GUILTY NC - Laura Ackerson, 27, Kinston, 13 July 2011 #8

[Patchouliluvr]

Oh a good point them reading her journal, it shows just how nice Laura was. She did not write with hate and venom (so unlike what I prolly would have written ).

 

[aa9511]

It seems to me that they're weighing the evidence for a first degree murder conviction.

They didn't apparently need to weigh much evidencew to get to Grant's 1st degree murder conviction.

It was pretty easy for them (his jury).

Now suddenly for Mrs. Amanda it is suddenly harder....1st degree, accident, pre-planned?? We dont' know, confused, confused.

It sounds to me like they are unsure whether it was 1st degree or an accident.

 

[Marilou]

IIRC the handwriting expert from FBI said 1st half of agreement was consistent w/GH's handwriting & last half was consistent w/LA's handwriting but she couldn't be sure about the date &'signature. I believe that if LA wrote the second paragraph, it was under duress. I agree that they were going to produce the document after LA's disappearance was reported, implying that she took the money & ran. In this scenario, it didn't matter that they didn't have the $25,000 because the note would indicate that they had already given her the money. They thought her body would never be found. Think this indicates premeditation.

 

[liljim]

Surprised nobody has asked if they can watch The Talented Mr. Ripley yet

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

OT - just watched this recently after PSH died, good movie (also watched Synecdoche, NY - wow, its a bit of a trip but a lot of powerful emotional scenes in it)

 

[luckyme]

Oh a good point them reading her journal, it shows just how nice Laura was. She did not write with hate and venom (so unlike what I prolly would have written ).

when she wrote in that journal she included sweet pea Amanda!!!!!!

 

[otto]

Gotcha. I do remember that now. Trying not to over analyze but darn it that 's hard.

It is easy to worry about the verdict, especially the possibility that someone like Amanda will continue to prey on people if released. I think the difference is that we've discussed the case as it unfolded, and the jurors have had to keep it all in their heads until yesterday. Now they're having the same discussions that we've had over the last couple of weeks. There only seems to be one good decision, but there's always the possibility that one person holds out because they don't want to see a woman spend the rest of her life in prison, or because they can't connect the dots.

 

[atthelake]

In closing arguments, Boz pointed out that there's something fishy about the letter. He said that there's no way that Laura would suddenly give up the fight and accept $25k in exchange for Grant having sole custody of the children. He said that the letter relating to this was deliberately left at the apartment (everything else related to the alleged accident was thrown away) because it was supposed to be proof that Laura accepted the money and then she simply took off. That is, when Laura was reported missing and the last known place that she visited was Grant's apartment, Laura and Grant intended to produce the letter and claim that they didn't know anything about Laura's whereabouts.

The first half of the letter is written in Grant's handwriting. The last half of the letter is in a different handwriting, but there's doubt that it is Laura's handwriting. The suggestion is that the last half of the letter was forged by Amanda to appear like Laura's handwriting. Boz suggested that Laura was under duress when she signed the letter. If Grant and Amanda wrote the letter prior to the murder and then forced Laura to sign the letter, it is proof of premeditation and participation by Amanda in the murder.

:blowkiss: otto. Since this is FLORIDA with sunshine laws, does anyone here have a link to the pdf of this letter as I've never seen it... didn't catch the entire trial.

TIA! :seeya:

 

[Nymeria]

I don't know who did the camera work on Arias but I really enjoyed the various shots of testimony and evidence being shown. I thought that person was quick. Sorry about the slowpoke crack. I am anxious that Amanda gets her just deserts ( I love Hot Fuzz), same as her hubby.

"The Greater Good...."


I totally LOVE that movie too, my son and I saw it in Vegas when it came out (he was in his teens, so we would bring him along and hang by the pools in the daytime and go to movies/shows at night).
Matter of fact I love all the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost movies, but Fuzz is my fav. I think....
Sometimes I just will shout "A great big bushy beard" to my son, when relevant :floorlaugh:

Sorry for the O/T folks,,,,,

 

[CUCKOOHEAD]

In closing arguments, Boz pointed out that there's something fishy about the letter. He said that there's no way that Laura would suddenly give up the fight and accept $25k in exchange for Grant having sole custody of the children. He said that the letter relating to this was deliberately left at the apartment (everything else related to the alleged accident was thrown away) because it was supposed to be proof that Laura accepted the money and then she simply took off. That is, when Laura was reported missing and the last known place that she visited was Grant's apartment, Laura and Grant intended to produce the letter and claim that they didn't know anything about Laura's whereabouts.

The first half of the letter is written in Grant's handwriting. The last half of the letter is in a different handwriting, but there's doubt that it is Laura's handwriting. The suggestion is that the last half of the letter was forged by Amanda to appear like Laura's handwriting. Boz suggested that Laura was under duress when she signed the letter. If Grant and Amanda wrote the letter prior to the murder and then forced Laura to sign the letter, it is proof of premeditation and participation by Amanda in the murder.

Laura was killed. I believe the evidence shows she was killed in the apartment and dismembered in the bathroom tub.

If the note was written by Laura and was exactly as stated then Laura's dismembered body would not have been recovered in that creek. She would be off somewhere living her life.

Instead we know Laura was killed. So the note is a ruse to dupe LE and all into thinking Laura, though missing, is off somewhere living her life.

IIRC the handwriting experts say that the second half of the note is not in Grant's handwriting. If I am mistaken about the handwriting expert saying the second half of the note was written by Laura that still only leaves only two other people. Laura and Amanda.

Like I said earlier if it was Laura who wrote the note she was killed shortly after that and if that doesn't reek of premeditation I don't know what does. And if it was Amanda copying Laura's handwriting (didn't LE find a 'practice' letter?) same conclusion. Both people guilty of premeditation to murder.

 

[Chelly]

They didn't apparently need to weigh much evidencew to get to Grant's 1st degree murder conviction.

It was pretty easy for them (his jury).

Now suddenly for Mrs. Amanda it is suddenly harder....1st degree, accident, pre-planned?? We dont' know, confused, confused.

It sounds to me like they are unsure whether it was 1st degree or an accident.

It is not harder. The jury is simply doing its job.

 

[CUCKOOHEAD]

Surprised nobody has asked if they can watch The Talented Mr. Ripley yet

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

:floorlaugh: :floorlaugh:

 

[Myvice]

IIRC the handwriting expert from FBI said 1st half of agreement was consistent w/GH's handwriting & last half was consistent w/LA's handwriting but she couldn't be sure about the date &'signature. I believe that if LA wrote the second paragraph, it was under duress. I agree that they were going to produce the document after LA's disappearance was reported, implying that she took the money & ran. In this scenario, it didn't matter that they didn't have the $25,000 because the note would indicate that they had already given her the money. They thought her body would never be found. Think this indicates premeditation.

And considering AH puts herself and the baby out there at the time this is happening....she had to know it was signed under duress. MOO

 

[aa9511]

It is obvious to me the note is fake - especially, just like Boz pointed out, the part where it says something like, I will get to visit my kids, but only at the father's discretion. That is so obvious, IMO, that was put it for Grant's benefit, and Laura IMO would not have signed off on that part or the rest of it.

So unless they think Grant devised the whole letter and forged it, etc., all without Amanda knowing, then what is the big deal? (Not directed at you, just venting here).

Grant and Amanda were in all of this together. She moved to N. Carolina with him. Why didn't she just stay in NYC? Because they were doing eveyrthing together, their lives were joined together and it seems to me that you could barely separate them.

 

[luckyme]

They didn't apparently need to weigh much evidencew to get to Grant's 1st degree murder conviction.

It was pretty easy for them (his jury).

Now suddenly for Mrs. Amanda it is suddenly harder....1st degree, accident, pre-planned?? We dont' know, confused, confused.

It sounds to me like they are unsure whether it was 1st degree or an accident.

I still think Grant told a little bit of the trith in that interview. I believe Amanda did it!!!!!!! Laura was a nasty taste in her mouth! All her money was gone and she wanted to leave the country with grant to start over. She was worldly u know hahaha! They would never be able to leave with the custody arrangement! moo She would have to go to kinston and work at a daycare!!!!! not the life she wanted! moo!!!!!!

 

[geevee]

bbm

But I am having issue with why this jury is apparently taking a closer look than Grant's jury did. Why does Amanda get the benefit of "extra" attention/thoughtfulness?

She is as evil as Grant is. She did this just as much as he did.

JMO.

I think because the defense didn't dispute that he cut up her body, if anyone would go that far it seems reasonable that he was also responsible for killing her as well.

 

[Boodles]

They didn't apparently need to weigh much evidencew to get to Grant's 1st degree murder conviction.

It was pretty easy for them (his jury).

Now suddenly for Mrs. Amanda it is suddenly harder....1st degree, accident, pre-planned?? We dont' know, confused, confused.

It sounds to me like they are unsure whether it was 1st degree or an accident.

GH had very different evidence. He was on video buying the saw. That was extremely compelling.

AH was smarter. She made sure to stay under the radar, and even gave herself a chickfila alibi. She's more evil than he is.

 

[luckyme]

we r live!

 

[NCEast]

Live courtroom again.

 

[luckyme]

note!!! They want to see saw!

 

[Madeleine74]

The fact alone that neither Grant nor Amanda even had $25K at that point should be enough to prove the custody letter was a complete fake. "Here, take our <pretend> $25K and for that <pretend> money you will give up custody of the 2 boys. K. Thx"

Yeahhh.... what's so hard to understand how fake that was?