Mistrial, Hung Jury - Raven Abaroa Murder in the 1st

[jackleg]

Oh that second man - Scott Hall (I think what was his name). Well the state did bring him in and he was on the stand and questioned by the state and the DT. Do you think he had something to do with the murder of Janet? Not sure how you think it should "matter" - the jury heard him testify and 11 of them did not think "mattered".

First off, thanks for having a reasonable and logical debate with me instead of resorting to name calling like some others have. I guess being a supporter of Young and Cooper doesn't get me many friends here

Yeah, you're absolutely right about that, I don't disagree there at all...

However, Raven was entitled to those emails during discovery. I know the jurt ended up hearing about it, BUT won't you at least admit that had Raven's attorneys may have gone about his defense differently had they known that his wife had a secret life with (somewhat) secret men? It could be just as possible that she strung him along ("i'm gonna divorce him soon") and he got sick, and came to visit during the soccer game and she tried to end it.

It totally would have effected how the trial flowed. Luckily for him, he gets a new trial now

It's just too bad he still has to sit in jail and wait.

 

[jackleg]

http://www.wral.com/asset/news/local/2013/05/20/12466483/0520defensemotion.pdf

I think the info there is very telling.... Raven asked for these emails 3 years ago, and they suddenly "found them in a locked drawer" days before the trial ended... and it turned out there were letters bettwen Janet and the other guy literally up to the very end - including the month of death, where they both kinda bragged about seeing each other secretly and not telling each other's s/o.

You have to wonder why that stayed locked away if it's as innocent as they say. I'm just curious to see how that plays out next trial.

 

[ndrew]

First off, thanks for having a reasonable and logical debate with me instead of resorting to name calling like some others have. I guess being a supporter of Young and Cooper doesn't get me many friends here

Yeah, you're absolutely right about that, I don't disagree there at all...

However, Raven was entitled to those emails during discovery. I know the jurt ended up hearing about it, BUT won't you at least admit that had Raven's attorneys may have gone about his defense differently had they known that his wife had a secret life with (somewhat) secret men? It could be just as possible that she strung him along ("i'm gonna divorce him soon") and he got sick, and came to visit during the soccer game and she tried to end it.

It totally would have effected how the trial flowed. Luckily for him, he gets a new trial now

It's just too bad he still has to sit in jail and wait.

Not sure the emails and "relationship" Janet was having with her X would have changed the DT approach had they know about it from the beginning of the trial - but what do I know. Scott Hall would have still taken the stand and
the jury would have had the same information, only earlier in the trial. So it was not like the jury did not have the information to consider during deliberations. i think he is guilty and when I started watching the trial I did not have an opinion one way or the other, but after doing a little sleuthing and fact gathering I decided - guilty.

 

[nells]

I'm just catching up with this trial and started watching opening statements... I'm a little surprised that the prosecution's opening statement was only 8 minutes... do those of you who followed the trial closely think this may have played a factor in the hung jury?

 

[MsFacetious]

I am SO grateful it was only a hung jury.
I was really afraid of an acquittal in this case.

 

[BirdHunter]

not retrials where the defense knows the evidence and can plan their defense accordingly.

cheating wife gets killed by guy she is secretly hooking up with. sounds like reasonable doubt to me.

UMMMMM I would like you to show us the evidence where is says wife was secretly hooking up with someone! There is none and there is no reasonable doubt. If you watched this trial you would know that.:banghead:

 

[BirdHunter]

Oh that second man - Scott Hall (I think that was his name). Well the state did bring him in and he was on the stand and questioned by the state and the DT. Do you think he had something to do with the murder of Janet? Not sure how you think it should "matter" - the jury heard him testify and 11 of them did not think it "mattered".

The state did bring Scott Hall in to testify and he had a SOLID ALIBI....So I guess he musta been a phantom killer and of course the husband an innocent chump! Wow what an injustice that the husband had to endure such pain... so much pain he got an underage girl pregnant two or three months after the murder of his wife by this "phantom killer"....oh yes if you watched the trial you learned that as well!

 

[BirdHunter]

here's the real problem. THERE WAS NO "PROBLEM JUROR". that juror had the right to say "i don't buy it, i'm not sending him to prison forever off this weak evidence" -- yet you guys seem to think somehow someone was denied justice.

the only person with any right to complain is the juror who was forced to return to deliberations 3 times to be screamed at by his peers

Ok let's restate that, but correctly this time....THERE WAS A PROBLEM JUROR. THIS PROBLEM JUROR THOUGHT THEY KNEW MORE THAT EVERYONE ELSE ON THE JURY AND THEY ARE THE SOLE CAUSE OF THIS MISTRIAL..THEY REFUSED TO DELIBERATE THEY REFUSED TO SEE ANY OTHER SIDE BUT THEIR OWN...and that you also learned by watching the trial.....You also learned that this juror caused so much pain for the other 11 that several of them were in tears when the mistrial was read.... YES ALSO FROM WATCHING THE TRIAL...

 

[BirdHunter]

http://www.wral.com/asset/news/local/2013/05/20/12466483/0520defensemotion.pdf

I think the info there is very telling.... Raven asked for these emails 3 years ago, and they suddenly "found them in a locked drawer" days before the trial ended... and it turned out there were letters bettwen Janet and the other guy literally up to the very end - including the month of death, where they both kinda bragged about seeing each other secretly and not telling each other's s/o.

You have to wonder why that stayed locked away if it's as innocent as they say. I'm just curious to see how that plays out next trial.

Hellllooooo did anyone else catch that??? Raven asked for these emails 3 years ago, well you are finally right about one thing. Raven knew about these emails and I am sure it pissed him off that Janet was getting in touch with an old love. It was testified in court that Raven had all Janet's passwords and log in information and had remote access to even her work email/outlook! It was also testified that the Ex had not seen Janet since 2003 and it was a meeting at a restaurant with several other people and that Janet did not arrive with him or leave with him and he never saw her again! They DID NOT HOOK UP after those emails were exchanged and the Ex had a solid alibi... A surgeon's bill from a back injury...hence LE taking him off the suspect list early on!

<mod snip>

 

[NCEast]

Was there reports of screaming from the deliberation room? Wow!

NO! No reports of screaming from the deliberation room!

 

[NCEast]

I'm just catching up with this trial and started watching opening statements... I'm a little surprised that the prosecution's opening statement was only 8 minutes... do those of you who followed the trial closely think this may have played a factor in the hung jury?

Not in my opinion. The prosecution's closing, especially by Charlene, connected all the dots and made everything work and was very clear and easy to understand. Thus, the 11 guilty jurors.

 

[terminatrixator]

not retrials where the defense knows the evidence and can plan their defense accordingly.

cheating wife gets killed by guy she is secretly hooking up with. sounds like reasonable doubt to me.

Janet never cheated on Raven. She was not "hooking up" with her high school sweetheart that hadn't seen her in years. There were a few emails back and forth. The exboyfriend, who was married with a child lived in another state and was best-friends with the husband of one of Janet's sisters.

The few emails between Janet her high school first love, when she was with Raven since 1998 and married in 2000 only further strengthens the State's case especially since Raven had her passwords and even though Raven didn't want to be married to Janet anymore, he didn't want anyone else to have her either, since she was only a possession to him.

There was NONE of his DNA at the scene of the crime, actually the only time he was in Durham was the Candlelight Vigil, which was for the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF JANET'S MURDER, that the actual murderer didn't even show up for, and the trial itself. Where was the husband when there was a candlelight vigil in Durham for his murdered wife? He was in his attorney's office filing bankruptcy, since he got an underaged girl pregnant and she was smart enough to get away from the guy that's been in jail for 1191 days so far for the murder of his wife.

People posting things as "facts" just to state a mis-truth, doesn't make it a fact.

 

[terminatrixator]

I'm just catching up with this trial and started watching opening statements... I'm a little surprised that the prosecution's opening statement was only 8 minutes... do those of you who followed the trial closely think this may have played a factor in the hung jury?

I get how people get hung up on an 8 minute opening statement.

Let's all look at Amos Tyndall's opening statements. Poor Poor Raven, he's a cad, he's a thief, but could he possibly have killed his wife? Oh wait, that's right let's talk about Websleuths, let's talk about the internet people, let's talk about Tim Dowd, let's talk about LE not doing their jobs. Tyndall basically tried to try the case by character assassination of all the victims in this case.

What did his long winded theatrical opening statement get him? 11 to 1 in favor of Guilty.

Obviously the Prosecution knew it had to present the Circumstantial Evidence one piece at a time and it's ULTIMATELY up to the Jurors to decide.

 

[ndrew]

The state did bring Scott Hall in to testify and he had a SOLID ALIBI....So I guess he musta been a phantom killer and of course the husband an innocent chump! Wow what an injustice that the husband had to endure such pain... so much pain he got an underage girl pregnant two or three months after the murder of his wife by this "phantom killer"....oh yes if you watched the trial you learned that as well!

BirdHunter I assume you were jumping off my post which was a response to jackleg. I was pointing out to jackleg that Janet's interaction with scott hall was addressed by the state and the jury did not think it" mattered" as he (jackleg) thought it should. After reading the emails it is clear to me that they (scott and janet) were just two good friends who were comfortable talking with each other. Just for the record I do think raven is guilty and deserves LWOP - I admire Janet's family for taking the DP off the table for the sake of Kaiden.

 

[FallingStars]

I think, given the type of controlling personality RA has been portrayed to have, that LWOP is a worse fate than DP.

 

[terminatrixator]

BirdHunter I assume you were jumping off my post which was a response to jackleg. I was pointing out to jackleg that Janet's interaction with scott hall was addressed by the state and the jury did not think it" mattered" as he (jackleg) thought it should. After reading the emails it is clear to me that they (scott and janet) were just two good friends who were comfortable talking with each other. Just for the record I do think raven is guilty and deserves LWOP - I admire Janet's family for taking the DP off the table for the sake of Kaiden.

I believe BH's post was in response to Jackleg. I honestly admire this family for their dedication to seeking Justice for Janet. This family doesn't want an innocent man in jail, they weren't looking for just anyone to take the fall, they are sad that the decision one man made took away their loved one, and that Kaiden lost their mother and father.

It's sad that Raven and some of his family members seemed to have so little regard for the loss of Janet, it's always about them. They would not have had the same regard for Janet though if the roles were reversed.

I thought it was quite tacky using Kaiden to try to sway the jurors. Raven being a "good dad" doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished for his wife's murder. A "good dad" doesn't kill a child's mother though.

I believe Raven would do it all over again if he had the chance. Luckily, Vanessa got out in time.

 

[JusticeJunkie]

Mornin gang. Dreamed of Janet last night. Still pondering it.
Raven wasn't even in the pix. It was just her gratitude and love for those she left behind for the many who support them. It was Janet hoping for peace for them. There was no hatred or revenge in her.
It seemed he was just someone she didn't know that was being punished by our earthly rules. The rules we have to keep society safe, and someone facing the consequences of their actions.
It was so love-filled, I was in awe. Rest in sweet peace, Janet.

 

[gracielee]

:seeya:

I went from probably guilty to innocent back to probably guilty to pissed off at the whole process. That was a heck of a trial.

:seeya: Long time no see! Hi ya NCSU.

 

[gracielee]

I probably ended up on your ignore list. The interesting thing is that I actually ended up becoming Facebook friends with some people on the other side of the fence in that trial (including NCEast). I still can't let that trial go though. I'm still bothered by what I saw in that trial (not the verdict, but the process).

No you weren't NCSU. Never in my ignore list. But you didn't friend me on Facebook either. :stormingmad::fence: NCEast did. :seeya:

 

[JusticeJunkie]

http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/12502845/#/vid12504830

Original vote 9 to 3. One man wouldn't budge.

There's another video of Judge H speaking before and after the jurors came in that some of you may have already seen. I had trouble hearing the feed, and it kept buffering, so I was glad to see the clip.

One about Janet's family being disappointed, and the second is titled, "Web only. Judge declares mistrial".