06 June 2013

Only in Texas for the day

Josh Voorhees has a Slate article about justice, such as it is, in Texas:
I'm not even sure where to begin with this one so for now I'll just point you in the direction of the San Antonio Express-News, which has the almost unbelievable story:
A Bexar County jury has acquitted Ezekiel Gilbert (photo) of murder in the death of a 23-year-old Craigslist escort.
During closing arguments, Gilbert's defense team conceded the shooting did occur, but said the intent wasn't to kill. Gilbert's actions were justified, they argued, because he was trying to retrieve stolen property: the $150 he paid Frago. It became theft when she refused to have sex with him or give the money back, they said. ...The Texas law that allows people to use deadly force to recover property during a nighttime theft was put in place for “law-abiding” citizens, prosecutors Matt Lovell and Jessica Schulze countered. It's not intended for someone trying to force another person into an illegal act such as prostitution, they argued.
If Gilbert had been convicted, he could have faced life in prison for the death of Lenora Ivie Frago, who he admits he shot in the neck on Christmas Eve in 2009. Frago was paralyzed by the gunshot, and eventually died about seven months later. Head on over to the Express-News for more, although I doubt the whole thing will make much more sense after you do.
Rico says she refused because he's a homely, fat guy and $150 wasn't enough...

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