his kindness towards the victims of crime.
I hesitated to put the photo in, but we like to discuss all sides to a story here and the caption of the photo is Joe Lopez laughing it up with Jeff Ruby.
It disgusted me when I saw it because I thought that it made him seem disingenuous and made me question everything.....like how did Drew Peterson who has been locked up in a cell for the past three years even know who he was? I always wondered about that--my BS detector went off a bit, but his words to the press and subsequent ads and interviews made me look the other way. Sure Ruby may have been giving him dirty looks in the courtroom, but I began to wonder if that whole thing was staged.
I have been so enthusiastically supportive and complimentary of Jeff Ruby.
His offer of 100K of his own money for anyone who can help us find the body of Stacy, his compassion for the families of the victims. He also is very funny.
Of course this photo doesn't tell the whole story--I never thought that it did, but it did truly give me pause for thought about the whole thing.
I always thought that the courtroom interaction sounded a bit like theatre....
which doesn't take away that he is charitable and honestly so.
I also don't give a hoot if he is looking for some publicity. That is cool by me.
He has a book coming out that he is looking to promote, restaurants and a casino. He is a saavy businessman.
He could have walked up to them and made a sarcastic remark about Harry Smith for all I know.......it just made me stop and reconsider is all.
When I woke up this morning after posting that last night, I wondered if I would be held in contempt for having entertained the notion that he is anything less than honest.
Mr. Ruby, if you are reading this, I still am going to dine in your restaurant when I come to Louisville because your outspoken support for the families of Kathleen and Stacy has touched me and others greatly.
Just please be careful about the company that you keep. Joe the Shark has friends in the "outfit".
One snapshot does not a fallen hero make. Jeff Ruby is not even looking at Lopez in the pics taken. They appear to be laughing at something someone else said (1 of 2 women standing there also).
Pictures don't tell the story; Ruby's actions tell the story. He has put up $100K of his own money for information leading to the discovery of Stacey's body. He has put up his own money to secure hotel rooms for Savio's family/sisters. He has taken ads out in area newspapers to publicly chastise the defense team, the judge, and what he feels are miscarriages of justice. He is going to treat the entire state's team and Savio family to a celebration if a guilty verdict comes in. This guy is putting his money where his mouth is. I give him that credit.
If one or 2 pictures where he's in the same shot as a defense attorney can undo all of that then the media really does have the power of manipulation.