GUILTY PA - Christina Regusters for kidnap, rape of 5yo girl, Philadelphia, 14 Jan 2013 - #1

[Dr. Know?]

I am too Jane. Did he offer his services possibly? I'm not familar if her family is wealthy or not but I'd suspect a pro bono offer since it is a really big thing for a child to be kidnapped from school by an unknown suspect and to be left the next morning in a t-shirt only.

As long as fair justice for this little girl happens & her future care is paid for, I don't really care.

The hard part for me is who did this and how did they know to pick her? That's suspicious to me.

 

[jjenny]

Personal injury lawsuits don't usually involve any money upfront. Lawyer gets paid percentage of the award, not upfront.

 

[Abby Normal Again]

Kline said the first order of business is to ensure that the little girl is able to reintegrate back into school. Second, he said, is aiding Rashid in the criminal process to see that the girl's kidnappers are brought to justice.

"Mom and daughter won't feel safe or be safe until that happens, nor will the public," he said.

http://www.philly.com/philly/educat...5-year-old_retains_high-profile_attorney.html

I suspect she is going to be making some demands of the school system. School of choice, added security, tailored counseling for N, etc- since we don't yet know if they will target her again until they are caught.

To me it's very telling that the lawyer listed school as the first line of business. I think mom is afraid to send her daughter back to school and rightfully so, but thinks that safely getting back to a routine can help her with the healing process.

Just my suspicion.

 

[hollyblue]

I think it has reached a point where the schools should have the same type of security that a court house has upon entrance. Then the person wanting to pick the child up would have to be ID'd, and the child coming to the parent...without the parent or person ever coming actually inside the school. It could all take place in a small secured area of the school. If wackos are still wanting to breach the school, then there is nothing stopping them from blowing out windows or doors as we've already seen.

Ironic how much we spend to keep prisoners safe, yet our most vunerable are being attacked on a daily basis somehow, someway.
JMO

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

She doesn't want to talk to LE, imo. So when and if she is questioned by LE, her lawyer will be there to advise her. We'll see how it goes tho...her lawyer may just tell LE his client is not available.

It's beginning to get a little political...between the gfr, the teacher's union and now a high profile lawyer brought in to boot. With so many school shootings in the recent past...especially involving the kindergartners in CT..it a sensitive firecracker of a case. Not only because of concerned parents, but the media as well.

"She wants to turn her attention to taking care of her daughter, and so she thought that she needed help and reached out to me, and I told her that I would undertake the task," Kline said. "She ... fully wants to and needs to cooperate with this investigation. She wants to see the perpetrator or perpetrators brought to justice, and she has asked me to serve as her lawyer and her liaison and someone who can help guide her."

http://www.philly.com/philly/educat...5-year-old_retains_high-profile_attorney.html

BBM

Do we know if mom has talked with LE?

If not... or not to the extent expected by LE...

Then why not?

I know parents of the victim are victims, too!

But this new development of quickly hiring a lawyer for.... well... stated and obvious reasons.... certainly raises my suspicions...

Suspicions where I had none before!

JMO

 

[Snufamonbobball]

I suspect she is going to be making some demands of the school system. School of choice, added security, tailored counseling for N, etc- since we don't yet know if they will target her again until they are caught.

To me it's very telling that the lawyer listed school as the first line of business. I think mom is afraid to send her daughter back to school and rightfully so, but thinks that safely getting back to a routine can help her with the healing process.

Just my suspicion.

I hope your suspicion turns out to be right!

 

[mrsu]

I'll tell you what...and maybe this is the wrong mind set...but if this happened to my child during a school setting you bet your I would attempt to sue their socks off for negligence. I wouldn't even think twice about it. They have policies in place and have hired employees who did not follow them. Sounds like a huge problem for the school district, IMO.

 

[Dr. Know?]

I don't know the family but as a mom, I would want my child to be safe. Her little girls name has been in the media and elsewhere, the circumstances of how she was taken, returned in a t-shirt and left in a park are traumatic. If some high power attorney offered their services after finding out most of the details from my daughter, I'd be pretty well primed for justice at this point.

 

[hollyblue]

BBM

Do we know if mom has talked with LE?

If not... or not to the extent expected by LE...

Then why not?

I know parents of the victim are victims, too!

But this new development of quickly hiring a lawyer for.... well... stated and obvious reasons.... certainly raises my suspicions...

Suspicions where I had none before!

JMO

I'm sure they have, but how extensively...???? IDK. As LE said, the investigation is still in it's infancy. The child was just barely released back to the family and then taken back to the area she was abducted and still has yet to be properly interviewed. Now is the time, I would assume, for the mother to interviewed as I'm not certain she would be allowed to be with the child in all the forensic interviewing. ??

Yes, the parents are victims, but the family is the first to be ruled out as well....relevant as to how the perp knew so much to pull this off is why it is not thought to be a random crime. ?

JMO

 

[Snufamonbobball]

Who would know which classroom the girl was in? Of all the rooms in the school, how did she know which classroom? Who would have that knowledge...

 

[cluciano63]

I'll tell you what...and maybe this is the wrong mind set...but if this happened to my child during a school setting you bet your I would attempt to sue their socks off for negligence. I wouldn't even think twice about it. They have policies in place and have hired employees who did not follow them. Sounds like a huge problem for the school district, IMO.

I just wouldn't be thinking about it right this minute, in any case, i mean it has only been days. Even if there is a time limit, it is not that short.

 

[Abby Normal Again]

Regarding the 2nd thing the lawyer listed in need of attention-

I would suggest we take a moment to imagine this happening to our child. Now imagine feeling completely lost, not knowing what LE is thinking... not knowing how to help your child, not knowing how to help bring these horrible people to justice, not knowing what to say "yes" to and what to say "no" to- finding that balance of protecting N, but getting information from her. I mean, when I saw them taking her back to the park I gasped. Did it add enough to the investigation to make it worth the trauma? IME the safer a child feels, the more they talk.

No doubt many of these necessary interviews have been traumatic for her, as a parent it would feel so helpless!! Where exactly is that balance of getting LE what they need without pushing N too hard? Would you know?

Now imagine with all this chaos and conflict- a big name says "hey, I can help if you want help" or a friend says "have you thought about calling someone to help you?" I would totally see the value in having someone who knows the system to help me navigate where to draw that line.

 

[mrsu]

I just wouldn't be thinking about it right this minute, in any case, i mean it has only been days. Even if there is a time limit, it is not that short.

I can agree with you on that. I think it's more likely she was approached by this lawyer and he is acting more as her liaison right now.

 

[Snufamonbobball]

I can agree with you on that. I think it's more likely she was approached by this lawyer and he is acting more as her liaison right now.

It says in the article she called him.

 

[cluciano63]

It says in the article she called him.

That bothers me, only as it would be really low on my list right now. I wonder if she feels she may face some questions she does not want to answer at some point. The lawsuits can always come later. Good grief, there has not even been an arrest yet. This makes me almost feel like she knows exactly what happened.

 

[Abby Normal Again]

That bothers me, only as it would be really low on my list right now. I wonder if she feels she may face some questions she does not want to answer at some point. The lawsuits can always come later. Good grief, there has not even been an arrest yet. This makes me almost feel like she knows exactly what happened.

Would it be low on your list if you worried LE was too aggressive in trying to get information from your child? Even if they aren't being so, I am sure as a mom I would worry about that balance- that line, and where to draw it. I also may not feel like I was being given enough of a voice when I said "ok, enough" and wanted to make sure there was someone there who they would have to listen to, and maybe even who could tell me "no this is important- let them ask."

I just really don't find this hinky at all. I think as long as she has a lawyer known for victim's rights/compensation and not defense- it's all good. Lawyers aren't always a bad thing!

 

[cluciano63]

Aren't there victim's advocates to work with child victims? Or a social worker? i don't know, but lawyers would be the last thing on my mind, for me.

 

[Dr. Know?]

If I'm innocent and my child has gone through a traumatic event and possibly physcially abused, my ex or whatever had 5 girlfriends interviewd by LE, media in my face, possibly my name drug through the mud, my daughter and I would need professional help for a while especially since it happened when she should have been in a protected environment.

I couldn't imagine having a social worker/cps worker helping me now but that's me. Our state is understaffed and has made some major mistakes for children. Advocates, I have seen plenty with good intentions that fell by the way...don't make me mention some of them. I'd try finding the best lawyer. I think there had to be someone linking them up though.

On the flip of that coin, maybe things are getting too close. I bow out respectively. It feels like this can be solved but don't take my word on it.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Regarding the 2nd thing the lawyer listed in need of attention-

I would suggest we take a moment to imagine this happening to our child. Now imagine feeling completely lost, not knowing what LE is thinking... not knowing how to help your child, not knowing how to help bring these horrible people to justice, not knowing what to say "yes" to and what to say "no" to- finding that balance of protecting N, but getting information from her. I mean, when I saw them taking her back to the park I gasped. Did it add enough to the investigation to make it worth the trauma? IME the safer a child feels, the more they talk.

No doubt many of these necessary interviews have been traumatic for her, as a parent it would feel so helpless!! Where exactly is that balance of getting LE what they need without pushing N too hard? Would you know?

Now imagine with all this chaos and conflict- a big name says "hey, I can help if you want help" or a friend says "have you thought about calling someone to help you?" I would totally see the value in having someone who knows the system to help me navigate where to draw that line.

You points are valid... but a lawyer is not a professional who I would feel would have the intent/personality/characteristics to proceed in the direction of helping my young daughter feel safe...

(I am not discounting the need, nor professionalism, of lawyers... but am questioning if a lawyer would be the correct choice in this situation...)

JMO

 

[Abby Normal Again]

Aren't there victim's advocates to work with child victims? Or a social worker? i don't know, but lawyers would be the last thing on my mind, for me.

Maybe! I don't know, though. I've never thought ahead to how I would handle it, and I'm sure at the end of the day I'd think of all the things I should have done different. I would love to find out she had a victim advocate already and didn't need their own!

I think a lot of us have different comfort levels with lawyers, too. I'm very comfortable with them and consider most of them great assets. But the ambulance chasers and sleazy minority DO give them a bad name.