So many other necessities could have been met with the funds that were wasted on this case.

I'm glad Conners said this out loud to the public.
 
JW pleaded not guilty to the charges (which included the possibility of receiving a DP). He could have pleaded guilty and had a judge decide sentencing. I think that was an option. That too would have bypassed a jury trial altogether, saving the county & state $$$$.

I agree though that the DA should have been less concerned with getting a DP sentence in this particular case. This was a slam-dunk LWOP case, which both sides knew going in. The only question was whether a jury could decide the DP.
 
Boodles said:
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so! I knew Willoughby rejected the plea offer. This may be the first time in my life that I agree with a defense attorney (Conner in this case).

It's just too bad he didn't have the gumption to take the deal and save the money. No one gets executed here anyway. What a waste, and it was horrid to put the Taft family through this ordeal when there was a perfectly fair alternative.

I am so pi$$ed at Willougby about this. And BTW, the $760K doesn't include the costs of travel, expert witnesses, etc., etc. This had to have cost over a million.

So many other necessities could have been met with the funds that were wasted on this case.

I'm glad Conners said this out loud to the public.
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Yes, Boodles, this article was no surprise to me, either -- it's interesting, though, that it surfaced as it did in the news. Things like this usually stay behind the scenes and are never known for sure.

I still maintain that CW (whom I am neutral -- but I do like that he doesn't rush his folks to present a case to the Grand Jury, etc., before he feels that they indeed have the right suspect), anyway, I still maintain that CW had a directive from his higher-up(s) to make this a DP case. RHIP, & all that, IMO.

And Conner didn't hurt himself any by having such a good exposure in this part of the State during the trial. And Saacks glowed like a bright shining star, and I was glad to see that.

(Let me say, too, Mad74, that your point was well-taken. bbm)

just my o...
 
Prancy said:
Yes, I had to double click to keep watching yesterday and today. Annoying. I normally just listen and find it so annoying to keep going back to renew the feed.

I agree that there is really no need to attack the victim's sister. It doesn't matter what she did, because it did not cause the def. to do what he did. I would think that attacking her would cause a jury to get angry at you. I guess they know what they are doing. But, why would it matter if the sister has a drinking problem? Why is that relevant?
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Not saying she was drinking that night, but if she had a few drinks, or if the sinus pill made her groggy, it (whichever) may have saved her life.

If she had heard something going on in KT's bedroom when "it" was ocurring, and it had awakened her enuff to get up and check on things -- and she had gone in there, what would JW have done? Hit her with the rock, too? Probably, I'd say -- then we may have had two dead women in that bedroom...

(Just reviewing this case today -- I had a dream about KT last night...In the dream, she was at a function I have (in "real life") been invited to attend and I was thinking about her and all of this...) So sadness has enveloped me today... It was so real... Grrrrrr
 
borndem said:
Not saying she was drinking that night, but if she had a few drinks, or if the sinus pill made her groggy, it (whichever) may have saved her life.

If she had heard something going on in KT's bedroom when "it" was ocurring, and it had awakened her enuff to get up and check on things -- and she had gone in there, what would JW have done? Hit her with the rock, too? Probably, I'd say -- then we may have had two dead women in that bedroom...

(Just reviewing this case today -- I had a dream about KT last night...In the dream, she was at a function I have (in "real life") been invited to attend and I was thinking about her and all of this...) So sadness has enveloped me today... It was so real... Grrrrrr
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sister borndem! I must say, since this trial, I ALWAYS lock my doors. Mind you, I live in a controlled access building, but nevertheless, my safety is in my mind, thanks to Kathy's sad faith.
 
Well, dayam. Here we go again, my friends....

It seems that the man who admitted that he was there, etc., etc., wants a new trial.

Are we all in this Twilight Zone together, or what?

"Raleigh, N.C. — Two years after he received a life sentence for the rape and beating death of North Carolina state school board member, a Raleigh man has appealed his conviction and is seeking a new trial."

Read more at

http://www.wral.com/new-trial-sough...rd-of-ed-member/13608912/#xu6mSVvOlV5HXhkO.99
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Oh borndem, isn't this just crazy? He admitted raping and murdering her! He didn't get sentenced to death. He ought to be counting his lucky stars rather than stirring the pot. I don't understand this.
 
Boodles said:
Oh borndem, isn't this just crazy? He admitted raping and murdering her! He didn't get sentenced to death. He ought to be counting his lucky stars rather than stirring the pot. I don't understand this.
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Yes indeed, Boodles, this is just crazy!! I gotta wonder if this appeal business is actually coming from him -- and I'll also have a tuff time believing that his parents are behind it. For one thing, I think JW is prolly doing okay (as okay as possible) in prison at Alexander Correctional. Heck, he's not on Death Row, as you said above... Yeah, he ought to be quiet about it if it's coming from him. Or is this just part of some cycle prisoners go through??

It's supposed to be a tuff place to be --it is close custody, but that may be a plus for him -- but they apparently have good facilities for someone with the problems that he would present to med/psych professionals. This is an excerpt from the NCDPS website about Alexander CI:

"The prison employs correctional officers, registered nurses, nurse extenders, mental health providers, dental, maintenance and administrative staff. The prison has 128 segregation cells and eight medical infirmary beds. Future expansion plans call for construction of a 252 bed minimum-security do[mitory, and construction of an in-patient mental health and medical unit, construction date to be determined."

[my bold]

from:
https://www.ncdps.gov/index2.cfm?a=000003,002240,002371,002242,002309

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He has not been charged with any infractions since he entered the NCDPS, and he has been under their charge since the day he was convicted, 06/07/12. No infractions = good news, seems to me.

I'd like to know where this push for a new trial originated.
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Does he feel that he is healthy enuff now to be let out of there???? Heaven forbid. He is one fouled-up individual, IMO.

The appeal has to be presented, argued, & adjudged by the Appeals Court and this business takes a while. We'll see.

<sigh> <smh>

Feels like we're all riding on a Twilight Zone Merry-Go-Round from he!!. It's nukkinfutz. JMHO.​
 
I am surprised, too, and find it difficult to believe that his parents would be behind this appeal. I thought they'd be relieved he didn't get a death sentence and accept that he's locked up.

But then again, they were quite the enablers...is this just a continuation of that process? Because a LWOP sentence doesn't come with an automatic appeal like a death sentence does. So the family must be paying for this.

I just remember Kathy's daughter saying "Look at me, Jason" and him lifting his head to look when she was giving her victim impact statement. He was crying and mouthed the words "I'm sorry."

But I guess he's not, after all. Who can force a person to appeal? This is disgusting, and I'm not feeling much sympathy for his parents anymore. What do they want, him to be set free? He's a very dangerous man. I thought he "found Jesus" in jail, according to someone who testified in the mitigation phase.

And thanks, borndem, for that info about the staff facilities at his location. But Jesus and mental health care aside, I surely don't want this guy out on the streets. Not much scares me, but the sheer madness, randomness and cruelty of his actions left a mark on my mind. He's too much of a mess to ever be trusted out of prison.

Here's hoping they reject his appeal.
 
I'm with you 100% on what you said, Boods -- he's never gonna be fit to walk the streets, IMO. The real world is way too tempting for regular folks like us who get up & go to work every day. Maybe it's just some atty who is looking for an appeals case? I know nothing really about the appeals part of jurisprudence in NC -- just that the Appeals Court is a separate animal from superior court and all the rest. I don't see that his parents could afford any type of attorney -- they apparently were too strapped to continue his appts with the psychs before all this happened, and they didn't/couldn't help him with counsel during the trial.

Psychological care in a live-in institution hardly exists anymore, unless one really has lotsa bucks. Insurance doesn't cover it well or for long, so what would his folks expect if he were to be released on appeal -- they're not getting any younger or any more wealthy, seems to me (I have no knowledge, but that's the way it was several years ago). He is getting good care there and we're paying the bills.

I want more info... This makes me worry.
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ETA: Here is a bit about the NC Court of Appeals:

http://www.nccourts.org/Courts/Appellate/Appeal/
 
Here's the nutshell according to the article cited above & linked below. Is there more? Gotta be, one would think.

"Williford argues in his appeal that police violated his rights by using a discarded cigarette butt to test for DNA to link him to the crime. He had already declined investigators' request for a DNA sample and maintains that they went on his property without a warrant to pick up the cigarette butt."


Read more at http://www.wral.com/new-trial-sough...rd-of-ed-member/13608912/#8y8tIP2YZ6W7KHEs.99

bbm

Well, Jason, first of all, let's get this part right: It wasn't your property -- your ex-wife was the lessee, and the parking lot was deemed to be public access, as most of them are at apartments... But it may be worth a shot -- you won't be spending any of your money to hire someone to determine if it might hold water in court. That argument didn't fly during the first go-round, and you had good attorneys -- one was a DR specialist (Ernest Conner), and one was a DNA specialist (Diane Savage) -- both of them were quite capable. The other one was just okay, IMO. But what the hey, give it a go.
Izzat all ya got, Lifer?


Obviously, I may be a bit, er, let us say... irked.
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The only way -and don't shoot here, I talk from experience-- he would ever NOT be a danger to others is if he committed deeply to a life in recovery and mental health care. He won't. And his parents are the picture of enabling, so no help there. Unfkingbelievable.
 
borndem said:
Williford argues in his appeal that police violated his rights by using a discarded cigarette butt to test for DNA to link him to the crime. He had already declined investigators' request for a DNA sample and maintains that they went on his property without a warrant to pick up the cigarette butt.
Read more at http://www.wral.com/new-trial-sough...rd-of-ed-member/13608912/#8y8tIP2YZ6W7KHEs.99​
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ORLY? and how come he didn't argue this AT TRIAL? If it's an issue now, it sure was an issue back then, and he did not mention in pretrial hearings or nada. I call caca.
 
I'm still on the rampage:

Robber's littered cigarette butt provides DNA needed to secure six-year prison sentence

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/03/robber_who_littered_gives_auth.html

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SALT LAKE CITY -- A cigarette butt proved to be the undoing of a man suspected of killing a girl in Utah 18 years ago, after a sheriff trailed him for four days to grab the DNA evidence.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/21/joseph-simpson-cold-case-cigarette-dna_n_3967517.html

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Advances In DNA Tests Helped Solve East Hampton Cold Case
. . .

Three months after Ochankowski's death, police surreptitiously obtained Tuttle's DNA. While questioning him at the East Hampton police station they allowed him to smoke cigarettes. When he ran out of his own, they gave him more. Eventually he decided to stop answering questions and leave the police station. He left behind his cigarette butts, which police seized and turned over to the state crime lab.


http://articles.courant.com/2013-12-31/community/hc-east-hampton-cold-case-1231-20131230_1_dna-tests-police-station-contact-lens


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seattlechiquita said:
The only way -and don't shoot here, I talk from experience-- he would ever NOT be a danger to others is if he committed deeply to a life in recovery and mental health care. He won't. And his parents are the picture of enabling, so no help there. Unfkingbelievable.
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Agreed, coffeebean o'my heart & cup. A true and steady commitment of will, forsaking all of the bad stuff/locations/enabling friends and places, with a single-minded will, would help keep him on the right path. It would have to include, IMO, a circle of like friends and supporters with whom he would associate and hold close. And he would need an able counselor/MD who would be available to monitor, test and guide him, and watch his meds.

Lotsa time, lotsa determination, and lotsa backbone. Faith also helps. He had access to all of those during his early years, and he blew it every time -- and yes, he had those who loved him, but not tuffly enuff. They would forgive and relent, thus enabling. He did not want it badly enuff, he was weak, and he chose the wrong pals. He would not be a good candidate, and these programs are few, far-between and some are expensive.

Yes, it's nutz. He is receiving some of that type care at this very moment.

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PS - Proud of you for locking your doors! You are precious to many. And lock your car, too, little chiq. Every time, everywhere. Fer shure. :loveyou:
 
I tell you, I became so much more safety conscious after this case. Not paranoid, but close.
 
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