Bookmarks:
U-Va. students challenge Rolling Stone account of alleged sexual assault • TV experts who aren’t • Fox news affiliate distorts coverage • Vast dogfighting ring in Baltimore, Baltimore County broken up • Monkey heroically rescues its friend • Phylicia Barnes update

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U-Va. students challenge Rolling Stone account of alleged sexual assault

I have no crystal ball, but as of 2014-12-12 I anticipate that “Jackie” will soon recant the whole thing.

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Why do cable news shows use so many celebrity ‘experts’?

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WBFF apologizes for misleading edit on videotape of protest chant

The apology is inadequate.

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Vast dogfighting ring in Baltimore, Baltimore County broken up

“It’s a cruel world,” Baltimore police Lt. Col. Sean Miller said. “The connectivity to violent crime and violence is apparent.”
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Nearly all the men indicted have criminal histories, prosecutors said. Eight have been convicted of violent crimes and one of the suspects has a previous murder conviction, they said.

“Because there is a link between animal abuse and human violence, it is important that these crimes be taken seriously, which is exactly what the [police] did,” said Katie Flory, chair of the mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Commission.
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“What you see here, make no mistake, is evidence of a violent organization,” [Thiru Vignarajah, Major Crimes Unit chief for the Baltimore state’s attorney’s office] said.

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Watch ‘hero’ monkey revive fallen monkey: A lesson for humans? (+video)

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2014-12-05 – Second trial in Phylicia Barnes murder begins without key witness
2014-12-22 – Second trial in Phylicia Barnes murder ends in mistrial

I rarely link to articles in the Baltimore Sun for reason that they severely limit page views.

At the first trial, McCray testified that Johnson showed him the body and asked him to help him dispose of it. He said Johnson told him that after weeks of getting “mixed signals” from Phylicia Barnes, he’d raped her, and then strangled her because she wouldn’t stop crying.

To me, that’s a highly believable story and would account for everything. However, there was no showing to me that McCray and Johnson had even been acquaintances prior to the alleged conversation. It doesn’t matter now, since McCray won’t be testifying any more.

Prosecutors and the family may believe Johnson did it. In fact, it may be that Johnson did it. But without McCray’s testimony, I don’t see any way they can “prove” it to a jury “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Previous posts: http://trojanhorseproductions.wordpress.com/tag/phylicia-barnes/
Subsequent post:  Phylicia Barnes update, 2015-02-16

Originally posted 2014-12-29.