By David in TN
In the latest news from Knoxville, defense attorneys, Tom Dillard and Stephen Ross Johnson have fired back at Knox County District Attorney General Randy Nichols' allegations of unethical conduct by Special Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood with their own accusations. Supposedly, Nichols and his staff hid information about disgraced Judge Richard Baumgartner's misdeeds while Baumgartner was presiding over the Christian-Newsom case.
Dillard and Johnson are the attorneys for George Thomas. They argue "a motion to recuse should have been filed years ago in this case concerning Judge Baumgartner."
Blackwood has ordered new trials for the defendants in the Knoxville Horror torture-murders because of revelations that Baumgartner "was a chronic alcoholic and pill addict who used a felon on probation in his court to procure pills and using a graduate of his Drug Court to garner sex and pills."
"A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation probe showed that much of Baumgartner's crimes were committed while he was still helming the Christian-Newsom case."
It appears Baumgartner was secretly advised to take treatment for alcohol addiction before those trials began. Knox County legal authorities allowed Baumgartner to preside over the most heinous murder case in Knoxville history, even though they knew his health and self-control were not of the best.
Dillard and Johnson also contend that Nichols and his staff kept these revelations secret from the defense lawyers in the Christian-Newsom case.
Nichols' special counsel, John Gill, said, "We didn't realize the extent of the problem."
Judge Blackwood had originally ordered the retrial for "alleged" ringleader Lemaricus Davidson to begin on June 11. If the Knox County DA had not challenged the decision, the Davidson trial would probably be over now. As it is, it is still up in the air. The back-and-forth that has gone on now for several weeks helps only the killers.
In April, I met a former Los Angeles County Deputy DA who was visiting Tennessee and told him about the Knoxville Horror and Judge Baumgartner's criminal actions in particular. He told me the verdicts had to be overturned and the defendants tried again.
ReplyDeleteHe said that if he were the Knox County District Attorney, he would have asked for the entire case to be retried.
I now agree with my friend, the former LA Deputy DA. These back and forth games will probably amount to nothing. The Knox County DA had been looking the other way regarding Baumgartner. Nichols and Baumgartner are old political allies, making criticism of Blackwood pretty hollow.
Your editor at VDARE, Peter Brimelow, just wrote: "The plain fact is that the courts can't be relied upon-to reach ANY particular conclusion."
Can you imagine what the U.S. Supreme Court might rule if the Knoxville Horror ever came before them? They might turn the killers loose.
I now believe it is best to go ahead and try each defendant again. The current games between Nichols, Gill, and Blackwood accomplish nothing.
David In TN