Maximum Sentences Handed Out In Megan Williams Case

To read all of our previous Megan William's post, you can go here. Also you will want to listen to our podcast where one of Megan's advisers crashed our "Good News" podcast to take issue with some criticisms I lodged at the circus-like atmosphere that appeared to be surrounding Megan.

Well two of the seven people charged entered into plea deals and got sentenced today to the maximum,

Forty-six-year-old Karen Burton and 49-year-old Frankie Brewster were among seven white Logan County residents who were charged in the Williams case.

Logan County Circuit Judge Roger Perry sentenced Burton, of Chapmanville, to three consecutive sentences. She received separate 2-10 year sentences for malicious assault and assault during the commission of a felony and 10 years for the civil rights charge.

Brewster received a 10-to-25-year sentence for second-degree sexual assault. CBS NEWS

Carmen is still at it:

"I just believe the (prosecutor Brian Abraham) shouldn't have plea bargained with any of them," her mother Carmen Williams said during a press conference after the sentencing, according to the Charleston Daily Main. "She (Megan Williams) wanted them to do life." CBS News

If you want to hear the lunacy surrounding this case, you can go back and listen to our "Good News" podcast that got crashed by Rev. Kenneth Glascow, Rev. Al Sharpton's brother, where we "discussed" the circus surrounding the case. My Mama swears that it was actually Rev. Al that called in.

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The Universe is Mocking Me: Rev. Sharpton's Brother, Kenneth, Calls Into the WAOD Radio Show - No Blood Letting Occurred

Those of you who have followed this blog from the very beginning know that the Universe openly mocks me. I mean, literally, I make plans and vows and the Universe says "Oh really?" and then I am forced to deviate from MY plans. So yesterday was supposed to be a good news show and it was nothing but bad from the start.

First, Blog Talk Radio went crazy and the switchboard got messed up to the first 15 minutes of the show are garbage. Then I talk for about five minutes with the mute . Just DRAMA! Then I finally get it together and WHO is my first caller of the evening? Rev. Kenneth Glasgow.

Don't know who Rev. Glasgow is? Well, he's Rev. Al Sharpton's brother and Yeah, I clowned him yesterday when I said this

“We have invited everybody,” said Kenneth Glasgow, brother of the Rev. Al
Sharpton. “We are here to bring about unity.” SOURCE

Then get rid of the folks causing the disunity. Sidebar - Al Sharpton has a brother? I guess he is Sharpton's lieutenant. Bout time he appointed one.

BWHAHAHA! So anyway, I don't know that I have ever had someone that I have criticized call into the show. We had an interesting conversation. It was truly an experience. The volume on the podcast is completely out of wack, so he sounds extremely low, but if you increase your volume when he speaks you should be able to hear. WE ARE EDITING THE AUDIO TO BALANCE OUT THE VOLUME. SO COME BACK LATER TO HEAR THE EQUALIZED SHOW.

I won't give the details of the conversation because I think some of what was said could potentially be quite harmful to the case, but if you haven't listened to a single episode of the Black women's round table, you need to listen to this one. I doubt they gone let him call back in to the show. He was good natured about it all.

At the end of the day, I want justice. I want these people in jail for the rest of their natural lives. I hope we all want that and that the five ring circus that has surrounded this case get reigned in. This should not be a case about a bunch of Black men fighting for who gets to lead whose march. This woman was BRUTALLY ATTACKED. She should be the focus. No, I do not believe that you have to march side by side with Malik Shabazz to indicate your support of Megan Williams.

Merry Christmas Rev. Glasgow!! Your brother finally got his recompense, for me criticizing him for half the year, my GOOD NEWS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL went all wild and wacky! I told Y'all Tiny Tot was going to put a root on me.

If you want to learn more about Rev. Glasgow's organization, it is called The Ordinary People Society.Do try to be nice if you take it upon yourself to contact the man.

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Hypocrisy Watch: Rev. Sharpton, -Megan Williams Case May Be In Jeopardy

On December 19, 2007, Rev. Al Sharpton said the following:

"If the federal government can intervene to protect dogs from Michael Vick in Virginia then they can do something to protect Megan Williams in West Virginia," SOURCE

Hmmm? On August 6, 2007 Rev. Al said the following:

The recent media spotlight on dog-fighting reminds us of society's callous disregard for the suffering of animals and disrespect for sentient beings...Every animal has the right to live without fear and pain. It is our job to do whatever we can to ensure this basic right for all animals, and we intend to do just that! Let's give law enforcement and animal welfare professionals, who are on the front lines of battling violence and cruelty in every form, our active support in their quest to elevate our society..Hurting animals for human pleasure or gain is despicable. Cruelty is just plain wrong. "Maybe Black Women Should Be Pitt Bulls in Our Next Lifetime"

Does PETA know about this latest statement? Now I have been saying for MONTHS that it is ridiculous that so many Black leaders tripped over themselves A) defending a multimillionaire criminal and B)speaking out on behalf of dogs while ignoring the plight of Black women who are victims of horrific acts of torture. In fact, I think I have used the Michael Vick story to contrast Rev. Al's silence on a number of occasions so this quote just jumped out at me. The man is a genius. If you can't beat an argument or your critics, coopt it. I just hope that AP reporter never discovers GOOGLE.

Prepare Yourselves

Hmmm. Y'all know I keep up with the Megan Williams case, but I try not to post on the lunacy everyday because it's sad to watch. Now those of youwho have been anywhere near a courthouse have probably been going out of your minds considering the possibility that in their quest to get the hate crimes designation, they might jeopardize the entire case at this point. You have the DA saying PUBLICLY that HE can't tell that thi is a hate crime. Tell me how he can look a jury in the eye at this point and say they should find the defendants guilty beyond a reasonable doubt when the prosecutor has said publicly HE has doubts. LAUGHABLE. Even if this was a hate crime, I think it qualifies, how in the heck could you get a conviction?

Now typically in a high profile case with an abundance of media attention, it is the defense team crying about the affect of the publicity on the potential jury and petitioning for a change of venue. Have you noticed how quiet the defense team in this case has been? They are in ALT!

He[Prosecutor in the Megan Williams case] thinks the prior relationship will make a difference with a Logan County jury, and that he is better off not dealing with racial motivations, and instead concentrate on the kidnapping and first-degree assault charges. SOURCE

“There was a great deal of sympathy for her in Logan County and from Logan residents. But after that [Nov. 3] rally, I heard comments in the public by people in Logan County and Charleston. It almost seemed to be a shift in sympathy or a lessening of sympathy because of the way the rally took place,’’ Megan Williams Prosecutor

Read between the lines people! I think he knows it is a hate (bias) crime too. What he is saying is he can't get a conviction for a hate crime out of Logan County so he' going for what he thinks is the surest bet which carries the longer sentence. Does anyone know if they added the hate crimes charges which would carry 10 years whether they would run consecutively or concurrently?

“I hope that this case is tried in Kanawha County. I’m not comfortable with it being tried in Logan County at all. I prefer it be tried in Charleston. I think the defendants have too much sympathy in Logan County,” Shabazz said.

Sorry attorney Shabazz, I don't think that is the way it works. All of the constitutional protections in the constitution are aimed at protecting the criminals from the state, not the other way around. Maybe you skipped that day in class. The criminal justice system is based on giving the criminal EVERY benefit not the victims. Once you get a conviction, then the victim comes into play. Find me a judge that is going to say "I hereby grant this change of venue to increase the possibility that the defendant will be convicted!"

This was a doozy of a case and everyday, this circus has to give the defense hope. A) The potential jury pool is getting ticked off, B) the prosecutor has basically said publicly that HE can't determine if this is a hate crime( tell me how a jury is supposed to believe him when he asks them to find beyond a reasonable doubt that this constituted a hate crime when even he has stated publicly he has doubts!) and C)The prosecution's star witness has retold her story in public on multiple occasions and has received money gifts and trips which I am certain a defense attorney is going to want to ask her about - TRY 6 defense attorneys. Because you realize now that all 6 may take the case to trial. All each has to do is point the finger at the other 5. I hope I am wrong. Seriously, I hope I am wrong. Anybody saying "It ain't possible for them to walk!" Clearly didn't grow up in the south. Yes, it is possible and it becomes more and more possible as additional rings are added to this circus. They don't have to beat all the charges, just the most severe of them.

Now NONE of these things SHOULD affect Megan Williams being able to obtain justice, but we are dealing with human beings, the margin for error is HUGE. As I have told people over and over again- "The law and common sense have nothing to do with each other."

Men Beahving BAAAAADLY

In addition, the sniping between the MEN in this case is an embarrassment and a sign that the Civil Rights Industrial Complex has truly lost its ever loving mind. Sharpton is calling local preachers cowards and telling folks they aren't worthy to be pastors in their churches....

"Any public official or preacher who can't put the pain of his people above the politics of leaders is not fit to be a politician or a preacher," Sharpton said. Associated Press

UM where exactly is Rev. Sharpton's congregation located? I forget. Somebody help me find it on a map. I'm geographically challenged. Where exactly is NOWHERE?

Thank God This Crew Didn't Show Up in West Palm Beach!

There is an old saying "You can't always get what you want, but you get what you need." Y'all remember how I have been throwing a fit because these folks have been ignoring some pretty horrific Black on Black crimes? Can y'all imagine if these folks ever made it down to West Palm Beach Florida? *Shutters*

The Universe has been working on me for a minute. On more than one occasion, watching this circus-like atmosphere that has developed in West Virginia, I've said "Thank God, these people stayed far far away from West Palm Beach." From outward signs, the Dunbar Village prosecution is rolling along, although locals are upset that the first plea deal only garnered 20 years. The family has been protected. The prosecutors seem to know what they are doing (knock on wood).

On the other hand, there are STILL hundreds of women and children living in unsafe and inhumane living conditions. Black women and girls are still being attacked in south Florida. Rev. Al isn't flying down on his private jet to hold a rally for them and we all ought to give thanks. Instead a group of WAOD readers and bloggers are headed down to Dunbar Village in January to help residents help themselves. A truly impressive group of young Black women and men. Some you've heard of, others you have not. We'll have more details after the holidays.

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Y'all Pray For Megan Williams:Four Ring Circus Adds 5th Ring

UPDATE: AL SHARPTON SPEAKS - criticizes local leaders for not aligning with Shabazz. Sharpton calls local ministers cowards gives Megan $1,000 for Christmas. It is still all about the men and not Megan Williams.

I previously posted about the circus-like atmosphere surrounding Megan Williams, the victim of a brutal rape and torture in West Virginia being surrounded by a bunch of leeches involved in a peeing competition. Well today they reached a new low.

In case y'all didn't know, since Rev. Sharpton didn't show up at their first rally, Megan's handlers decided to throw an encore. Small problem, the local black leaders are non too fond of of Megan's chief handler, Malik Shabazz. Seems Mr. Shabazz is fond of making anti Semitic statements and his organization has been designated a hate group:

On Monday, the Rev. Paul Dunn made a plea to other pastors in the community, asking them to support Williams through the rally. Dunn was the only member of the Charleston Black Ministerial Alliance to support the November rally for Williams. Other ministers cited past ant-Semitic remarks by Shabazz as the reason for not supporting the march. “We want this young lady to know that the community cares about her,” Dunn said. “We want to keep this focused on the issues.” SOURCE

If you want to keep things focussed on the issues Rev. then get rid of the distraction! Stay strong local pastors! You can care about Megan without standing side by side with Shabazz.

“We have invited everybody,” said Kenneth Glasgow, brother of the Rev. Al Sharpton. “We are here to bring about unity.” SOURCE

Then get rid of the folks causing the disunity. Sidebar - Al Sharpton has a brother? I guess he is Sharpton's lieutenant. Bout time he appointed one.

So basically they are saying that if you elect not to stand beside an anti Semite and associate your church with a hate group then you are not supporting Megan. If they are so concerned about "unity" then perhaps the prudent thing to do is to have the source of their reticence step aside. If the ultimate goal is to support Megan , which it is not, and the litmus test of supporting Megan is showing up at yet another march, which it should not be, then have Shabazz step aside, which he won't do.

How did this become about which church is going to show up to whose march? This girl was brutally attacked. Her mama didn't even know she was missing. She's been forced to retell her story over and over again. Shes got dozens of new strange men crowding in around her. She's being taken all over the place. New York, DC and if reports about her injuries are accurate, she still has wounds physical wounds that have not healed let alone the psychological ones and y'all having a press conference to call out folks for not going to your parade?

Since we are focusing on good news this week, the good news is that Megan will not be attending this rally, Carmen will be standing in for her, as Carmen should have done from the very beginning. I guess the DA put the fear of God in them.

FYI, y'all need to be reading these West Virginia papers and the reader comments. This DA has been sending out signals from the beginning that he had some concerns about his jury pool. I think he was right. This may not be a slam dunk case. Prepare yourselves and pray for Megan.

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Megan Williams Update: Three Ring Circus Adds Fourth Ring

Symphony is on hiatus this week ( girl stay off this internet and hit those books), but she sent me this link with an update in the Megan Williams case out of West Virginia.

Now for a hot minute, we've been asking who is looking out for Megan. In out last update, the prosecutor in the case was asking for a court appointed guardian for Megan because they continued to have her give media interviews recounting the facts in the case, a HUGE problem come trial time because I can promise you the defense attorneys are reading and watching every word.

Prosecutor Backs Off of Request for Guardian

Well the prosecutor backed off of his motion to have a guardian appointed ( I don't think he should have) since the family has agreed to not do any additional interviews, but this was not before Megan taped a show with Montel Williams where he promised to help Megan get her GED, give her a laptop computer, and contribute to a fund so she could attend college. SOURCE. The defense team has to be loving this.

Al Sharpton to Rally in Charleston, West Virginia

Now the last time there was a Megan Williams rally, he was announced, but did not show. Well Malik Shabazz wanted to guarantee that the good Rev. Shows up this time so he made Sharpton a keynote speaker:

On Dec. 18, Rev. Sharpton and I will be in Charleston, and we�ll be co-keynoting a rally at First Baptist Church for Megan Williams,� Shabazz said, assuring that unlike the Nov. 3rd march and rally at the State Capitol when Sharpton, who was billed to speak but did not show, will appear this time.SOURCE

If this wasn't so tragic, it would be funny. So are they saying Sharpton didn't appear because he didn't get top billing? I'm confused? Actually I am not.

Local DA and State Attorney General Battle over Who Will Prosecute Case

I've been willing to give the local prosecutor the benefit of the doubt up til' now, but this was just a bonehead move. The local DA asked for an official opinion from the AG's office as to whether the alleged acts committed against Megan fell under the WV hate crimes laws.

However the Logan County prosecutor has been noncommittal on the hate crimes issue, particularly after federal authorities refused to be involved.

Abraham, in a move many saw as opting for political cover, instead formally asked the state Attorney General�s Office for a legal opinion on whether West Virginia�s hate crimes statute applied in the Williams case.

Abraham said if he decides to apply the charges, the attorney general�s opinion would hold more weight in court.

Now this was a blatant attempt to get political cover from the AG's office and an abdication of prosecutorial discretion so the local DA deserves to be dinged for this. The AG wisely told the local DA. "You know the law, interpret it ya' dadgum self":
But in a move that surprised, angered and embarrassed Abraham, state AG Darrell McGraw refused to issue an opinion, saying that the Logan prosecutor knows the law and is qualified to make his own decisions.

"Mr. Abraham is trying to avoid making the political, tough decision," a spokesperson for AG McGraw told The Charleston Gazette. "We have no beef with the prosecutor in Logan County. But it is not our role to do what he has asked. It's his role. ... We have many times been involved with controversial issues."

"He is as capable of making the determination of what the law is as the attorney general in this context," the AG�s spokesperson continued. "He is a lawyer and he is an elected official. "He has to make those difficult decisions and not put it on the Attorney Generals Office."

A furious Abraham, who got the bad news in what he called a "half-assed letter,".

SMH. I agree with the AG on this one. You went to law school just like he did. Criminal law is actually ( TO ME) one of the most straight forward areas of practice. You either got the elements or you don't.

Megan's Spokesperson Upset that the NAACP Isn't Publicly Supporting Him- Welcome to the Club Buddy

On this one I have to side with the NAACP and the Black Ministerial Alliance. They recognize foolishness when they see it walking through the door and they know more about local political realities than Shabazz, a lawyer, who sees nothing wrong with repeatedly having the prosecution's star witness tell her story over and over again:

Beyond the handful of local Black leaders who stood with Megan Williams during the Nov. 3rd march and rally at the state Capitol, Shabazz says he hasn't heard from the local or state NAACP, or the Black Ministerial Alliance, two of the major groups who opposed his involvement in the case. Given the current controversy concerning the case, Shabazz says the local leadership needs to understand that now, more than ever, this is all about getting justice for Megan Williams, and nothing else[IS IT? You sure it is not about YOU?]. "They clearly see that there are issues around this case they need to stand up for," Shabazz said, "whether they choose to stand with me or not." SOURCE

Oh welcome to the club, you'll get over it!

This Is Pitiful

This whole sordid affair is just pitiful. You got Black ministers battling. Al Sharpton refusing to show up in WV unless he is the star attraction. Megan going on a press tour and being lavished with gifts that she WILL be cross examined on. Not to mention the jury pool is being tainted by all of this foolishness. The local DA is clearly letting politics enter into his case with this unnecessary request for political cover from the AG and now they are battling over the case and then to top it off, you got Shabazz trying to evoke sympathy because the other members of the CRIC (civil rights industrial complex) don't want to play in his sandbox. Can somebody tell me what the SECOND rally is for again other than irritating the HELL out of the jury pool? The jury pool, y'all remember them? The folks that will ultimately decide this case no matter what the defendants are charged with.

You can read our previous Megan Williams coverage here.

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