Thursday, July 17, 2003

Judge Wilson says being in jail for 30 years is no excuse

Today's Roanoke Times reports here on the following exchange between Chief Judge Samuel Wilson of the W.D. Va. and counsel for a convicted murderer facing federal charges for sending threatening letters from prison:

"Defense attorney Christopher Tuck said his client was a model inmate at Bland before his current situation sent him to Red Onion State Prison. After nearly 30 years in prison, during which a co-defendant in his crime was released, Easter became frustrated and wrote things he didn't mean, Tuck told the judge.

That argument provoked the following exchange:

Tuck: "You can't imagine what it's like to be incarcerated for that kind of time. There are times of frustration and you lash out and you write letters."

Wilson: "Well, when you commit murder, you don't have any reason to lash out."

In the print edition (which I just read at my house), the story continued:

Tuck: "None of us has been in prison for 30 years."

Wilson: "None of us has committed murder, either."


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