Jessica Lunsford Murder Trial Began Last Week
According to an article on CNN last week on Monday July 10, 2006:
Potential jurors were questioned Monday for the murder trial of a convicted sex offender accused of kidnapping, raping and burying alive 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford.I hope this guy gets the death penalty as the crimes he has been charged with committing are horrible. It might be a bit tougher on the prosecution to prove their case to the extent that a jury will sentece with the death penalty, though. Per the article:John Evander Couey, 47, appeared in court wearing a gray suit as officials began quizzing 284 potential jurors. Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, sat in court behind the prosecutors' table, across the courtroom from Couey, a former neighbor.
Couey is charged with first-degree murder, sexual battery, kidnapping and burglary. He has pleaded not guilty, although investigators say he admitted to the crimes. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty if he is convicted.
The state's job to convict Couey was made more difficult when Howard ruled June 30 that his taped confession could not be used as evidence in the trial because investigators had ignored his requests for an attorney.Nice job idiots. This seems to happen quite a bit when you read about various law cases. Investigators seems to get too bent on getting a confession out of crime suspects and they ignore their requests for representation. That does nothing but help provide them with a technicallity that will either get them off or a lighter sentence. In this case, though, it sounds like the prosecution feels they have enough evidence to convict Couey.
Outrage over Jessica's slaying prompted the Florida Legislature to pass a bill establishing a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life behind bars for people convicted of certain sex crimes against children 11 and younger, with lifetime tracking by global positioning satellite tracking after they are freed. At least 11 other states have followed suit.Michigan is one of those states. See my post on the laws they have passed, in part, due to this case.