tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post3490257567755957709..comments2023-10-22T09:32:13.417-04:00Comments on Big Trial | Philadelphia Trial Blog: Amid Smirks And Mocking, An Ethics Expert Rips Frank FinaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04116104602505815614noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-6891192947938276882018-06-26T10:00:53.906-04:002018-06-26T10:00:53.906-04:00Is it to much to ask that this site have a new sto...Is it to much to ask that this site have a new story more than once or twice a month ?Phillyguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01500308564265605230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-88868100870235444782018-06-23T11:10:27.942-04:002018-06-23T11:10:27.942-04:00innocenceprojectYesterday, Christopher Miller was ...innocenceprojectYesterday, Christopher Miller was exonerated in Cleveland, OH after spending 17 years in prison for a crime DNA proves he did not commit. Miller was freed with the assistance of the @ohio_innocence_project.<br />__<br />In 2002, Miller was convicted of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and robbery and sentenced to 44 years in prison. On the day after the crime, police located the victim’s cell phone in Miller’s possession, which made him the prime suspect. Miller claimed he’d purchased it from a stranger on the street in exchange for drugs and maintained his innocence. The victim later identified him as one of her attackers.<br />__<br />Pretrial DNA testing of the rape kit excluded Miller and revealed an unknown male profile. The prosecutor argued that the unknown profile must’ve belonged to Miller’s accomplice, since the victim claimed that two men had attacked her. Two years after Miller’s conviction, investigators matched the DNA from the rape kit to Richard Stadmire who detectives then interviewed along with his accomplice in another rape, Charles Boyd. Boyd told police that Miller and Stadmire had raped and robbed the victim while he waited outside as the lookout. A jury convicted Stadmire and sentenced him to 43 years in prison; Boyd plead guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison.<br />__<br />In 2015, the @ohio_innocence_project became involved in Miller’s case. They recovered police reports that showed inconsistencies in the victim’s identification. These reports had not been turned over to Miller’s defense at trial. The rape kit was also re-tested using advanced technology and revealed a second profile—in addition to Stadmire’s—belonging to Boyd. The state then tested other items at the crime scene, which further confirmed Miller’s innocence.<br />__<br />Miller is the 27th person freed by the @ohio_innocence_project and the 10th exoneration in 3 years. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-73329196052930577892018-06-22T09:41:03.650-04:002018-06-22T09:41:03.650-04:00Response to Ralph's comment - same can be said...Response to Ralph's comment - same can be said about DA Krasner and AG Shapiro. Cherrypick their cases and ignorant of ones that deserve a look due to prosecutorial misconductAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-76380470195339185872018-06-21T15:35:21.710-04:002018-06-21T15:35:21.710-04:00I had the good fortune of meeting two exonerees of...I had the good fortune of meeting two exonerees of the Innocence Project,Michael Morton and Keith Harward, both white men. Michael Morton spent 25 years in prison for the murder of his wife he did not commit. It took the Texas Innocence Project 10 years to set him free, Ken Anderson was the prosecutor on the case who hid evidence that would have exonerated Mr. Morton. The killer had left a bandanna at the scene with his DNA , as well as Mr. Mortons three year old son who was home at the time and said his dad was not home, had Mr. Anderson turned over the evidence to the defense another woman might still be alive today. The killer was free to kill again, which he did, in the same fashion as he has killed Christine Morton, both women were beaten to death in their beds. Ken Anderson was a federal judge when Mr. Morton was released, he was sentenced to ten days in prison and spent eight days incarcerated. This case led to Gov. Rick Perry of Texas signing into law the Michael Morton Act, whereby prosecutors have to turn over all evidence to the defense. <br /><br />The second man was Keith Harward who spent 33 years in prison for a rape and murder he did not commit, he was convicted by “bite mark experts” who testified in court that Mr. Harwards teeth matched the rape victims bite marks. Bite mark science is junk science, there is no way to distinguish if a person made a particular bite. CSI is a T. V. show and does not depict real life crime fighting techniques, more harm has come from juries thinking that CSI type testing exists. The real killer was identified using DNA testing. <br /><br />Ralph,People do care, people who know the truth care, defendants and their families and friends know what prosecutors do, it’s the vast majority of mainstream news readers that do not know of these facts or that never learned that prosecutors do lie, do hide evidence, threaten witnesses into giving false testimony against a victim and scores of other schemes to incarnate innocents. People are helpless to do anything against a prosecutor who lies due to the immunity given to them by the Supreme Court, when we change the law that holds them accountable for their deeds, then we will see change but most of all we need to change mainstream media reporters outlooks on condemning defendants on the accusations of prosecutors. There has to be a mindset change in the media to change the mindset of jurors.<br /><br /> The National Registry of Exonerations reports that nearly half of all exonerations were due to “official misconduct”, meaning a prosecutor or a police officer lied or hid exculpatory evidence.<br /> Journalist who pride themselves in their quest to uncover corruption and graft are missing the largest scheme in modern history ,which is in plain sight, most do not have the stomach or courage to write about a prosecutor. Most of all we need people like you Ralph, who report accurately on the facts of a case, not just giving us the prosecutions version of facts. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-27265302758000912382018-06-20T16:58:51.110-04:002018-06-20T16:58:51.110-04:00Lets give everyone a nickname, we have Leaky Feuda...Lets give everyone a nickname, we have Leaky Feudale, Frank the Rat Fina and I am going to suggest Crooked Castille. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-68969915761480529722018-06-19T19:40:40.695-04:002018-06-19T19:40:40.695-04:00Why wasn't Huma Abedin outed as a sex offender... <br /><br /> Why wasn't Huma Abedin outed as a sex offender after sharing computers with her pervert husband? Are we going to continue this charade that she had not participated or had knowledge of Weiner's habits and transgressions? The reporting of such egregious behavior by Clinton's, presumed lover and confidante, would disrupt the agenda of the Times or the Post.<br /><br /> Rosanne missed the boat.<br /><br /> If you cross the Muslim Brotherhood and a renegade Jew, you have a would be Weiner/Abedin abortion.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /> <br /> jason brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13522566446353609083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-19484955384859246912018-06-19T16:24:56.747-04:002018-06-19T16:24:56.747-04:00The Innocence Project only deals with cases where ...The Innocence Project only deals with cases where DNA testing might prove innocence. That excludes almost all child abuse convictions like Sandusky's, whose case had no DNA evidence. They do champion many white guys too.<br /><br />The Innocence Project webpage on their successful cases picture dozens of white guys, even some white women. https://www.innocenceproject.org/all-cases/#exonerated-by-dna<br /><br />The Sandusky case is a much more difficult challenge because the judges, prosecutors, media and other organizations (CYS, DPW, PSU, Freeh law firm) all seem to be unfairly working together against Sandusky. A lot of the evidence remains under seal, including most of the grand jury testimony, the Freeh documents and the hearing as to why Sandusky Grand Jury Judge Barry Feudale was dismissed. There isn't much new material to work with. <br /><br />Maybe if Baldwin and Fina get suspended or disbarred, it might be a start to turn things around for Sandusky. A favorable resolution for Monsignor Lynn might also bring more attention to Sandusky's case too. <br /><br />Sandusky could use a game changer, such as a podcast series on his case, some new evidence, a recantation by a victim or for him to write a compelling book that raises doubts about his guilt. <br />Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-67154608992144660532018-06-19T07:57:45.788-04:002018-06-19T07:57:45.788-04:00The Times, and the rest of the media, can get behi...The Times, and the rest of the media, can get behind the Innocence Project if they're freeing young black men falsely accused.<br /><br />It's another story, as we've discovered on this blog, when we're talking about falsely accused Catholic priests or schoolteachers. As for Jerry Sandusky, who still insists he was falsely accused -- and there is plenty of disturbing evidence in his case about prosecutorial and police misconduct, a rush to judgment, and media malpractice -- nobody cares.bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-53199127909234909132018-06-18T22:28:52.311-04:002018-06-18T22:28:52.311-04:00An interesting sidelight to the Fina hearing was r...An interesting sidelight to the Fina hearing was reported by the Legal Intelligencer. <br /><br />https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2018/06/18/pa-ag-backs-fina-in-ex-prosecutors-fight-against-disciplinary-charges/<br /><br />PA Chief Deputy Attorney General, James Barker, sent an amicus brief supporting Fina to the disciplinary board blaming AG Kane's feud with Fina as the reason OAG did not appeal the Superior Court decision that faulted Fina and Baldwin. The brief even claimed it offered an “independent interest and perspective.” "Independent interest" is a laugh coming from Fina crony, Barker, who sued Kane after she fired him. <br /><br />The disciplinary board wrote back and said they don't accept amicus briefs in such cases. You'd think the OAG would know better than to try and interfere but then we know from the disciplinary hearing the OAG often doesn't follow the rules. Gotta give Barker an A for chutzpah. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-8083292297425424612018-06-18T21:21:20.671-04:002018-06-18T21:21:20.671-04:00innocenceprojectToday, the New York Times publishe...innocenceprojectToday, the New York Times published an op-ed by @innocenceproject Senior Staff Attorney Nina Morrison examining a recent prosecutorial misconduct scandal involving Glenn Kurtzrock, a former homicide prosecutor in Suffolk County. <br />___<br />In May 2017, Kurtzrock was caught withholding exculpatory material from Messiah Booker, a man charged with first-degree murder who had maintained his innocence. According to Morrison, Mr. Booker spent more than 18 months in jail awaiting trial before his defense lawyer discovered that Mr. Kurtzrock had altered hundreds of pages of police records to remove a wealth of exculpatory information. <br />___<br />Upon discovering Kurtzrock’s violation of Brady v. Maryland, the Suffolk County district attorney fired Kurtzrock and dismissed Booker’s murder charge mid-trial. The district attorney’s office then found that he had concealed evidence in four other cases—all four of which have since been overturned by the courts.<br />___<br />Despite Kurtzrock’s actions, he has yet to be charged with a single crime. He hasn’t even been suspended or disbarred. He’s now working as a defense lawyer in private practice. That’s right: he’s making a living representing people accused of crimes, in the same courthouse from which he was (supposedly) banished a year ago.<br />___<br />“The National Registry of Exonerations, based out of the University of California, Irvine, reports that “official misconduct” — by police, prosecutors or both —was a factor in roughly half of the nearly 2,200 exonerations across the country since 1989,” writes Morrison. <br />___<br />“If an elected district attorney is unwilling or unable to bring criminal charges against an assistant prosecutor who so flagrantly violates the law,” Morrison concludes, “the attorney general or governor should step in and appoint a special prosecutor.”<br />___<br />If prosecutorial misconduct is a significant factor in many wrongful convictions, how can it be remedied? <br />Read more at www.innocenceproject.org<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-56930743906753562752018-06-18T15:38:12.995-04:002018-06-18T15:38:12.995-04:00Judges getting too chummy with prosecutors is how ...Judges getting too chummy with prosecutors is how the Traffic Court trial evolved, Castille was the chief instigator of that fiasco. Castille had plotted and planned exactly how the scheme would be carried out, do nothing while he was in charge, retire and then act as if his pals at the federal building had uncovered a den of iniquity. Put a friend in charge of Traffic Court and have the Inky run the rest of the show.<br /><br />Its how we do things in our country, sensationalism is what we crave. <br /><br />If he had the moral fortitude to correct issues while he was the head honcho of the Supreme Court, he could have saved the City of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania millions and millions of dollars in lost revenue. Revenue from Traffic Court is down considerably, who defrauded the Commonwealth ? Castille and Company.<br /><br />Why indeed do those that hold all the cards need to cheat, these people think they deserve our respect for defrauding the city and its citizens. The tide is turning, no longer do we blindly believe the prosecution or the Inky who runs interference for them. Too long have they been used as tool for the prosecution, misdirecting the flow of justice. <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-10906639453577969642018-06-18T15:06:07.037-04:002018-06-18T15:06:07.037-04:00"Smirks, laughs and derision by Fina's la..."Smirks, laughs and derision by Fina's lawyers" certainly seems an unprofessional response to a serious hearing about violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct. Such actions by Fina's lawyers may even be a breach of the Rules of Professional Conduct.<br /><br />Rule 3.5 notes that "Refraining from abusive or obstreperous conduct is a corollary of the advocate’s right to speak on behalf of litigants.... An advocate can present the cause, protect the record for subsequent review and preserve professional integrity by patient firmness no less effectively than by belligerence or theatrics." <br /><br />Do "smirks, laughs and derision" qualify as "abusive or obstreperous conduct, belligerence or theatrics?" <br /><br />Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-39109580087619751992018-06-17T15:37:02.079-04:002018-06-17T15:37:02.079-04:00Lots of government officials used private email ac...Lots of government officials used private email accounts, in violation of government policies. <br /><br />The OIG found FBI Director Comey was using a private email account for some official business even as he investigated Clinton's use of a private email server. <br /><br />Sec. of State Colin Powell used a private email account, his personal computer and private phone lines to avoid State Dept. servers capturing his work emails. "I got around it by not saying much and not using systems that captured the data" Powell wrote Clinton in January, 2009. Why wasn't Powell investigated if it was all about security of State Dept. emails and not just a Clinton witch hunt? <br />Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-40242678822351332302018-06-17T15:22:35.694-04:002018-06-17T15:22:35.694-04:00Leaky Judge Feudale was hoist by his own petard, n...Leaky Judge Feudale was hoist by his own petard, no bait needed. He was in a feud with Kane and had an email discussion with reporters offering to leak sealed court documents. Feudale copied the emails to his buddy, Fina, but stupidly used Fina's old AG's office address. Fina had long since left the AG's office. <br /><br />Kane saw the emails and filed a complaint against Feudale with the PA Supreme Court. Feudale was dismissed from his senior judgeship as a result. <br /><br />If Feudale was the leaker in the Sandusky grand jury, I'm sure his buddy Fina would have warned him about the bait.Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-71531044756489241332018-06-17T02:38:52.714-04:002018-06-17T02:38:52.714-04:00But Fina said he set a trap to catch the leaker, b...But Fina said he set a trap to catch the leaker, but said that nobody took the bait, therefore no leaker. The judge bought that ruse! How stupid are PA judges? In fact, the only person stupid enough to fall into a Fina booby trap was the illustrious former AG Kathy the Klueless.Greg Vernonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10566899608592908874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-56332200273094042502018-06-17T01:40:09.779-04:002018-06-17T01:40:09.779-04:00Ralph, Attorney Fox and his law students hopefully... Ralph, Attorney Fox and his law students hopefully are perusing the OIG Report on the DOJ and FBI handling of the Clinton E-Mail Investigation.<br /><br /> This report clearly is an indictment of all parties named but of the IG, as well, for not pushing for criminal referrals.<br /> <br /> If the celebrated convicted felons that you doggedly champion, had the protection that Clinton received, and notably the blasé investigation of Abedin/Weiner devices, they would never have gone to trial.<br /> Are we to believe that former Congressman Weiner and Huma Abedin while sharing devices may not have been involved in other conspiracies still to be divulged?<br /><br /> Are we to believe that Abedin would not be interested in the communications and searches by Weiner and he had no interest in communications that Clinton and Abedin shared? Given the fact that Weiner was employed by a high powered lobbyist after resigning office in disgrace.<br /><br /> It is overwhelmingly obvious that by not convening a grand jury, granting immunity to the parties implicated in the crime, and allowing Clinton's Attorneys, who were material witnesses to the investigation sit in the FBI/DOJ Interview that was not recorded, Comey and Lynch should be prosecuted for dereliction of duty and misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance.<br /><br /> This OIG Report stands as an example of how corrupt jurisprudence is, has been, and hopefully may get better. <br /><br /> It only proves that a millionaire player like Vince should have spent more money on Counsel and less on mansions, boats, and running charities with better skills like those of the Clintons.<br /><br /> They could afford $1500/hr. Attorneys when a millionaire like Vince would rather go cheap and do the time.jason brandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13522566446353609083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-56142435169226540782018-06-16T18:30:37.863-04:002018-06-16T18:30:37.863-04:00There's also the case where Cynthia Baldwin he...There's also the case where Cynthia Baldwin herself killed a motorcyclist, Chester Daugherty, in a car accident in 2016. She got hit with 3 fines, totaling about $300, but there's almost nothing about it online. I can just imagine if Spanier or Paterno had killed someone in a car accident, it would be mentioned in every article about them.<br /><br />https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/family-wants-harsher-penalty-for-fatal-crash/525862006 Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-29729187322068425192018-06-16T08:04:05.645-04:002018-06-16T08:04:05.645-04:00Fox and some of his law students submitted an amic...Fox and some of his law students submitted an amicus "friend of the court" brief in that U.S. Supreme Court case that Castille lost.bigtrial.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12188557653424544411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-63207476405189287832018-06-16T07:09:16.989-04:002018-06-16T07:09:16.989-04:00Calling former PA Supreme Court justice, Ron Casti...Calling former PA Supreme Court justice, Ron Castille, seems to illustrate how Fina got too chummy with judges, as he apparently did with Feudale. <br /><br />Castille was not always ethical, yet he would complain if a lawyer who opposed him violated the rules of professional conduct. He once referred a lawyer to the disciplinary board because the lawyer filed a death row appeal to the US Supreme Court without his client's permission. The client was Michael Eric Ballard, who is apparently still alive given the current moratorium on PA executions. <br /><br />Castille is very big on the death penalty and used it in his campaign for the Supreme Court. It annoyed him when the lawyer appealed to the US Supreme Court after his court denied the appeal.<br /><br />To be fair though, Castille did buck his party quite a few times in major decisions. Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-27955092479651942692018-06-16T00:22:04.180-04:002018-06-16T00:22:04.180-04:00Fina saw how easy it was to manufacture victims an...Fina saw how easy it was to manufacture victims and how successful his budy Seth was in bringing forth Danny Boy. Fina did Seth one better by creating a fictional victim (#8), and using that to bring the football program and Joe Paterno down. V#10 was, however, a clone of Danny Boy, a convicted felon and drug addict hauled out of prison to do Fina's bidding.<br /><br />I still haven't heard the fate of Baldwin's daughter, who was involved in a fatal accident about the time Baldwin flipped. The case just seemed to disappear.Greg Vernonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10566899608592908874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-79765448275715592962018-06-16T00:12:27.124-04:002018-06-16T00:12:27.124-04:00I would add..Why did your testimony at the Grand J...I would add..Why did your testimony at the Grand Jury completely contradict your testimony to a Federal Investigation Agent?<br /> Greg Vernonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10566899608592908874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-27501029131243828732018-06-15T21:30:36.868-04:002018-06-15T21:30:36.868-04:00"He was absolutely wrong." That's ex..."He was absolutely wrong." That's exactly what the Supreme Court said about Castile, of course Castile did not agree with their decision. Whats the point of having laws if lawyers do not have to follow them or interpret them to benefit themselves. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-84650691067359843082018-06-15T20:45:20.755-04:002018-06-15T20:45:20.755-04:00Maybe reporters aren't smart enough to write i...Maybe reporters aren't smart enough to write intelligibly and accurately like this synopsis.?.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484196319935727410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-25378304902178327572018-06-15T19:07:07.469-04:002018-06-15T19:07:07.469-04:00Feudale and Fina apparently were both careless abo...Feudale and Fina apparently were both careless about grand jury secrecy. Feudale left the keys to his office in his courtroom where anyone could get them. There was no reason for Fina to send subpoenas for Curley, Schultz, Paterno and Spanier to Baldwin. She had no right to know. The subpoenas should have been sent to the individuals, not to the PSU counsel. For all we know, Baldwin leaked to Ganim. They should ask her that when she testifies for Fina.<br /><br />I also hope they ask Baldwin the following:<br /><br />1. When did you learn of the 1998 police investigation of Sandusky?<br /><br />2. Why did you not have Curley, Schultz and Spanier sign an Upjohn warning, to protect PSU's interests?<br /><br />3. When did you turn over the 2001 Spanier-Curley-Schultz emails to the OAG?<br /><br />4. Did you read all the documents you turned over to OAG in order to protect PSU's interests?<br /><br />5. Did you make any effort to locate Schultz's Sandusky file, which he told you he left in his old office when he retired?<br /><br />6. Why does your grand jury testimony contradict your sworn deposition to Freeh about the Trustee meeting where you briefed them on the Sandusky grand jury?<br /><br />7. What did you do when Fina threatened you with contempt or obstruction charges in Dec. 2011?<br /><br />8. Did you get immunity or any other consideration for your grand jury testimony against Spanier, Curley and Schultz?<br /><br /><br /><br /> Tim Bertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06534135581401662154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8876661997317409023.post-43071623454893195422018-06-15T15:07:30.743-04:002018-06-15T15:07:30.743-04:00I also notice that the Inquirer made no mention of...I also notice that the Inquirer made no mention of the Supreme Courts Ruling on Ron Castile. Williams Vs. Pennsylvania<br /><br />No. 15-5040 Feb. 29th 2016 Decided June 9th 2016<br /><br />Petitioner Williams was convicted of the 1984 murder of Amos Norwood<br />and sentenced to death. During the trial, the then-district attorney<br />of Philadelphia, Ronald Castille, approved the trial prosecutor’s request<br />to seek the death penalty against Williams. Over the next 26<br />years, Williams’s conviction and sentence were upheld on direct appeal,<br />state postconviction review, and federal habeas review. In<br />2012, Williams filed a successive petition pursuant to Pennsylvania’s<br />Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA), arguing that the prosecutor had<br />obtained false testimony from his codefendant and suppressed material,<br />exculpatory evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373<br />U. S. 83. Finding that the trial prosecutor had committed Brady violations,<br />the PCRA court stayed Williams’s execution and ordered a<br />new sentencing hearing. The Commonwealth asked the Pennsylvania<br />Supreme Court, whose chief justice was former District Attorney<br />Castille, to vacate the stay. Williams filed a response, along with a<br />motion asking Chief Justice Castille to recuse himself or, if he declined<br />to do so, to refer the motion to the full court for decision.<br />Without explanation, the chief justice denied Williams’s motion for<br />recusal and the request for its referral. He then joined the State Supreme<br />Court opinion vacating the PCRA court’s grant of penaltyphase<br />relief and reinstating Williams’s death sentence. Two weeks<br />later, Chief Justice Castille retired from the bench.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com