Joliet, IL—I have written some two-dozen articles on the Drew Peterson case.
I have lamented the fact that our Bill of Rights that guarantee speedy and fair trials along with the right to confront accusers has been tossed out the window.
They don’t have the evidence needed try Peterson so they’re simply got him in indefinite detention. He’s been locked for 3 ½ years with out a trial or even a date when one will begin.
The made for TV film, Untouchable has been fictionalized to the fantasy of its author. It has little basis in reality but it was broadcast as a “true” story. The viewers see the film's scenes as truthful recreations of actual events.
My Peterson articles were well read all along. However upon television’s release of the film Google being searched by film viewers has sent my blog into record-breaking viewership.
I have gotten massive comments from these Television viewers that are abusive, frightening and hateful. Not one comment from the new Peterson film fans has shown doubt of Peterson’s guilt. I have had little choice but to delete all of the ignorant and misleading comments since they libel Peterson.
That sends a chilling message to me. That message is if you can delay a criminal trial long enough for Hollywood to make a film the jury pool is poisoned for good.
What the courts seem to refuse to recognize is that jurors lie about their biases. They lie about their exposure to news articles, Internet activities and other influencing material with abandon.
I’m convinced that Drew Peterson can never get a fair trial now since most Americans have been electronically bombarded the wildly popular belief that he’s guilty of killing two wives.
In the Peterson case a change of venue can’t help. I can say only a few people I’ve met anywhere including Europe don’t know about this case and formed an opinion that Drew Peterson is guilty.
I don’t know how the courts will be able to deal with this legal disaster. Judges can simply pretend that the seated jury is unbiased and let them do whatever they please.
If the courts rule the hearsay as inadmissible, despite any other evidence a conviction would be possible based on our modern day information age.
The Internet has changed pretrial and trial publicity forever. Sequestering jurors during high profile trials has never been so urgent. The courts will have no choice but to revisit the issue of pre-trial and trial publicity.
Sequestering jurors won't work any longer. From the moment a crime is covered by the media everyone with internet access has the ability to read articles and comments from various sources. This is especially true if the crime is notorious as is the Drew Peterson case. I would hate to get a jury summons and be selected to sit on a jury that is being sequestered, especially since I already know pretty much everything from the media coverage.
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