Thank you!!! You have eloquently stated precisely what so many of us are thinking and why we are responding in the manner in which we are.
We're neither 'defending' JM nor are we disrespecting Hannah. We are simply saying that before playing judge and jury, let's wait for some actual evidence a) of a crime being committed and b) of JM's involvement with the commission of that crime.
It sounds like they should have the forensic evidence back by mid-week from what Longo said at the presser today. If, after they have the info (and if they share it with the public at that time), an arrest will possibly be made. Remember what Longo said -- that they don't intend to arrest without being able to make a conviction stick -- so an actual arrest next week will speak volumes -- even if LE opts to do a gag order like they did in the AM trial. If they don't arrest him and just continue to call him out, it will lead me to believe that they don't have any solid evidence. If they do make an arrest, I will believe that they likely have their man.
We're neither 'defending' JM nor are we disrespecting Hannah. We are simply saying that before playing judge and jury, let's wait for some actual evidence a) of a crime being committed and b) of JM's involvement with the commission of that crime.
It sounds like they should have the forensic evidence back by mid-week from what Longo said at the presser today. If, after they have the info (and if they share it with the public at that time), an arrest will possibly be made. Remember what Longo said -- that they don't intend to arrest without being able to make a conviction stick -- so an actual arrest next week will speak volumes -- even if LE opts to do a gag order like they did in the AM trial. If they don't arrest him and just continue to call him out, it will lead me to believe that they don't have any solid evidence. If they do make an arrest, I will believe that they likely have their man.
For what it's worth, here are my .2 cents. I've been employed as a secretary at a law firm for nearly ten years, and while I don't claim to have ANY legal training, I've learned things "on the job" which may be relevant. I work with private criminal defensive attorneys, not public defenders, but in my experience weekends are practically "off limits". That is to say, an attorney might meet with a potential client for an initial consultation on a weekend, but they won't begin the real work of defending said client until Monday. My thought is that if JM didn't retain an attorney prior to Saturday, that attorney might be inclined to advise JM to keep quiet through the weekend, until the attorney looked into his situation once the workweek began. All of this is speculation, of course, since we have no idea who/or evern if/ he obtained counsel, but I do believe that most defense attorneys have no interest in working the weekends. I completely respect the time sensitive nature of Hannah's case, but do remember that a retained attorney is obligated to ONLY serve their client. If their offices are anything like mine, emergent situations occur continuously. JM may very well have been instructed to wait the weekend out before talking to anyone.
I'm not convinced of his innocence or his guilt at this point, and I'd wager that he's much more forthcoming this week under his attorney's advisement. Any interaction with LE, regardless of guilt, can be a scary and invasive expierence. If guilty, it's beyond justified. If innocent, the informed reaction is to first protect yourself and your rights. Legal counsel 101 is to speak with an attorney first, because "open and shut" cases are the preference of nearly all LE offices in the country. No one wants something as damning as an u solved abduction on their hands.
And for the record - no, I'm not saying JM is innocent. Only that he's entitled to the same rights and protections we all are until (and even after) being formally charged. While I understand and sympathize with the frustration over lengthy process of LE being able to formally interview JM, I'm not at all willing to forego the rights of each and every one of us in order to speed up the process. As Thomas Jefferson infamously said, "those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."
BBM
Just my opinion!