But that's the whole point of the petition, a kind of grass roots movement to change that somehow.
Just because its the state's burden to prove the defendant committed the crime they're being accused of, should not mean a defendant can come into court and make outrageous, slanderous comments with absolutely no proof to back it up, just to avoid the penalty for their crimes.
I keep thinking, what if Travis were seriously harmed, but he had lived? Jodi probably would have used this same defense or accused him of something else, with no proof. Yes, he would be here to defend himself, but that accusation of abuse and pedophilia would follow him the rest of his life. You cannot un-ring that bell. It's devastating.
Consider a man who was accused of molesting his own children, all because his soon-to-be ex wasn't getting what she wanted in the divorce settlement. He was a loving father and proved innocent, but some people will look sideways at him the rest of his life.
And there are "advocates" out there like LaViolette, who are all too willing to fight on a woman's behalf to prosecute a man, with zero proof.
Some kind of change needs to at least be put on the table for consideration. The defense of "My parents abused me - I can't be held responsible for any crime I commit.", has morphed into every excuse imaginable.
This is JMHOO.
