Updates
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Updates
2-27-02
(summarized using several newspaper and television news outlets) Yesterday, Judge Ronald Lagueux aquitted Day of all federal charges. He says the prosecution did not prove there was intent at the time of the carjacking to kill or impose severe bodily harm on Jason and Amy, and therefore it should not be in federal court. The jury was not present when the decision was announced, and several jurors gasped when then judge brought them in and told them. Judge Legueux added that he hopes Day does get prosecuted in state court for robbery, kidnapping, and murder. Friends and family were in shock yesterday after the announcement. The state has vowed to charge Day soon, but the trial may not start for another year, at which time the families will have to relive the horrors of the past two weeks. (Day is still in jail right now, on unrelated robbery charges.)
2-25-02
Raymond Anderson, an admitted accomplice to the murders, took the stand Friday and today. He claims Day invited him out the night of June 8th, and he (Anderson) understood the invitation as plans to rob someone. Day's lawyer used similar tactics against Anderson as he did with Floyd. He pointed out inconsistancies between Anderson's statements to paint him as a man who is simply trying to lose some jail time by plea bargaining. (Associated Press)
2-21-02
According to the Associated Press, for the past two days Gregory Floyd, the admitted gunman, has taken the stand. He described in detail how the night proceeded, from planning to play pool with his friends to having several robbery attempts ruined by security guards and the appearance of potential targets' friends. He explained how him and his friends looked for targets who looked like they had money, and just about when they were about to give up, they drove past Jason and Amy, and Kenneth Day shouted "ooh, ooh , look" and pointed at them. Floyd claims that, once at the golf course, Day told him to kill Jason and Amy because "they had seen his face." He says he felt numb when he shot them, and when asked by prosecutors why he did it, he replied "I can't answer that." Day's lawyer next tried to discount Floyd's testimony by saying that his initial statements were completely different from current ones, so the court cannot trust him because he is a liar. Floyd admits he lied at first because he did not want to take credit for shooting Jason and Amy, and he says he did not mention Day in his first statements because he was trying to protect Day, who was "like a brother." He says now he wants to tell the truth so justice can be done and so the families can begin to heal. (Side Note: Gregory Floyd does not have a plea bargain with the police. He will still receive life in federal prison without parole despite testifying at this trial.)
2-19-02
Court resumed today. According to the Associated Press, several police detectives, officers, and medical examiners testified in court today. Among them was patrolman John Lough, who was one of the last people to see Jason and Amy alive. He had seen Jason and Amy standing near Jason's vehicle in the early hours of June 9th, 2000, and he later saw the same Explorer with a black man in the driver seat. He says he did not pull the car over because the scene was not unusual, as many clubs were letting out at the time. He did not know that Jason and Amy were in the back seat. Brett Mills, a forensic examiner for the FBI's crime laboratory in Washington DC, also testified. He says the bullet fragments taken from Jason and Amy's skulls match the markings from the gun found by investigators in Day's bedroom.
2-16-02
On the first day of trial, jurors were shown graphic photos of the crime scene. Prosecutors called up several witnesses, including friends and family of Jason and Amy, who painted the picture of two college students who were home for the summer, enjoying carefree days with their friends. Day's lawyer, in his opening statement, did not deny that his defendant was present that night, but he claims Day was not involved in the actual murders. The prosecutors, on the other hand, say Floyd would not have brought his gun had Day not told him to. Court will resume on Tuesday.
2-15-02
Jury selection finished yesterday, and the trial of Kenneth Day will start today. Today is also Jason's 22nd birthday. Please take an extra moment today to say a few extra prayers for Jason and Amy and their families.
2-8-02
Jury selection starts on Monday (February 11) for the trial of the last man, Day.
Here is a brief summary of what is happening in the case: (as of 1-15-02)
1. All five men ARE being prosecuted under the federal carjacking laws. (11/20/00)
2. Two men, Burdick and Anderson, have signed plea bargains (ie: They've plead guilty), and therefore cannot receive the death penalty. (12/22/00)
3. A third man, Sanchez, has plead guilty (without a plea bargain). He too cannot receive the death penalty. (7/17/01)
4. Floyd, the alleged shooter, has plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. (9-28-01)
5. Day has still not entered a plea, but the federal government has decided NOT to pursue the death penalty in his case. His trial is now set to begin in mid-February. None of the men will be officially sentenced until Day's trial has finished. (1-15-02)
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