GUILTY VA - Tina Smith, 41, slain, 12yo daughter abducted, Salem, 2 Dec 2010 - #8

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peeples said:
So he kidnapped B. to prostitute her?

I am really wondering about him not having been charged yet for the mom's murder.
It must not be clear cut....
I wonder if JE is putting some of this on B......

I wonder what kind of test results they are waiting on? Toxicology?
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I think the "abduction with intent to defile" means "with the intention of having sex with her" which would be subsection (ii). I don't think he planned to prostitute her to other men which would be subsection (III). There is (or was) a federal statute that folks used to quote as being "transporting a minor across a state line for immoral purposes" which back in the day, before we even thought about, let alone knew about, interstate prostitution of underage children, male and female, that was usually interpreted as meaning the abductor had taken the child (almost always female back then) to have sex with her. The best part of the charge being made under subsection (II) is the stricter sentencing.

Someone told me yesterday that they had spoken with one of BMS's close relatives and asked, flat out, if LE thought they had the right guy (JE) and was told "definitely" but that LE was trying to do everything right and gather and process every piece of evidence possible which was taking awhile. They didn't/wouldn't say whether LE thought there was anyone else involved.

I think we tend to get spoiled watching all the crime-scene analysis shows on TV where the crimes are solved in ah hour. We want to believe that real crime labs work the same way. They don't. They're over-burdened and under-staffed and don't have a lot of the magical equipment we see on TV because it's either way too expensive or hasn't even been invented yet. But, like you, I'm wondering if things are just not that clear-cut. If that's the case, then they're hoping that each forensic report they get will clarify things. Must be sooo frustrating!
 
Jeffrey Easley indicted on charge of abduction with intent to sexually assault Brittany Smith
Roanoke County authorities have tightened their legal grip on Jeffrey Easley, alleging Friday that he abducted Brittany Smith with the intent of sexually assaulting the 12-year-old girl.
But four months after Smith's mother was found dead in her home -- and Easley was identified by police as a suspect -- no charges have been brought in connection with the killing.
The death of Tina Smith in her Fort Lewis Circle home in December remains under investigation as police wait for results of forensic tests, said Lt. Chuck Mason of the Roanoke County Police Department.
More...
 
Lysistrata said:
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/282022
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So what are they saying....or not saying....that he did not sexually assualt her and just had intent??? I'm thinking they don't want to say...in the media because she is a minor.

Roanoke County authorities have tightened their legal grip on Jeffrey Easley, alleging Friday that he abducted Brittany Smith with the intent of sexually assaulting the 12-year-old girl.

Meanwhile, Easley is facing up to life in prison on a charge of abduction with intent to defile. He had faced no more than 10 years on a simple abduction charge before Commonwealth's Attorney Randy Leach obtained a more serious indictment from a grand jury that met Friday.

"I can't go into that," Leach said of the allegation Easley had sexual intentions when he took the girl on a cross-county trip. "Because that would be commenting on evidence that hasn't been presented in court."

*****Normally, The Roanoke Times does not identify victims of alleged sex crimes. But authorities identified Brittany at the time of her disappearance -- and issued a national Amber Alert in her name -- before it was known that she might have been sexually assaulted.

(****Me: I wonder if someone is raising Cain about this ^^^^?)

Police have not charged Easley with actually abusing the girl. Nor does there have to be evidence of such to prove a charge of abduction with the intent to defile, Leach said.
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It doesn't sound like they have a whole lot of evidence, for the following reasons:

1) no homicide charge after all this time
2) sounds like she left willingly with him
3) her apparently care free attitude at the memorial and his apparently care free attitude on being extradited back to face the music
4) and now, they apparently didnt have sex, otherwise they would have charged him with that instead of "intent", which sounds like a pretty bogus charge to me.

With all the wierd stuff around this case my guess is that the girl is not cooperating with LE, which would make it hard for them to figure out what exactly happened or what to charge him with.
 
So basically they are going to try and tell a jury... that this guy took her, she went willingly with him.... he intended to have sex with her.... they were gone a WEEK and he never had sex with her? Or they just decided not to charge him with that?

If you are alone with a guy for a week that wants to have sex with you, what are the odds it isn't going to happen?

If there wasn't evidence of sex, they would have the testimony.

Unless they do not have a cooperating girl to testify?

I certainly hope they can convict him without the sexual intention... or that there is a lot more to this than we know...
 
MsFacetious said:
So basically they are going to try and tell a jury... that this guy took her, she went willingly with him.... he intended to have sex with her.... they were gone a WEEK and he never had sex with her? Or they just decided not to charge him with that?

If you are alone with a guy for a week that wants to have sex with you, what are the odds it isn't going to happen?

If there wasn't evidence of sex, they would have the testimony.

Unless they do not have a cooperating girl to testify?

I certainly hope they can convict him without the sexual intention... or that there is a lot more to this than we know...
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There always is. I'm wondering if they have any evidence of "intent" or is this just another charge to pressure him about Tina's murder? Maybe emails or a witness?
 
Strawberry Fields said:
Breaking News reported on WDBJ7 (in murder investigation of Tina Smith)

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-jeff-easley-20110505,0,6851140.story

Welch says Easley is still the main suspect. He says charges could be filed when the grand jury meets in June. Welch says they are in the final phase of the investigation, there will soon be a conclusion.
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It seems like we have been waiting forever for an indictment for the murder of Tina. Hopefully they really do bring this to the GJ in June!!

Welch declined to address the issue about Brittany's possible involvement in the murder investigation.
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I really hope that Brittany was not involved. It is so hard to hear about these things.

I think that Tina deserves justice though.
 
Been seeing on our local news in the last couple of days (WDBJ 7) that the Roanoke County detective, Welch, "will be honored for coordinating the investigation that would ultimately involve 80 investigators."
http://articles.wdbj7.com/2011-05-04/brittany-smith_29510871
Ultimately, though, it was the concerned citizen who saw Brittany's story on Nancy Grace and recognized her. I wish every missing person could have a Detective Welch coordinating the investigation into their disappearance. If I remember correctly, he rarely, if ever spoke at the almost daily pressors but worked behind the scenes and there was a huge and very impressive command center that was organized by Detective Welch.

As far as the current charges, I have wondered if the couple who purchased Easley's SUV right before he fled with Brittany have given some information as to his possibly stated intentions. It would have probably been to their advantage to tell everything they knew since the SUV was found in their possession with items that allegedly belonged to Tina in the vehicle. As you will recall, the car was eventually returned to this couple and they appear to have purchased the vehicle legally from Easley.

All of this is my speculation and rehashing in my mind the events that ended with Easley and BS being found panhandling in CA, and brought back to Roanoke/Salem, Va. Now we need to see justice for Tina and hopefully it will be "airtight justice" if there is such a thing.
 
Roanoke County detective honored by missing group for Brittany Smith
Detective Christopher Welch will be honored on Capitol Hill later this month by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for his work on the Brittany Smith disappearance. Smith went missing and her mother was found dead in their Roanoke County home. The 12-year-old was later found in San Francisco with Jeff Easley.
More...

Ayden native indicted in Virginia capital murder
An Ayden native has been indicted in Virginia for capital murder.
Jeffrey Easley was indicted today by a Roanoke County grand jury for murder in the commission of abduction with intent to defile.
More...
 
BS was not indicted Friday.

When News7 asked if BS will ever be charged with murder Leach replied “I can’t make any comment on that at this point.”

If BS is ever charged it will be a juvenile because of her age.

Easley was charged with abduction with the intent to defile. He was scheduled to go to trial on the abduction charge in July. We're told that's not likely to happen. It's now unclear when his trial date will be.

http://www.wdbj7.com/news/wdbj7-grand-jury-indicts-jeffrey-easley-on-20110603,0,3054990.story
 
Jeffrey Easley gets new lead attorney
Sporting a bushy, slightly graying beard and a wide smile, Jeffrey Scott Easley returned to Roanoke County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
After a brief appearance, he had a newly appointed lead attorney to help defend him against a capital murder charge in the December death of Tina Smith.
In a 15-minute hearing, Judge James Swanson appointed Salem attorney Mark Claytor to be Easley's lead attorney in the capital case.
More...
 
Jeffrey Easley gets new lead attorney
Sporting a bushy, slightly graying beard and a wide smile, Jeffrey Scott Easley returned to Roanoke County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
After a brief appearance, he had a newly appointed lead attorney to help defend him against a capital murder charge in the December death of Tina Smith.
In a 15-minute hearing, Judge James Swanson appointed Salem attorney Mark Claytor to be Easley's lead attorney in the capital case.
More...
 
Team earns national award for news in Brittany Smith case [The Roanoke Times, Va.]

[June 11, 2011]

(Roanoke Times (Roanoke, VA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) June 11--The public information team that kept the country abreast of breaking news in the Brittany Smith abduction case has won a national award for its work

<<<<<<<<<<<<more at link>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2011/06/11/5566932.htm
 
http://www.roanokefreepress.com/?p=13301

A Roanoke County grand jury today charged 33-year-old Jeffrey Scott Easley with Murder in the Commission of Abduction with Intent to Defile. This charge is one of the forms of capital murder in Virginia, which means if convicted Easley faces the possibility of life in prison with no parole or death. Roanoke County Commonwealth&#8217;s Attorney Randy Leach said this afternoon that he has not yet decided whether he will pursue the death penalty.
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I know this isn't new news, but I thought it was worth re-posting. Wonder when his trial will begin....
 
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