MI - Laura Dickinson, 22, raped & murdered, Ypsilanti, 13 Dec 2006

[SadieMae]

I'm not defending the university or its president.

But, uh, huh?! The parents "made the assumption"?

What the heck is that about? Your kid dies at college (not very common) and you don't investigate the cause of death thoroughly?

I can see "making an assumption" when Grandpa dies at 97. But with a college kid?

ITA!! A young woman should not be found dead! I'd want to see the autopsy report, police reports, and if it looked fishy a second opinion on the autopsy for her diagnosed heart condition. Then I'd read everything related to her heart condition as far as fatalities.

 

[Columbo]

This is unthinkable. What the heck kind of people are running this school?

 

[Squishified]

Is this for real????
I was watching CourtTV yesterday and was waiting for a guilty verdict at any moment.
This makes me so mad. First Phil Spector and now this. :banghead:

 

[less0305]

I can't believe there was a hung jury!!!!!!:furious:

 

[close_enough]

Did you see Taylor's smile when the Judge declared the mistrial? I wanted to jump through the tv...I mean what kind of defense was that. "There is no law against being turned on by a dead body" defense, and someone on that jury bought it? He owes his attorneys his life.

sickening!!!:furious:

 

[close_enough]

I can't believe there was a hung jury!!!!!!:furious:

i knew something was going on when they didn't come back w/a verdict Monday morning.....i believe i heard there were two 'hold-outs'....again,,,,,,sickening!!

 

[Hopeful One]

I agree with most everyone else. Why didn't the parents investigate the death further??? Didn't they talk to the ME???? I don't understand.

 

[close_enough]

Did you see Taylor's smile when the Judge declared the mistrial? I wanted to jump through the tv...I mean what kind of defense was that. "There is no law against being turned on by a dead body" defense, and someone on that jury bought it? He owes his attorneys his life.

i agree with you!!!....i'll never believe that he just happened upon a dead body while entering Laura's dorm room, illegally!....she was alive & there was a short struggle from her bed to the floor...nothing will ever make me believe otherwise....my God, he ripped a tampon out of a dead body...yeah riiiiiiiight.....:furious:

 

[nanandjim]

I can't believe there was a hung jury!!!!!!:furious:

This is unreal. I have closely followed the case, but they said that his semen was found on a blanket or sheets or something in her room. Come on, people!! Let's hope that the next jury has more sense.

 

[close_enough]

I agree with most everyone else. Why didn't the parents investigate the death further??? Didn't they talk to the ME???? I don't understand.

i guess the parents didn't see any reason to investigate further....i guess they assumed, when they weren't told it was a homicide, that Laura DID die from heart related issues.....i don't think they were told all the details of how she was found, the tampon on the floor, etc.......course some folks have lost their jobs at the university & the parents filed a lawsuit, after finding out what really happened.....

Laura didn't have any kind of defense wounds/bruises (i think a small bruise was on her neck).....she was in such a state of decompisition i think it was hard to rule a cause of death....it came down to asphyixiation (sp?)....they couldn't actually prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she didn't have a heart attack.....

i believe when Laura was attacked by this freak, while she was in bed, she may have tried to struggle somewhat... (i believe that's how he got her to the floor)...there were 'drag marks' in the covers from the bed to the floor....i think she was simply so terrified that she complied & did what he told her to do, & didn't fight....then he smothered her ..
hard to believe that the jury didn't pay any attention to the position Laura was in when they found her (legs opened) along with her tampon on the floor, AND the fact that Taylor locked her door when he left!! (from the outside, & he took the keys)

 

[close_enough]

This is unreal. I have closely followed the case, but they said that his semen was found on a blanket or sheets or something in her room. Come on, people!! Let's hope that the next jury has more sense.

yep, a tiny drop on the bed & a tiny drop on her leg.....& the 's defense was that OK, he broke in, saw a body laying on the floor, robbed her, then decided to ejaculate on the body before he locked her door & left.....just unbelievable that a jury bought this crap!

 

[believe09]

Has anyone seen any kind of jury polling? Where were they stuck? It had to be bad instructions by the judge or something...Someone in that jury room was paid off (no offense, just casting about for theories) or asleep, or friends of a friend or something.

 

[Laurapalmer]

I saw one of the jurors on Courttv today and was not impressed by her explaination.
Jamie Floyd said the woman was her 'new hero' which made me wonder about Jamie's judgement.
I could not believe these people thought all this was 'bad luck' and
'bad concidences' I mean really,come on

 

[Squishified]

Has anyone seen any kind of jury polling? Where were they stuck? It had to be bad instructions by the judge or something...Someone in that jury room was paid off (no offense, just casting about for theories) or asleep, or friends of a friend or something.

Hi,
There is also a thread in the Trials section. That is where I learned that it was an 11-1 split with the one woman voting Not Guilty.
I totally don't understand what her problem was (the juror).

 

[Jeana (DP)]

I was in shock too. Hopefully during the next trial, they'll get a better jury.

 

[LaMer]

You've got to be kidding me.

One juror said the state didn't prove he was in the room...lady you idiot, HE ADMITTED HE WAS IN THE ROOM, HIS ATTORNEY ADMITTED IT.

Man. I've lost faith in the system.

Then she added, Orangeman might have been in the room after she was dead --in other words, to her there was no proof she was alive when he entered the room! :doh: imo there is a juror sickness on the rise and this one must have had some kind of an agenda imo!

When she was interviewed, she came off blaming the other jurors for not wanting to deliberate--shifting attention away from herself! To her, 7 or 8 other jurors were to be damned for voting G on Monday! Oh yeah and she also agreed with juror #10/PS trial.

Ziggy, it is getting easy to lose faith in the system. :furious:

 

[ziggy]

Hello old friend from the David Westerfield days La Mer!

Yes, I'm beginning to think they need to polygraph potential jurors and perhaps IQ test them.

Add this to the fact that I'm immersed in a bitter Family Court Services divorce and custody case with mr. zig and kids - and I see how f**ked up the system really is. Dads get a raw deal so many times and now I'm watching the Darren Mack case on CTV with sympathy for HIM. I must be losing my mind!

 

[Jeana (DP)]

Hello old friend from the David Westerfield days La Mer!

Yes, I'm beginning to think they need to polygraph potential jurors and perhaps IQ test them.

Add this to the fact that I'm immersed in a bitter Family Court Services divorce and custody case with mr. zig and kids - and I see how f**ked up the system really is. Dads get a raw deal so many times and now I'm watching the Darren Mack case on CTV with sympathy for HIM. I must be losing my mind!

You can have sympathy for him in the family court, but that doesn't mean he has the right to stab his wife and shoot the judge.

 

[ziggy]

Agreed, but I am starting to see how someone can be pushed over the edge. And then add someone who is unstable anyway. The FCS needs to change - They always stress the welfare of the children, but sometimes that comes directly from the welfare of the parent or parents which they totall ignore. It's not in the best interest of the children for their Dad to be castrated by the system imo. Sure it goes both ways, but honestly, it's very one-sided. All you have to do is read a Dad's Divorce Forum to hear some horror stories and I've got my own. Some judges are playing it safe by siding with the mom no matter what and they rip the family further apart.

Sorry, off topic. Carry on.

 

[nanandjim]

...Add this to the fact that I'm immersed in a bitter Family Court Services divorce and custody case with mr. zig and kids - and I see how f**ked up the system really is. Dads get a raw deal so many times and now I'm watching the Darren Mack case on CTV with sympathy for HIM. I must be losing my mind!

I believe that the judge was a really a$$hole and Darren probably was getting raked over the coals. HOWEVER, he chose the wife; and he chose to have a child with her; and he chose the swingers' lifestyle. So, IOW, as my parents would so eloquently put it, "You made your own bed. Now, go lie in it."

Even though many men probably are enraged and feel like killing the ex-wife and the judge, they don't actually do it. Plus, Darren had millions. He just didn't want his wife to have any of it.

I can tell you that I had a very volatile ex-husband. I did not want any problems. So, I didn't push any issues. I may not have received what I could out of the marriage. However, I didn't have to worry about an angry ex-spouse stalking me and/or killing me.