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

[gracielee]

As long as he's put away for the next 35+ years, that's good enough.

I don't know if 35 is enough. Remember that old guy who cut off the hitchhikers arms? Sorry, I can't recall the names right now, but IIRC, he was older than Williford will be at 35 yrs sentence when he killed the next woman.

 

[gracielee]

Don't forget the 1st Degree Rape -- that can get you, in the extreme, LWOP, too. And it can also get you a lot of years -- sentencing guidelines do allow LWOP, but he probably wouldn't qualify for LWOP because he hasn't had that many prior offenses. Plus 1st Degree Burglary, which is mild compared to 1st Rape. But if he doesn't get 1st Murder, the judge could still say the sentences will be served consecutively, and that could do it for him, IMO.

Sock it to him, Your Honor!!

Perhaps it's just me, but I see a slippry slope from inability to premeditate one element of the crime, to that same inability to understand the consequences of the other elements of the crime. :maddening:

 

[NCEast]

David Saacks is one sharp guy! Not much gets past him, IMO.

I am so happy you mentioned that as I was going to yesterday and I forgot. He turned something completely around with a defense witness a couple of times yesterday. I have missed much of today and I hate it. I'm so so very happy he's on this case and not HC or BH. I was very impressed with those two during the interviews after the JY trial but not very much during the trials (BH) and BC (HC)

 

[borndem]

Agree, I wouldn't have gone for death were I the DA. As you said, 'the worst of the worst'.

I'm not so sure CW had a choice....

 

[borndem]

B&E was thrill based, but he has NO opinion as whether the rape and murder was? YEah right.

"Yeah, right" is right, coffee-mate. He disliked it so much, he tried to do it again to his wife 2-3 weeks later. To his wife.

"Forceful sex," my toenail -- call it what it is: RAPE.


:justice:
LWOP

 

[borndem]

Friends don't let friends go to Starbux :floorlaugh:

I agree with what you say -- medication, awareness, guilt. And all could have been prevented had he been willing to listen to someone else.

A couple of his doctors said that he seemed proud that he had been on the wagon those weeks and months (if that was the truth, and I think at least some of it was). In one case, he stayed on the wagon while he was at home with his parents for a good while. Then he moved in with his band and almost immediately started drinking & doing drugs again.

Obviously, he should have moved back home. But he didn't. Not till later.

He had a mentor, and I would imagine the mentor did not let him down. His selfishness (er, ah, excuse me, I meant to say "impulse control"), youth, weakness, and genes put him over the edge. They were bigger & stronger than he was, of course. That is when you call your mentor and say, "I need help so that I will not take this first drink," and the mentor will be there -- that what AA is all about. The alcoholic/addict thinks he can have just one drink, or one joint, or one toot, or one cigarette. But his mind & body don't work that way. Addicts are different. JW had to know that. It's not easy, but mentors help a lot -- and he had doctors. Did he ask anyone to help him? I say no.

And that's how he ended up entering 2710 Cartier Drive that night.

Obviously, he should have gone back home. But he didn't. Not till later.

 

[borndem]

Friends don't let friends go to Starbux :floorlaugh:

I agree with what you say -- medication, awareness, guilt. And all could have been prevented had he been willing to listen to someone else.

A couple of his doctors said that he seemed proud that he had been on the wagon those weeks and months (if that was the truth, and I think at least some of it was). In one case, he stayed on the wagon while he was at home with his parents for a good while. Then he moved in with his band and almost immediately started drinking & doing drugs again.

Obviously, he should have moved back home. But he didn't. Not till later.

He had a mentor, and I would imagine the mentor did not let him down. His selfishness (er, ah, excuse me, I meant to say "impulse control"), youth, weakness, and genes put him over the edge. They were bigger & stronger than he was, of course. That is when you call your mentor and say, "I need help so that I will not take this first drink," and the mentor will be there -- that what AA is all about. The alcoholic/addict thinks he can have just one drink, or one toot, or one corner bag. But his mind & body don't work that way. Addicts are different. JW had to know that. It's not easy, but mentors help a lot -- and he had doctors. Did he ask anyone to help him? I say no.

And that's how he ended up entering 2710 Cartier Drive that night.

Obviously, he should have gone back home. But he didn't. Not till later.

 

[borndem]

Perhaps it's just me, but I see a slippry slope from inability to premeditate one element of the crime, to that same inability to understand the consequences of the other elements of the crime. :maddening:

As far as premeditation and consequences, 1) he picked up the rock, 2) he put socks on his hands, and 3) where were his clothes?

What were they for? A burglary tool/weapon, and leaving no fingerprints, and no blood evidence. Consequence-avoiding items and actions.

I don't buy it, and I hope Saacks will convince the jury not to buy it, either.

 

[laces]

Wow, laces -- I'm sure you don't want to discuss, but i just want to say that I'm sure that brave little girl is still in there, and she is protected by this woman of steel named laces.

that is the nicest thing . i am speechless . thank you so much!

 

[diphi]

Someone on that news-related site that allows comments after articles, posted that Kathy Taft was friends with DA Willouby's wife and it's the DA's "personal vendetta" that propelled him forward on this DP aspect. The same person said KT was not supportive of the DP and the Taft family was not pushing for it and that (allegedly) JW's team tried to go for a LWOP plea over a year ago.

I have no idea if any of that is true or not. It's what I read.

Is KT's murder getting special prosecutorial pushing because of who she was and how well-connected she was? I sure hope not!

Kathy Taft and Patricia Willoughby (the DA's wife) both served on the State Board of Education for several years together. Willoughby also served as Interim State Superintendent of Public Instruction at some point. In both of those roles, she and Taft would have interacted quite often. I don't know how close they were as friends, but at that level of government it is a very small world, indeed.

I have no doubt that the DA personally knew KT and was certainly affected by her death. I've always wondered that he may have some sort of conflicting interest in this case since he personally knew KT.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_N._Willoughby

KT's well-connectedness certainly isn't hurting her or her family in any way, let's just put it that way.

IMO, you know.

 

[no1uknow]

I just want to say that I think Jason's own words with Dr. Hilkey show that he acted with intent. He picked up a good-sized rock and put socks on his hands?! He entered the home and at some point, decided to beat and rape KT. AND THEN, he applied some sort of disinfectant to her genitals before he buried the bloody socks in an attempt to cover his tracks. I'm not saying he doesn't have serious issues because he obviously does. But he wasn't so f'd up that he couldn't drive himself back home. After driving back home, he wasn't so f'd up that he wasn't able to break into a house, beat and rape a woman, try to cover his tracks and then make his way back home.
This defense is lame, at best. I spoke to a lawyer friend of mine about what it takes to prove premeditation. He isn't a criminal lawyer, by the way, but he said, "The legal standard to prove premeditation is very low. All the prosecution needs to prove is that he entered that home with the intent of breaking the law." By entering the home, he broke the law. By his own admission, JW had a rock in his pocket and socks on his hands before he broke in. That's premeditation, right there, if you ask me, and the fact that he tried to cover up is all the more damning as to whether or not he understood what he was doing or understood the consequences of his actions.
I never really was sure if Jason did this, meaning to do it. After learning more, I truly understood that he was going to do this to someone, eventually. Knowing what Jessica said, I know he'd do it again and, in fact, tried to rape his own wife afterward.
I hope he never sees the light of day outside of prison ever again. I'm in no position to judge on the death penalty. But, in my opinion, he should be held responsible for what he's done and I'll support whatever the jury and judge sentence him to. His parents can't bail him out on this one. What he did to Miss Taft was evil beyond my powers of description. He can NEVER AGAIN be allowed to be around anyone he can hurt. I'll be glad when this trial is over and his sorry carcass is out of my life, for good.

 

[Madeleine74]

I don't think anyone needs to worry. His carcASS will be sitting in prison for the rest of his life. I'm making that prediction now. Let's hope I'm not wrong. :O

 

[borndem]

No1, I couldn't have said it better myself, all the way around. And as I said in an earlier post, we heard the Assistant DA in an earlier trial (Brad Cooper who strangled his wife to death/guilty/LWOP) that the 3--4 minutes it took BC to strangle is wife constituted premeditation -- he could have stopped and she very well may have survived.

JW went into the bedroom, heard her make a noise, as has been testified, and it scared him. He could have left the room and the house. He saw her in the bed, found her head (it was dark, I feel sure) and hit her several times with the rock that he brought into the house with him. Then the rape, as has been testified. If the rape occurred first, no matter. He still could have left; but no, he had to make sure there was no witness to the rape. Planning.

I'm sure the prosecutors will discuss these activities and show how they each qualify for 1st Degree status -- I hope to hear it soon.

And yes, JW had a lot of problems, and I must say that I am very thankful I did not/do not have them -- but however ragged and piecemeal his therapy was, he did have qualified doctors (some better than others, I'm sure) and parents willing to help him. And the irregularity he had in professional care was largely his fault -- he would go to sessions and then just stop. So on to the next one.

His lawyers have nothing to offer to mitigate or lessen the horror and heinousness of what he did, and they know it. They're trying to give it their best shot. Probably no other team could do any better... You can't make diamonds out of dirt.

 

[laces]

JMO, but this doctor didn't appear too interested in discovering *why* his patient was depressed, nor much history at all. He's an alcoholic, depressed, anger issues, yet no history as to *why* he drank. Usually there is a reason for depression.

amen amen amen. It's very interesting to me when families say that one of them had stopped drinking for a long time and then picked it up again....I always ask, "What made them start up again?" It always seems to be linked to something. Personally, when I feel badly about something, that's the LAST thing I want to do.

 

[laces]

I don't think anyone needs to worry. His carcASS will be sitting in prison for the rest of his life. I'm making that prediction now. Let's hope I'm not wrong. :O

LOL at carcASS....LOL!!! Why is that word so damn funny? LOL

 

[Madeleine74]

I'm pretty much a non-drinker and don't do drugs, so I don't have personal experience, but I think, like any substance, be it alcohol, drugs, food...whatever... those substances are used to numb. When under stress, the urge to deal with the stress manifests in going to whatever substance or behavior of choice to try and alleviate those uncomfortable feelings and either get numb again or alter the brain chemistry to get the serotonin or dopamine fix needed.

Chocolate is occasionally my drug of choice plus it tastes so good. And it does affect brain chemistry in a pleasurable way. Do I wish exercising was my go-to default addiction instead? Yes, yes I do! But...it's not. :frown:

Again, not an excuse, it's the reason for the addiction piece of the puzzle from what I've been told. JW is still responsible for his actions and he must be put away forever to protect society. There's no 'cure' for him, just containment.

 

[laces]

going back to watch yesterday's videos. didn't know about the socks, or that he buried them...didn't know about the disinfectant. kind of changes things, doesn't it? You're crazed from childhood, supercrazed from drugs and alcohol, but you remember to put socks on your hands? Sorry. And remember, he took time for a snack in the kitchen. I'm glad he's done with his "career". The scary thought is that there are others out there just like him, and we will see other families torn and broken forever from similar actions. Why were we made with free will? I have no answers.

 

[Madeleine74]

I want to know how long he was in that house? He was exploring to find disinfectant, get a snack from the kitchen, and DH was so out-of-it she didn't hear all of it except for some footsteps she couldn't pinpoint and some random noises?

It really was like the perfect storm with an unsecure house (easily broken into), one woman incapacitated due to surgery and pain meds, and the other out of it and senses dulled from a longtime alcohol problem. In terms of 'luck,' JW had it on his side that night.

Imagine if he had instead broken into a house where there was an armed homeowner who took him down with a couple shots. If only.

 

[seattlechiquita]

going back to watch yesterday's videos. didn't know about the socks, or that he buried them...didn't know about the disinfectant. kind of changes things, doesn't it? You're crazed from childhood, supercrazed from drugs and alcohol, but you remember to put socks on your hands? Sorry. And remember, he took time for a snack in the kitchen. I'm glad he's done with his "career". The scary thought is that there are others out there just like him, and we will see other families torn and broken forever from similar actions. Why were we made with free will? I have no answers.

WTF?!?!?! I didn't know about that, either. Which testimony is that in?

 

[laces]

I don't know. Go back to message #751 above. I'm going to watch the tapes. :back: