GUILTY AZ - Leah Costa, 15, Buckeye, 24 December 2014

Such a hard age 15 is. Naivety, gullible teen at least I know I was, god bless her.
 
Does he really think that old "I don't recall" bs is going to work? I am dealing with a family member who is experiencing short-term memory problems right now. The difference between those who actually do not recall v. people who pretend to not recall is huge. JMO
 
Well if he did this, just why? I see no motive. Why not leave her home and move on? Can't wait to hear his reasoning. Poor girl.
 
OMG...really? What the heck? So young....a gunshot wound to the head? I just keep shaking my head.....poor sweetie....RIP Leah.

What the heck is this story going to be that it came to this? uuuggghhh
 
I suspected the boyfriend from the start. Most likely, she changed her mind about being with him, and he didn't want to go to jail. Now he's going to jail for a very long time.
 
MCSO: Boyfriend, Robert Duffell, admits to killing missing Buckeye teen, Leah Costa
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-we...ts-to-killing-missing-buckeye-teen-leah-costa
BUCKEYE, AZ - Authorities say the boyfriend of a Buckeye teen who was reported missing has admitted to killing her.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday evening that Robert Duffell, 17, admitted to killing 15-year-old Leah Costa, whose body was discovered in the desert on Monday.
MCSO spokesman Christopher Hegstrom said Duffell, who was arrested Tuesday, will be charged as an adult. He faces charges of second-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
 
What a tragedy. What the heck could have happened between the pair to lead to this outcome? Such a waste.
 
There is an aspect of this which is unusual. It makes me wonder whether there is a parent-child privilege for testimony in Arizona.
 
To have a 15 yr old killed by a boyfriend is so heartbreaking. So sad that they can be so emotionally involved at that age. They should just be texting and having pizza at lunch together at school at 15. Not traveling thru truck stops in the middle of the night on the run. :no: smh
 
Ugh. I really didn't want to think that he harmed her, but I knew that he did.

RIP Leah
 
I am confused.....could you enlighten me?

I can guide you a bit. There is a spousal privilege law. Spouses do not have to testify against each other. Some states have passed laws allowing for the same privilege for parent-child relationships. In these cases, parents are not required to testify against their children. I don't know whether Arizona has such a law. But I was led to ponder it when I learned that Leah's boyfriend gained a new parent on the very day that he admitted to killing Leah. Seems like a weird time to pick for a wedding, you know.
 
I can guide you a bit. There is a spousal privilege law. Spouses do not have to testify against each other. Some states have passed laws allowing for the same privilege for parent-child relationships. In these cases, parents are not required to testify against their children. I don't know whether Arizona has such a law. But I was led to ponder it when I learned that Leah's boyfriend gained a new parent on the very day that he admitted to killing Leah. Seems like a weird time to pick for a wedding, you know.

Thanks -- I didn't know anything about a 'wedding' from what I read. I guess I must have missed that. Upthread in the video report, it indicated that the victim had not returned to school to complete grade 8 after the end of the last school year and that made me very sad for her.
 
I can guide you a bit. There is a spousal privilege law. Spouses do not have to testify against each other. Some states have passed laws allowing for the same privilege for parent-child relationships. In these cases, parents are not required to testify against their children. I don't know whether Arizona has such a law. But I was led to ponder it when I learned that Leah's boyfriend gained a new parent on the very day that he admitted to killing Leah. Seems like a weird time to pick for a wedding, you know.

I have never heard of parents not having to testify against their children. Interesting. Can you link up the state you are referring to? I would love to read up on this. I know nothing about it, but I would think it only pertains to parents who have rights to the child and not step parents, as I am gathering you are referring to. IF what you are saying is correct, I would assume it only applies to legal guardians.
 
To wit, I am far from a legal scholar. But here is a citation. It does not mention what constitutes a parent. But a 1999 proposed federal bill would have included stepparents. Note also the last part of this, which mentions that case law has been established in New York. I gather that lawyers in most states have attempted to get this parent-child privilege through case law. So just the mere chance that you could argue for parent-child privilege might lead an attorney to recommend that two people tie the knot. Of course, it could be mere coincidence. And I've already said too much.

The Parent-Child Privilege. Only Idaho, Massachusetts, and Minnesota recognize a parent-child privilege. All other states but one in which the issue has arisen have uniformly rejected the contention that compelling a parent or child to testify against the other destroys the trust in such a relationship and encourages defiance of such efforts. It is generally said that legislative judgments should determine issues to judicially compel disclosure.

The single exception is New York where, despite the absence of a controlling statute, case law has recognized the right of a parent to refuse to reveal a communication conveyed in confidence by a child, either by reason of privilege ( People v. Fitzgerald, 101 Misc.2d 712, 422 N.Y.S.2d 309 (1979)) or because of constitutional considerations of familial privacy ( Matter of A&M, 61 A.D.2d 426, 403 N.Y.S.2d 375 (4th Dep’t 1978).


http://www.americanbar.org/newslett...azine_home/gp_solo_magazine_index/birzon.html
 

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