GUILTY NC - Kathy Taft, 62, Raleigh, 6 March 2010 - #6

[laces]

Great attitude, Gracielee. I fully agree. it's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that's important. life sucks for many people, but they still keep trying to be decent human beings, hold down jobs, and have loving relationships with others. At some point a person has to be held accountable for the actions he or she takes, no matter how much mental illness runs in the genes, or how little they held onto their "blankie". I do feel compassion for this mom and family who never asked for any of this. They have the double burden of knowing that the person they love took the life of another in violence and destroyed an innocent person's family life and future. Even the truly nutty try to cover up their crimes....you can argue for temporary insanity all day long, but at some point he knew he had done it and chose to keep hiding it - adding on to his own daily hell. I still feel he was in a comfort zone in that house.

 

[NCEast]

JW knew and understood enough that he wasn't going to give a DNA sample to LE. If he'd had a true alcoholic blackout, how did he KNOW he didn't want his DNA tested? He knew he had to rid himself of his clothes that night, his wife testified he came in 'in his boxers' and no other clothes. He took a rock into the house with him, IMO *intent*. Now his entire family is being dragged through the mud in an attempt to 'answer for' his crimes that night. Truly mentally ill people are seldom violent. I didn't hear mention of any of those mentally ill relatives committing harm upon anyone but themselves. I guess I just don't have a lot of patience with attempts to blame others for ones crimes. JW certainly had two parents who were involved in his childhood. I've heard no mention of parental abuse, just the opposite.

Absolutely. If anything, I get the feeling his parents made excuses for him thus enabling his actions throughout his life. I have some looneys in my family too but I don't drag them out as an excuse for when I screw up. I hate this defense and this defense team, I dislike his parents for being willing to throw the entire family on both sides and going back 100 years under the bus, simply to make an excuse for this horrible monster who is their child. Sometimes there is no rhyme nor reason....nor excuse. It is what it is.

 

[NCEast]

I have to look to at this way. The defense team has to use anything they can to try to defend their client. It may be the most bizarre, unlikely defense in the world, but you have to try it, because as his lawyer, you are bound by the oath to provide your client zealous representation. And no matter how crazy the defense may seem, sometimes a jury falls for it. CA comes to mind. Don't get me started.

I agree with what you are saying. And you are exactly right--he deserves a defense. However, on a personal note, if it were one of my own kids on trial I would not dare let the defense team, with my ok and reassurance, bring down my entire family just to make an excuse for my child. I just wouldn't do it.

 

[gracielee]

I feel for this woman, JW's mom. I feel for all that she has been through since giving birth to him. However, all of the drooling, and sleeping, and non sleeping, and no friends, and drugs and alcohol do not make what he did to KT right, or OK, or forgivable. I'm with you, GL, I had a crappy childhood with many traumas and because of it I became determined to go in the opposite direction with myself and my kids and everybody else who touched my life. I hate that this defense team is even trying to bring down the other family members including the great grandfather and his drinking habits to justify what JW did. He is evil, that's all it boils down to.

Exactly NC. Even as a little girl, I recall sitting on the floor in my closet, rocking myself and repeating my mantra "when I grow up I'm never going to do this...." Sure, there was lots of *damage done*, stuff that has ravaged my adult life, but the focus remained the same. "I will NOT be like THEM." 'Depression is anger turned inward.' JW took his anger out on KT that night IMO.

 

[gracielee]

I agree with what you are saying. And you are exactly right--he deserves a defense. However, on a personal note, if it were one of my own kids on trial I would not dare let the defense team, with my ok and reassurance, bring down my entire family just to make an excuse for my child. I just wouldn't do it.

I'd be quite upset, to say the least, if a distant member of my family was dragging out 'my issues' to condone a crime they had committed. Were it my sister, who had grown up under the same circumstances as me, endured the same abuse, of course I'd be right there to verify each and every bad thing she reported. But it ends there. JW's mother is *naming* all these other relatives and their problems to excuse what her son did. He brutally beat and raped a random woman, in her own bed, where she should have been safe. He used the sign to jimmy the door, took a rock inside as a weapon. None of those relatives she spoke of harmed anyone else that I heard, yet she dragged them down by name. Don't like that at all.

 

[Madeleine74]

JW was able to fool a psychiatrist. Not that the psychiatrist did much in the way of digging super deep, but JW appeared normal enough with his alcoholism and depression, which are pretty garden variety in the psych world.

Lots of mentally ill people manage not to murder others. And the ones who truly suffer from diminished capacity due to mental illness (Andrea Yates, as the perfect example), can't distinguish between right or wrong because of their illness. This guy? He knew right from wrong and while he was drunk, he wasn't incapable of forming intent.

 

[gracielee]

JW was able to fool a psychiatrist. Not that the psychiatrist did much in the way of digging super deep, but JW appeared normal enough with his alcoholism and depression, which are pretty garden variety in the psych world.

Lots of mentally ill people manage not to murder others. And the ones who truly suffer from diminished capacity due to mental illness (Andrea Yates, as the perfect example), can't distinguish between right or wrong because of their illness. This guy? He knew right from wrong and while he was drunk, he wasn't incapable of forming intent.

You are so right about Andrea Yates. She had a long history of hospitalizations, severe post-partum psychosis after a number of her babies. It's always been my opinion that Rusty Yates bore some of that responsiblity. He was her husband, observed her growing worse and worse by the hour, yet he left all those babies alone with her. Most parents go to great lengths to find responsible, healthy care for their children. Would anyone have *hired* Andrea to care for *their* children? Of course not.

As an aside, the book I ordered on the other N.C. case recently reopened, the murder on Bald Head Island of Davina Buff-Jones, arrived today in the mail. If any locals are interested, I started a cold case thread on this reopened case on WS's.

 

[gracielee]

Back live in the courtroom.

 

[gracielee]

Who hasn't had a kid who was disorganized, rather play than do school work? Each of my kids have displayed certain of these characteristics over the course of their childhood.

 

[gracielee]

Were I on this jury, I'd be turned off by all this extraneous information having nothing to do with a brutal beating, rape & murder. JMO

 

[NCB]

Are we gonna get to the diminished capacity part soon? I'm getting sleepy. At this point I'm hearing ticked off, obnoxious, self-centered kid crap.

 

[gracielee]

Are we gonna get to the diminished capacity part soon? I'm getting sleepy. At this point I'm hearing ticked off, obnoxious, self-centered kid crap.

Exactly! So much could have been 'over-heard' when my kids were teenagers. Except we devised CONSEQUENCES for actions.

 

[Boodles]

She believes this is important and that it matters. That makes me sad for her.

 

[NCB]

Exactly! So much could have been 'over-heard' when my kids were teenagers. Except we devised CONSEQUENCES for actions.

Absolutely, GL. Action? Here's my reaction.

Even my beloved, nearly perfect daughter (God only gives you what you can handle, lol!) was on the verge of extinction when she was 13-15.

She just said, "Taking things without asking." Oh, the horror--my child would never have "borrowed" anything without asking... Ba, ha, ha...

 

[NCB]

She believes this is important and that it matters. That makes me sad for her.

And I'm sure it WAS very difficult for them--especially after they had such a "good" daughter. She seems like a very concerned and involved mom. She also seems a bit too gentle, and perhaps JW's anger was used to manipulate her. Very sad.

 

[gracielee]

Absolutely, GL. Action? Here's my reaction.

Even my beloved, nearly perfect daughter (God only gives you what you can handle, lol!) was on the verge of extinction when she was 13-15.

She just said, "Taking things without asking." Oh, the horror--my child would never have "borrowed" anything without asking... Ba, ha, ha...

I couldn't begin to count the number of times, with three teenage daughters in the house, I heard "Mom, SHE TOOK MY........" whatever clothes, shoes,


And did I hear her say they kept a bottle of bourbon around? I thought her husband was an alcoholic?

 

[Prancy]

For a minute, I was really scared of where that ferret story was going.

 

[borndem]

I agree, were he a raving lunatic, but JW was able to plan and carry on a life. He committed crimes, made excuses, covered up, etc. IMO. I come from an extremely abusive family, alcoholics in the history, not my parents though. They were simply mean. There were suicides on both sides of the family history, numerous other weird-o's of various degrees. I've had a breakdown, take meds, have been in therapy for years due to PTSD & panic attacks from my childhood. But what I do with my life, is my responsibility. IMO Jason isn't a schitzo, he doesn't hear voices, wander around unable to function. I guess I just don't have much sympathy for someone who rapes and murders and then blames it on nutty relatives. Again, JMO.

Bravo for you, my friend glee! You're an intelligent, feisty, and good hearted woman who had a lot to overcome -- but you did it. But you were the main reason you succeeded. You had to want it, and you had to spend the time & energy to do it. You tried hard & overcame your burdens. And I'm sure you still work on it.

JW didn't do it because, IMO, he didn't want to do it -- too much trouble and it was no fun. I'm sure we can all think of friends, relatives, well-known athletes, celebrities, etc., who have overcome as much as JW had genetically and environmentally. But this boy, growing up, was just plain self-centered & lazy. That's part of it -- he had help, he gave it a bit of a try, but tired of it. Depression is a horrible sickness and it is so "sneaky" that it's upon you almost before you know it. Without help, I can't imagine how someone would cope with it. JW had help -- sounds like they took him to every doctor in town.

Now she's talking about produce.... whew.... nope, I'm done thinking out loud for now..... OMG

 

[NCB]

For a minute, I was really scared of where that ferret story was going.

Bahahahahahaha....OMGoodness, Prancy. I needed that laugh...Thank you.

 

[Boodles]

This is just wrong.