GUILTY PA - Cpl. Bryon Dickson, 38, slain, 2nd trooper injured, Blooming Grove, 12 Sept 2014

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Journal describes Eric Frein's manhunt movements

Authorities say they found Eric Frein's journal at the abandoned airplane hangar where he was hiding out until his arrest. A trooper testified about the journal at Frein's capital murder trial on Wednesday.

The handwritten notes purport to detail Frein's movements and daily life as one of America's most wanted men, showing that he was keenly aware of the intensive police dragnet that spanned more than 300 square miles of the Pocono Mountains.

The journal writer asked Jesus Christ for mercy; took note of the progress of the manhunt; described breaking into a nearby home and stealing food; and poked fun at the media's characterization of Frein as a survivalist, writing, "Ha! Catchy phrase, I guess."

Riveting notes from Eric Frein’s fugitive diary

•Oct. 11-21: “Have lasted longer than I expected to last. Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me, a sinner. Bathed. Columbus Day. No news. Spigot shut off. How to get water? Barrett Township Trick-or-Treat and Halloween Parade canceled (over public safety concerns due to ongoing search). State senator coming to investigate (how effectively the manhunt has been conducted and how much it’s cost taxpayers). Bathed and did laundry. Read news (about manhunt) on Internet. Mostly (b.s.). Cops seem to be chasing bears they think are me. Been hearing coyotes or coydogs. Will try to get food tomorrow night. Likely get caught. Only beans left. Search is around Swiftwater. False sighting near Swiftwater.”

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Doctor who led efforts to save trooper’s life testifies

Dr. Mohammad Siddiqui took the witness stand on the eighth day of the trial of Eric Frein of Canadensis, who’s charged in the sniper ambush that wounded Douglass and killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson outside the police barracks on Route 402 in September 2014.

Doctors had to cut open Douglass’ abdomen and work to stop the bleeding in order to stabilize his heart rate and blood pressure, Siddiqui said. They also had to remove shattered parts of Douglass’ pelvic bone and rectum and the damaged part of his small intestine, insert a colostomy bag and patch any further blood vessel leakage to prevent infection.

Douglass has since undergone 18 surgeries and likely will undergo more, according to the prosecution.

Earlier Thursday morning, a state police handwriting expert and U.S. Secret Service document analysis expert testified that Frein did in fact write the notes in part of a journal detailing what he did after allegedly shooting and killing one state trooper and wounding another in Blooming Grove.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Frein trial: Pain, like a twisting knife, a constant part of injured trooper's life after sniper attack

While Douglass was moving a gym bag full of running clothes from his state police cruiser to his own car before starting his shift, he made a quick phone call to his girlfriend, as he often did, just to let her know he was OK.

That's when he heard a loud bang.

"At first, it sounded like fireworks exploding," Douglass said, sitting at a bit of an angle on the witness stand.

That bang was followed by another, then loud screaming, and he told her, "I gotta go."

As he rounded to the front of the building, he saw someone was lying on the ground. He got closer and saw it was Cpl. Dickson.

Not knowing what was going on - whether they were under attack or where the shots were coming from -- Douglass drew his firearm. He approached his fallen friend and, as he reached down to grab Dickson's foot to drag him to safety, another shot rang out.

"It felt like I got hit in the back with a baseball bat," Douglass said.

Bleeding and unable to feel his legs, Douglass dragged himself into the barracks lobby, going in at an angle to get some cover behind the wall.

"At that point, I knew some coward or cowards were shooting at us from across the street," he said, even tempered, but stressing the word "coward" as Frein sat at the defense table, chin in his hand, watching.

Douglass started to sense he was going into shock. And the fact that he couldn't feel his legs made him fear that he would never walk -- let alone run -- again.

Several troopers managed to pull him further inside the barracks, and Douglass was soon flown by helicopter to the Community Medical Center in Scranton. That's when the pain -- his constant and unwelcome companion -- set in.

"It's probably the worst pain you could imagine," he said. "It felt like your whole body is on fire."

Today -- 2 1/2 years later -- Douglass is still in excruciating pain. He can't feel anything below his right knee and has to wear a special brace on his foot.

When walking a mile leaves him in pain, running seems like an almost unreachable dream.

Douglass kept an even voice through his testimony, except for a moment near the end when he broke down, describing that pain.

Like someone twisting a serrated knife inside of you, he said.

Prosecutors: Eric Frein researched "how to escape a manhunt" before fatal ambush

Eric Frein's laptop was used to search online for "how to escape a manhunt" and "how are manhunts conducted" in May 2013.

The survivalist claimed to police on the night of his arrest that he had planned the sniper attack only a few days earlier, but his internet search history suggests he had been mulling over it for a lot longer. Other searches from May 2013 included "bug out cache" and "tips on placing caches," presumably of food and other supplies.

Frein used the internet while he was on the run, too, performing dozens of searches of his own name, both alone and in conjunction with words like gun, evidence and manhunt. He sought out his wanted poster and did research on Dickson, according to the testimony.

And, prosecutors say, he wrote a letter to his parents.

The letter, read to jurors Monday, was recovered from a computer thumb drive found at the hangar. Addressed to "Mom and Dad," it spoke of revolution and said, "The time seems right for a spark to ignite a fire in the hearts of men."

The author wrote: "I tried my best to do this thing without getting identified, but if you are reading this then I was not successful."

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/prosecution-wraps-up-in-eric-frein-trial-closing-arguments-expected-to-begin-tomorrow-1.2181868

This morning, a trooper testified on autopsy photos of slain Cpl. Bryon Dickson, showing entrance and exits wounds of two bullets.

Photo of Dickson's left hand had a wedding ring and wristwatch. His right hand was bloodstained. His hands were photographed to show any defensive marks. None were there.

One bullet entered the right side of his upper chest and exited through his back. The other bullet entered right shoulder and exited left shoulder area.

His shirt had holes corresponding with the wounds, his ballistic vest also had an entrance hole in the chest area, exit hole in back.

The bullet through his vest hit above a protective "trauma plate" inserted into vest.

Another trooper testified on the scope for the rifle believed to be used in the ambush.

No defense in Eric Frein trial; jury to get case Wednesday

Jurors returning from their mid-morning break in the Eric Frein trial Tuesday were met with a ghost-like image in the center of the courtroom that had not been there when they left.

A life-sized mannequin, dressed in Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Bryon Dickson’s uniform, complete with gun and duty belt, stood in the center of the room, draped in gauzy white plastic.

After the plastic was pulled aside, a forensic pathologist called by Pike County District Attorney Raymond Tonkin used the model to demonstrate the trajectory of the two bullets that killed Dickson, 38, during a Sept. 12, 2014, ambush at the Blooming Grove state police barracks. It was a dramatic ending to the prosecution’s case, which concluded Tuesday following 10 days of testimony and 535 exhibits.

In stark contrast, Frein’s defense lawyers rested their case moments after Tonkin finished, calling no witnesses and offering no evidence.

The abrupt end to the evidentiary part of the trial sets the stage for closing statements Wednesday morning and possibly a verdict by the end of the day.

If the jury finds Frein guilty of first-degree murder its job will not be done. The penalty phase of the trial, in which both sides call witnesses and argue for and against capital punishment, will likely begin Thursday.

Frein trial jury deliberation starts Wednesday

While the prosecution in Frein’s case has presented a mountain of evidence against him in the trial’s first phase, Frein’s attorneys seemingly haven’t put up much of a defense so far, having cross-examined only a few of the prosecution’s 53 witnesses.

The defense’s goal appears to focus more on presenting mitigating factors to the jury, which will occur if there’s a penalty phase.

Mitigating factors are information about the defendant’s personal life history, such as community volunteerism, lack of a prior criminal record or a childhood of suffering abuse, that earn the jury’s sympathy.

Meant to do the opposite are aggravating factors, such as a history of violence or lack of cooperation with law enforcement, presented by the prosecution.

Perhaps the most telling piece of evidence is Frein’s own words during the videotaped interview with police shortly after his capture. When prompted by police at one point during the interview, he said, “I did this and nobody else did.”

The defense has challenged this and Frein’s other responses to police questioning, all of which the prosecution views as an admission. The defense said Frein had never officially waived his right to talk to police without a lawyer present and that he specifically told police at the start of the interview that he wasn’t going to discuss any crimes with them, but instead would tell them where the guns were. Therefore, any statements or responses elicited from him should never have been allowed as evidence during trial, the defense contends.

Throughout the presentation of all of this prosecution witness testimony and evidence, the neat, clean-cut, well-dressed Frein has sat quietly with his attorneys in the courtroom, occasionally taking notes and holding whispered conversations with defense counsel. The jury will have to decide if the Frein appearing before them is the same man who did what he’s accused of doing.

Defense and prosecution arguments are scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, after which jury deliberation will begin. If Frein is acquitted of first-degree murder, there will be no penalty phase.

 

[Richrd]

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/

http://www.wgal.com/article/jury-ha...cused-state-trooper-killer-eric-frein/9529838

http://www.poconorecord.com/

Less than Four Hours of Deliberation.

 

[Sunday]

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/

http://www.wgal.com/article/jury-ha...cused-state-trooper-killer-eric-frein/9529838

http://www.poconorecord.com/

Less than Four Hours of Deliberation.

Guilty on all charges: https://twitter.com/JimHamill

 

[Richrd]

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/

http://www.wgal.com/article/jury-ha...cused-state-trooper-killer-eric-frein/9529838

http://www.poconorecord.com/

Less than Four Hours of Deliberation.

Next: Penalty Phase Arguments:

DP = Death Penalty
versus
LWOP = Life With-Out Parole

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Witnesses at Eric Frein hearing praise slain trooper

A steady stream of witnesses took the stand at the Pike County Courthouse in Milford, recounting memories of Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson. They ranged from Dickson's mother and sister, fellow law enforcement officers and a woman who said Dickson saved her life when she attempted suicide after her 19-year-old son was shot.

Dickson's mother, Darla Dickson, told the jury she does not hate Frein, but "that does not mean that I don't hold him responsible."

A jury on Wednesday convicted Frein, 33, on a dozen charges including first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and terrorism. The panel is now hearing evidence before voting on whether Frein should be sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, or death by lethal injection.

Police Sgt. Derek Felsman, a longtime friend who gave the eulogy at Dickson's funeral, described the 38-year-old corporal as "the closest thing to perfection that I have ever seen walk this Earth."

Darla Dickson said her son was a hard worker who loved animals and adored his family.

Stacey Hinkley, Dickson's sister, told the jury stories about growing up with Bryon Dickson and their younger brother, Brandon. Family photos were projected on a screen in the courtroom as Hinkley spoke, showing Dickson posing with his siblings and nephews.

"I miss his laugh," Hinkley told the jury. "I just miss him."

Frein's attorneys did not cross-examine any of the witnesses. Frein sat, expressionless, at the defense table as they spoke.

Expert argues for life in prison, not death, for Eric Frein

Contrary to what many might think, those serving life in prison are not problem-prone inmates.

That's what Dr. Robert Johnson, a professor of criminology at American University in Washington DC, said in the trial of Eric Frein today.

"Prison is a dark version of 'Groundhog Day,'" he testified. For life-sentence inmates, they live the same day, over and over again, but they actually cause fewer problems in prison than "short termers" because they have the most to lose, he said.

If the jury chooses to give Frein a sentence of life in prison, it's still a death sentence, in a sense, Johnson said. He will die in prison.

"A lonely death - in disgrace - awaits," he said, reading from a Power Point presentation he presented to the jury.

In Frein's two and a half years in prison so far, Johnson pointed out that he has only had three minor infractions. One for "unauthorized coffee," one for urinating in the yard and a third he couldn't remember.

But Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin argued that those are still infractions, and the urination infraction was hardly minor. It was actually considered to be a case of indecent exposure, and the third infraction came from lying about it, Tonkin said.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Lawyer claims Eric Frein has psychotic episode; DA says killer is 'acting'

Frein appeared pale and unshaven. Weinstein told the judge that he believed Frein was in the throes of a psychotic episode and urged the judge to halt the trial.

"Could he possibly take the stand and testify if called by the defense in this state? Could he possible assist in his defense? I think not," Weinstein told the judge.

Weinstein described a dramatic scene in the holding cell in which he tried to talk to Frein and the convicted murderer responded only by scrawling the word "Bible" on a sheet of paper.

Tonkin said he believes Frein is "acting." In the 10-minute phone call that was played in court, Frein was heard telling his mother that he wished Tonkin was his lawyer.

Tonkin said the tape showed that Frein understands what's happening in court.

"We are of the opinion that this is Eric Frein trying to delay the procedings," Tonkin said outside the courthouse.

After the hearing, Weinstein said he believes Frein said those things because he is scared of being executed.

'I failed Eric as a father:' Eric Frein's parents take witness stand as defense argues against death penalty

Eric Frein grew up listening to his dad's war stories.

His father, Eugene Michael Frein, told him he was a tank commander in Vietnam.

And a sniper.

And that he was in many firefights with the Viet Cong.

And for all of his life, Eric Frein listened to the man he emulated.

But the defense is arguing there was a big problem with his father's tales.

None of them were true.

"He was raised in a household filled with false stories about a hero who was not a hero," Eric Frein's attorney, Michael Weinstein, told the court today. Frein's father exposed him to these exaggerations of his military service in what Weinstein said amounts to "self-aggrandized, narcissistic behavior."

But it wasn't only these made up war stories - which likely inspired his becoming a re-enactor - that had an influence on Eric Frein. It was also his father's theories about the police having too much power and the government taking away too many rights, the defense argued, that all added up to Frein shooting two state troopers - one of them fatally.

"I failed Eric as a father," the elder Frein said from the witness stand.

Eric Frein showed some emotion in the afternoon, even crying, starting with the testimony from his mother.

When Debbie Frein took the stand, she told jurors about her son as a young boy.

"He always smiled," she recalled him as a toddler. The young Eric Frein was often content to go off by himself to play, she said.

Frein's mother broke down on the stand when Weinstein asked if she still loves her son.

"I love him with all of my heart," she said, pleading with the jury to spare his life, telling them that he is not a monster.

"I don't want my son on death row," she cried. "He was a sweet person."

She said her life has been a living hell over the last two and a half years, but under cross examination, Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin asked her how Cpl. Dickson's family must feel.

She replied, "They have closure. We will never have closure. Ever."

 

[Indy Anna]

She said her life has been a living hell over the last two and a half years, but under cross examination, Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin asked her how Cpl. Dickson's family must feel.

She replied, "They have closure. We will never have closure. Ever."

<Respectfully snipped from above post>

Ugh. I know she is to be considered a victim, but there is something terribly, terribly wrong with this attitude--the assumption that Cpl Dickson's family is somehow better off than she is. The only "closure" a victim's family ever gets is the knowledge that the perpetrator is locked up and can no longer harm anyone else again. They will forever feel the pain, loss and grief.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

<Respectfully snipped from above post>

Ugh. I know she is to be considered a victim, but there is something terribly, terribly wrong with this attitude--the assumption that Cpl Dickson's family is somehow better off than she is. The only "closure" a victim's family ever gets is the knowledge that the perpetrator is locked up and can no longer harm anyone else again. They will forever feel the pain, loss and grief.

I agree. I understand that she is persuading a jury to spare her son's life but the comment still rubbed me the wrong way, for the reasons you wrote out.

Do you think the jury will give Eric the death penalty?

 

[Indy Anna]

I agree. I understand that she is persuading a jury to spare her son's life but the comment still rubbed me the wrong way, for the reasons you wrote out.

Do you think the jury will give Eric the death penalty?

IMO, I think they will. The manhunt had the whole community living in fear and the targeting of the troopers from a distance was particularly brazen.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Eric Frein says 'no' to testifying on his own behalf

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-pa-eric-frein-penalty-phase-nearly-complete-20170425-story.html

As the defense rested its case Tuesday at Frein's sentencing hearing in Pike County Court, the man convicted of murdering a state police corporal and maiming a trooper at the Blooming Grove barracks confirmed that he would not testify in his own defense.

Prosecutors then played a recording of Frein speaking to his mother from prison on Nov. 19, 2014 — about two weeks after he was captured following a 48-day manhunt — in which Frein scoffed at the letters he was getting from news reporters.

"When the trial's over, I want money," Frein said, laughing into the phone. "Not giving my story away for free. It goes to the highest bidder."

Frein, who will likely learn Wednesday whether he'll be sentenced to life in prison or the death penalty, should not expect a big payday any time soon. Selling his story to any news outlet would violate Pennsylvania's Slayer's Act, a little-known statute that prohibits a murderer from benefiting from a victim's death.

One of the last witnesses called by the defense Tuesday was Frein's 20-year-old sister, Tiffany Frein. She asked the jury to spare her brother's life, saying he shielded her from their abusive parents.

"He was my big brother, he was someone I looked up to, he was my protector," she testified.

Tiffany Frein said her parents were selfish and argumentative, and did not care for their children. She described an incident in which her father kicked in her bedroom door and punched her seven times in the face. She said her brother stood up for her.

"Eric understood me. He was the only one," she said weeping. "He made me feel like someone actually loved me. I don't have a family. I never really did. Eric was my home."

Frein's paternal half-sister, Ellen Mitchell, also took the stand and described their father as an alcoholic who often "came home with his pants around his ankles." Mitchell lived with the Freins briefly when she was in high school, she told the jury, and had not seen Eric Frein since 2006.

Frein's attorneys ended their case without calling a mental health expert or mitigation specialist. Lawyer William Ruzzo said he believed their presentation was complete without those witnesses.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Eric Frein sentenced to death in trooper ambush

Moments after a Pike County jury sentenced Eric Frein to death, a bell tolled at the courthouse in Milford, alerting the community that the man who shot to death a Pennsylvania state trooper and severely injured another in a 2014 sniper ambush at the Blooming Grove state police barracks was headed to death row.

It was a sound that had not been heard at the courthouse since the 1980s.

Frein, 33, likely heard the bell as he was led from the courtroom after the verdict. He did not react as the jury foreman announced the death sentence. In the courtroom audience, a hushed "yes" and some brief clapping was heard.

"The jurors did deliver full justice in this matter," said Pike County District Attorney Ray Tonkin. "This verdict is for each and every member of law enforcement who dons a uniform and goes out to protect us each and every day."

Dickson's parents and Douglass were in the courtroom when the sentence was read. They wept and shared hugs with people around them.

Frein's mother, Deborah Frein, frowned as she listened to the verdict. Frein's father did not come to court Wednesday.

Numerous law enforcement officials were in the courtroom, including State Police Commissioner Tyree Blocker.

"Tonight, we are pleased for the hard work and the commitment to justice by the 12 men and women of this jury," Blocker said. "Cpl. Dickson will always remain in the hearts of all members of the Pennsylvania state police forever."

Frein will be brought back to the Pike County Courthouse for a brief sentencing hearing Thursday before beginning his sentence on Pennsylvania's death row.

 

[Sunday]

This trial was just as odd as everything else surrounding this case. His defense lawyers were absolutely useless. We all know he's guilty, but they are there to fight for his life, not to sit there doing absolutely nothing and then throwing their hands in the air in defeat. I am guessing perhaps that's their strategy; to provide many grounds for appeals (inadequate council to go w/Miranda Rights violation, etc). In the meantime, nothing makes anymore sense than it did 2+ years ago. One thing is for certain: they took him alive in order to make an example from him, and that they have done, from slowly parading him into the courthouse when first captured to the tolling of the bells upon his sentencing to death.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Frein attorneys seek to vacate death sentence in first motion after trial

http://citizensvoice.com/news/frein-attorneys-seek-to-vacate-death-sentence-in-first-motion-after-trial-1.2191314

A Pike County judge abused his discretion by allowing emotional testimony from a slain state trooper’s loved ones to continue over objections lodged by convicted cop killer Eric Matthew Frein’s defense, Frein’s attorneys say in a motion filed seeking to overturn his death sentence.

The deeply emotional testimony from widow Tiffany Dickson and others during two days of last month’s sentencing hearing in Frein’s capital murder trial overrode any “logical reasoned moral decision the jury could make to spare the life” of Frein, his defense attorneys, William Ruzzo and Michael Weinstein, wrote in the motion. Because of that, Frein’s death sentence should not stand and a new sentencing hearing with more limited victim impact evidence should be held, they argue.

In 1991, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed victim impact evidence in capital cases, but the question of how much is too much has not been definitively ruled on by an appellate court.

 

[JusticeWillBeServed]

Judge allows wrongful death suit to move forward against Eric Frein's parents

A Pennsylvania judge says the lawsuit brought by the widow of a slain state trooper against the parents of the man who killed him can move forward.

On June 1, Lackawanna County Judge Terrence R. Nealon allowed the suit by Tiffany Dickson, the dead trooper's widow, to continue. She is suing Frein's father and mother, Eugene and Deborah Frein of Canadensis, Pennsylvania.

Appeal focuses on how cop killer Eric Frein was questioned

Pennsylvania's highest court peppered a defense lawyer and a prosecutor with questions Thursday about the police interrogation of a man later convicted of killing one state trooper and wounding another to act out his anti-government beliefs.

Eric Frein, 35, on death row for the September 2014 ambush slaying of Cpl. Bryon Dickson II outside a police station in the Pocono Mountains, is arguing he deserves a new trial because investigators got a confession out of him after he declined to waive his Miranda right to remain silent.

Some justices indicated they may end up weighing that issue against what was described as a vast amount of evidence used to convict him.

"Tell me why this should not be harmless error and we allow this conviction to stand?" asked Justice Kevin Dougherty.

 

[starviego]

I still don't see a motive.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Civil trial started yesterday: Civil trial for man wrongly suspected in sniper attack begins

 

[Jim G]

Justice will be served