Minnesota Justice
 

Policeman shoots Australian women dressed in pyjamas , claims his amendment rights and gets away with alleged murder
How good is the 5th amendment ?????? (protects alleged criminals)
Pray for Justice
Oz
ps it was she who rang the police to report suspicious behaviour (possible rape)

A lot of American's are majorly pissed off about this situation too.

If the police officer wants to take the 5th he should be placed in front of a jury of his peers and he then can give his evidence "ïn camera" and they can then judge his innocence or guilt
Now if he wishes to remain mute the jury can still decide on his guilt
Right now they are stuck in a catch 22 position and that does not give the victim any justice
We should always push for victims rights not the perpetrators rights
Oz

Now they are going to subpoena 30 thats right 30 of his fellow officers to get a profile on the Police officer who shot the woman
Is this heading for the biggest cover up or expose , my money is on the first one
Oz

that case and many others show me some people should not be police officers, I have a sister and a niece who both are police officers they say the same thing

I was a Firefighter for 15 yrs and a EMT for 8+ yrs. I worked with all sorts of Police Officers, from the State, County, and Locals. Here in the State of Michigan, the best trained and most professional officers, are the State Police Troopers, then comes the County Sheriff's Dept, and the local police officers are the least. There are some real fine officers that truly serve the public and that this the majority. Then there are some that have some issues, that mainly revolves the power they have, that goes to their head and ego, or some agenda.

I'm reminded of the ole saying, a few bad apples don't spoil the whole barrel.

I think this Minnesota incident is a result of one of those "bad apples" that needs to be dealt with the fullest extent of the Law.

I agree whole-heartedly but your laws (5th) protect him to easily , yes he has the right to keep his mouth shut but that should not stop due process.
Example
We had a woman over here who killed her baby , refused to speak , went to Court and was found guilty the evidence convicted her , same with this Policeman/Sheriff or whatever they call him
Both of these people have the right to defend themselves all they have to do is TALK
Oz

The US Constitutional 5th Amendment has been in existence since day one of America. The right to remain silent, not to incriminate yourself, is a good thing.

The only knowledge I have of this situation is what I have seen and/or read from the Media. With that in mind, I think the facts, forensics, and evidence will and should out weigh that officer's 5th Amendment rights. Thousands upon thousands of Americans have been convicted of various crimes and never said a word.

NOW....I also know, that their is a "brotherhood" within the ranks of a Police Dept (at least here in Michigan). Some officer may know something and remain silent or chose not to get involved, which may make prosecution more difficult.

It is a very sad situation for this woman's family, loved ones, and friends.

:Sad:

Appreciate your words Roland , you also seem to have a similar problem over there where the perpetrator has more rights under the law than the victim
How did this happen ????
Oz

The policeman has now handed himself in , let the wheels of justice roll
Oz

Oz: I haven't heard that, but that sounds good.

Just found this..... "The Minnesota cop who shot and killed an Australian bride-to-be was charged with murder and manslaughter"

https://nypost.com/2018/03/20/cop-wh...d-with-murder/

Well guys I have been following this thread since it was posted. As a retired police officer, and a combat vet in Vietnam. I have learned lots of things in 68 years, one of those things I have learned. Never ever second guess or make assumptions of what should be done in a situation you were never in.
Thank god in this UNITED STATES of AMERICA we have a system where 12 people of our piers that will hear the evidence, and make a judgement as to innocence or guilt.

Thanks for your input Larry but I do not think innocently walking up to a Police car and being shot is an assumption ,, you should feel safe near the Police
Oz

The latest is he has been charged and will stand trial in front of a jury , lets hope Justice prevails
Oz

Further to this the family are taking Civil action against the Minneapolis Police dept for $67million , I think they deserve justice but as to the Civil claim ???
Oz

The court case has begun but it takea an 18 page assessment for Jury selection ??????
He claims he felt threatened by a woman in pyjamas from the opposite side of the vehicle and across another police officer
Extradite him to Australia and we will ensure he gets non-discriminatory Justice
Oz

Oz,

While I feel your frustration in regard to our Judicial system and constitutional rights.. Keep in mind its the only system we have available. Is it flawed? Of course "all counties systems have at least some flaws" Is it a lengthy process? It absolutely is. In most cases lawyers from both sides are inundated by court process's, testimony, subpoena's, depositions and an overwhelming amount of evidence gathering. The 18 page assessment may sound like a large number. Think about it though. The jury selection of 12 will come from a much larger number of potential jurors. In this country you have the right to a defense in court no matter what you have been charged with. Innocent until proven guilty. Thus the reason why you can plead the fifth. The idea is if you are arrested for something, you are not a lawyer and you should really never speak to anyone about your charges without your lawyer present. In fact, its sort of a good thing he plead the fifth during the questioning process. In this country, the moment you ask for a lawyer to be present no more questioning is to be done by police investigators until a lawyer is present. If they continue questioning after this without a lawyer present the case may be deemed a mistrial.

Anyway. I'm saddened by this happening here or anywhere. I hope the outcome is one that the family of the victim can live with.

Cooperino , there are a great deal of similarities between our legal system but the system mentioned for this particular Jury selection seems to have a tilt towards finding Jurors who fit a particular stereotype not a cross-section of the community
Apparently 75 were empaneled from which 12 will be selected but the 18 page questionnaire will possibly have 12 clones of opinion , in my opinion not a Jury of peers but 12 like minded people
Anyway we trust truth will prevail and a just decision be the outcome
Oz

Actually, The jury selection is not what your describing. Both sides, plaintiff side "the state" and defendant sides have equal share in jury selection. Here is some about it I copied from Wikipedia. Just easier than typing it out..

1.Jury selection is the selection of the people who will serve on a jury during a jury trial. The group of potential jurors (the "jury pool", also known as the venire) is first selected from among the community using a reasonably random method. ... The prospective jurors are randomly selected to sit in the jury box.

2.Most lawyers will tell you that the way they pick a jury does not win cases, but it can certainly lose cases if not done correctly. Each lawyer may have a unique style in choosing the best jurors to hear and decide the case. ... Depending on the court, they usually bring in about 50 potential jurors.

3.Jury Selection Process. After you are situated in the courtroom, the judge and lawyers will come in for the voir dire, or jury selection, part of the trial. ... The lawyer for the plaintiff will speak with the jury panel first, then the lawyer for the defendant will speak to the jury duty panel


4.Peremptory Challenges
No reason is required for a lawyer to use a peremptory challenge to excuse a potential juror. Such challenges allow each side to dismiss jurors who are otherwise qualified, but appear likely to favor the opposing party. However, peremptory challenges cannot be used to exclude jurors on the basis of race or class. Lawyers only have a specified number of peremptory challenges available—that number varies from state to state and depending on the nature of the case (a misdemeanor, felony, or death penalty trial).

So you see, Neither side really chooses from the pool. They can however excuse potential jurors. The pool is created randomly.

I think in time if you continue to follow the hearing you will see its probably more fair than you think to both sides. As for the defendant. Again, No matter what he did he is of course innocent until proven guilty. From what I have seen I do hope that he is found guilty. However, I was not there so I am sure there is way more about this case that I do not know than what I do know.

Thanks Cooperino , but what was reported is the Jury pool / Venire had to complete this 18 page questionnaire before anything else took place
Apparently the questionnaire related to opinions on Police , Coloured people , Sudanese etc , for me this is putting up people who have a very similar outlook / stereotype and in this case I would suspect that pool may lean toward the defendant
A bit like picking a Jury off this forum to sit in Judgement of a Husqvarna owner , we all might be a bit biased
Trust the legal system in Minnesota works on the facts and no outside influences
Oz

I understand where your coming from. I have myself have served jury duty and filled out a similar size questionnaire. It mostly contains questions that try to identify bias. I think the process is important. For example. Lets say the victim is of a race or nationality that may have in past history or still is a victim of bias. You would not want someone on the jury that believes in bias against that person for color, ethnicity, or religious beliefs right? So the questionnaire is designed to remove jurors "that respond honestly" about having bias beliefs against either the victim or the defendant.

The key word here is honestly. Keep in mind. The people being questioned do not know any details of the case prior to filling out the questionnaire.

Lets say one of the questions is.

Do police make you feel safe? Maybe my answer is, NO
Or rate 1-10 how much you like police My answer maybe.. 1


This person is not a good juror either. You can't have a juror sitting on the stand who is bias against police either.

That's all the questionnaire is really about. Finding a good balance of jurors.

Thanks for your info but I still think this weeding out process can have a tendency to stereotype the jurors
Here we do ask a few questions of prospective jurors but not 18 pages
Anyway its has been great to get your opinion , lets just hope this Minnesota policeman does not own a Husqvarna
Oz

I own a couple Husqvarnas! :BB&YS:
Lmao! :biggrin2:
:beerchug:

I have to admit I own one also , 350 chainsaw
Oz

Rode a husky 450 desert master a few times back in the early 70's
Spiffy little scooter as I remember, but lacked the suspension we have now a days.:bigthink:

Hopefully this link works
https://www.9news.com.au/world/justi...b-f19412a5e50b

Found guilty of 3rd murder

https://www.twincities.com/2019/04/3...nneapolis-cop/

Yes and that was based on evidence that was admissible , there was a lot more we were told about but was suppressed in the USA
He has a reputation for being very gung-ho when it comes to weapons , I shall not say more at this stage as someone will pop up and accuse me of perverting the course of justice
Oz

I agree he was too "gung ho" in his responses. ( it is part of his record ) One would like to think that there would be physiological testing to keep certain types of personalities out of law enforcement.

It should have never happened but it did.

Oz:

You can state your opinion as you like.

The majority of the Law Enforcement Community are OK. There are, like any organization, anywhere in the world, bad apples that are in the barrel.

This ass clown is history now.

Not to be off topic of the prayer room, but thank you, gentlemen, for this post and discussion. I've never had any dealings with the criminal justice system so my knowledge on the subject is just the bare minimum I received in government class. I learned something new by reading this post and it wasn't even about cub cadets.

I just want to say thank you, I have a much better understanding of how it works for both sides.

Just read this on a New site over here

The city of Minneapolis will pay more than $28 million ($20 million USD) to the family of an unarmed woman fatally shot by a police officer when she approached his squad car after calling 911 to report a possible crime

Oz

https://www.foxnews.com/us/minneapol...n-fatally-shot

Apparently the conviction is now 12 years or out in 8 if he behaves
Oz

Minnesota is getting a reputation
Oz

Yeah, there is a problem in that area.

Jury selection in Maryland is done from registered voters. Federal and local.

Ah.. so if your unemployed, receiving state aid, etc, etc, you don't have to be on jury duty as long as you don't register to vote.