FL Mom gets 20 years for warning shots - Zimmerman Walks...

First of all if you expect justice and fairness in this world I will tell you now that you are going to be disappointed.

See the O.J. Simpson trial for when I first became disillusioned with our legal system. Michael Jackson got away with molestation. Having money is a big advantage in life. Better get used to it.

Secondly, all of these trials are simply distractions from truly important issues.

Don't fall for the distractions.

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I had not heard of this story previously and neither have I read deeply into it but, I thought your vice pres. Mr Biden was not so long ago saying that people were to fire warning shots at their potential attackers?

A story is trending on twitter with the #Zimmerman and #Trayvon hashtags. I put this in deconstructing disinformation since the national race issue is being thrown into everyone's face right now. It seems race baiting and causing racial tensions which set back a country 50 years it agenda #1 right now with the media, and social media as well.

Let's look at the case.

A judge sentenced a Jacksonville mother to 20 years in prison on Friday, for firing a gun over the head of her husband, who she claimed physically abused her.

The woman's name is Marissa Alexander.

It has all the makings of continued racial divide. While Zimmerman was just found not guilty of murder, turning his case into justifiable homicide under "stand your ground", in the same state and under the same law a woman was found guilty of discharging a handgun and sentenced to 20 years in prison with a mandatory sentence.

This case is media firewater. They are pouring it all over the place too. Igniting racial tensions and enflaming already tender wounds with people who are unhappy about the Zimmerman verdict.

It's being tweeted online in response to the not guilty verdict regarding Trayvon Martin and Z man.

You have a battered housewife, who's black, who under the same law which set Zimmerman free, send her behind bars for 20 years.

But wait. This forum is called Deconstructing Disinformation


Just like they don't tell you all the info on the Trayvon case, they don't tell you here either. The Trayvon case, they omitted that the kid was violent (he bragged about it), involved in illegal guns sales, drug sales, racist (calling Zimmerman a cracker) and mimicked or was involved in gang lifestyle.

Alexander Case

This case of Alexander might be a melodramatic plea for feminists and racial advocates alike. Unless you actually look at all the facts.

Marissa Alexander, 31, testified that Rico Gray physically assaulted her on August 1, 2010, before she fled to the garage, and, unable to exit through the malfunctioning automatic door opener, returned to the kitchen with her gun. She fired a shot over Gray’s head, causing a bullet to lodge in the ceiling.

Source

The above is the most important part of the case. The fact that Alexander returned after retrieving her gun which is just the first sign of her intent that day.

The beginning of the disinformation.

Let's look at how CNN plays it out by one of their columnists:

lexander says that on August 1, 2010, her husband went into a rage and tried to strangle her after reading some text messages she sent to her ex-husband. She fled the family home, got to the garage and realized she didn't have her keys. Fearing for her life, she says she grabbed a gun and went back into the home to retrieve her keys.
She says her husband threatened to kill her, and to keep him at bay, she fired a warning shot into a wall.

CNN

"Oh the humanity!"

CNN makes this out like it is a battered housewife trying to fend off her psychotic husband by firing warning shots. They totally fail at representing the story here.

Should we believe CNN?

Like many cases of domestic problems, there are two sides to this story. Yes, the husband in the past was guilty of domestic violence, but he was not the only one. When we hear stories of battered housewives, many people picture a poor helpless woman.

The thing is though, is many woman are attracted to those kinds of relationships, and many create conflict simply because their communication skills are set in creating some kind of physical confrontation. Sometimes they merely instigate with words, some are violent. I must state that I am not saying "woman deserve it" or "they are bringing it on themselves" or any other nonsense. So please don't put those words in my mouth.

I am saying, that there is a very few select number of woman, who are equally as violent, or crazy, and they are drawn to relationships that step far outside the bounds of normalcy. And this might very well be a case of that.


While her husband was guilty of domestic violence in the past, so was she. There are plenty of cases where woman are physically abusive themselves. Some may provoke their partners by being physical, and once that happens they report the abuse.

Men are less likely to report abuse:

Men are much less likely than women to talk about domestic abuse to friends and family – infact research suggests they are 5 times less likely to do this (Stets & Strauss, 1990). In general, only 1-2% of men who are assaulted by their female partners are likely to report the abuse to the police or outside agency (Fontes, 1998).

Link

The Facts

She went back to get her gun. Zimmerman had his on him. Completely different scenarios:

“Because she was not fleeing from an abuser,” Corey told theGrio in answer to why Florida’s Stand Your Ground law was not applied in Alexander’s case, even though Florida’s Supreme Court has ruled in the past that a woman being abused in her own home by her husband has no duty to flee. “

A judge heard all the facts and evidence and said that this was not a case of ‘Stand Your Ground,’ Corey said. “You have to compare what [Marissa Alexander] said to what the victims said.

There were two young children there as well. None of the physical evidence corroborates her story. There was the 911 call … and you can clearly hear the distress in Rico Gray’s voice. They had a verbal argument [in which] he said ‘I’m outta here,’ and she said, ‘I’ve got something for you.’”

She had fired a shot in the direction of her kids and husband.

The laws that protect victims of domestic abuse, can apply to both of them, as both had taken out restraining orders against each other. And both had been charged with domestic violence, and both had been victims. It was in this case though, where the husband had recently been a victim, and she went back for a gun.

For whatever reason, she went back into the house and confronted Gray, firing a single shot, which Lincoln Alexander and Marissa, on her website, maintain was a warning shot fired into the air. But Corey says that shot was fired at “adult height,” directly at Gray, who was standing in the adjacent living room with his sons, who were aged 9 and 13 at the time

”[Gray] told his boys, ‘get your clothes, we’re out of here.’ And she and went in the garage and into the glove compartment, got out a gun, got it in a ‘ready to fire’ position — it’s a semiautomatic and it had the safety off, and she had a round in the chamber,” Corey said. “And she walked back into the kitchen and fired the gun at him. He was standing the living room and it went through the wall at about adult head height, and ricocheted off the roof or the wall. And thank God it didn’t hit one of the kids.”

Her and her boyfriend were in a fight. She went back to her car where her car was, retrieved her pistol, went back into the kitchen and fired a shot at him. The trajectory showed it was aimed at adult height.

Source

The forensic evidence shows that she was not firing "a warning shot" and her behaviour alludes to something far more serious.

But Corey insists that “the idea that she fired a warning shot is absolutely not what the physical evidence showed.” Police retrieved a shell casing from the kitchen floor, the weapon, which was lying on the living room table, and they observed the bullet hole, which had gone through the kitchen wall and lodged in the ceiling.

But she was an abused housewife?

a man who admitted to past incidents of domestic violence, including a 2009 incident that put Alexander in the hospital after he shoved her into a bathtub, causing her to hit her head — Corey sees him as a victim, pure and simple, on that day.

Oh em gee? This guy is surely the bad guy in this situation!



Well, that's all relative. Remember the negative relationships I was talking about? Just because a boyfriend is violent with his girlfriend, doesn't mean the girlfriend couldn't be violent back, or was violent first.

Personal reflectionSomeone told me about a girl we know mutually, and that her boyfriend put her in the hospital. In a kneejerk reaction to be an uninformed dumbass, I immediately tried the "White Knight" approach. I offered to give her a place to live while we helped her sort it out. "She can stay with 'so-and-so', I will arrange it, she has to get away from him ASAP, that's terrible" I proclaimed. The person I was discussing this with said, "Uh... actually, ______ kind of likes it. She said before it happened she was getting sick of him, and I kind think she does these things to get him like that, like she doesn't think she loves him unless he's freaking out or something."

Anyway, I was perplexed. I didn't believe it. My friend went into detail. After I heard everything, I realized it was the girl who was being abusive. Not that the man in this story wasn't too, but she had instigated some awful kind of violent relationship, and it seems the entire thing was on purpose. Not everything is cut and dry. END Personal reflection

So what about Alexander's abuse?:

“He was either prosecuted for that and there were restraining orders about that.” She emphasizes that both parties took out restraining orders against each other, and she adds, “that only becomes relevant as to whether he was endangering her at that moment.”

Corey says Alexander had no injuries consistent with abuse on that day.

They both had restraining orders on each other. On that day, she thought Rico Gray (The BF) wasn't going to be there. Then the confrontation ensued. She should have left, but not only did she not leave she got into a fight, then went to her car to retrieve her gun. And when the cops arrived she wasn't eager to leave either:

the SWAT team had to respond to the house to get her to come outside.”

On the day in question, the last case of abuse between the couple was Alexander abusing Gray:

.....And what does it say about her fear of Rico Gray that she disobeyed a sitting judge and went over to confront him” four months after the incident — one that led Alexander to plead no contest to a domestic battery charge of her own. In that case, Corey said, Gray called 911 again, after Alexander “gave him a black eye.”

She was not supposed to be there.

That is hardly "stand your ground'. Simply because there was a past history where she was the victim, the rationale here is that does not justify someone hunting down someone, then try using "stand your ground" in a defence for attacking them.

Remember that only months before she gave Gray a black eye.

So why did she end up getting 20 years?

-She didn't have to, she was offered a much lower sentence.

She didn’t have to get 20 years, because I took into account their prior domestic history and her lack of a [criminal] record, and we offered her the three year mandatory minimum” in a plea bargain attempt before the trial. Corey said that offer was made last October, when she met with both Alexander and her attorney, Kevin Cobbin, and separately with Gray. As to why she never offered probation, Corey said that Alexander wasn’t a good candidate.

Continued:

She disobeyed a sitting judge

“She disobeyed a sitting judge”
by going to Gray’s house to confront him again, four months after the initial incident while she was free on bail – an incident for which Alexander was arrested again and pleaded no contest to domestic assault.

In that case, Corey says Alexander went to drop off their daughter, but wound up giving Alexander a black eye. “I was using my discretion to wave the statutory maximum, and offered her a three year [sentence] with credit for time served.

Three years was for two reasons: one, she fired a gun inside a home at two children and Rico Gray, and [two,] she was not a candidate for probation because of her anger problems or whatever caused her to go over there again.”

In Conclusion

Rico Gray is by no means the definition of a "victim". Yet, on the day in question it seems he was one. It only took minutes for the jury to find Alexander guilty.

Was this because certain woman think they can get away with crimes because they have been previously abused, so people will automatically take their side? If she had pulled out a gun on her person, during one of the attacks by Gray, I am sure people would have supported a "stand your ground" claim.

But it didn't transpire this way.

Nope.

Instead, there was a restraining order against her, she went and confronted the person who had it against her. She left the building where the conflict was, went back with a loaded weapon and fired it at him. In the same room where his two kids were.

And she was offered a 3 year deal with credit for time served. She didn't have to get a 20 year sentence in this case, but prosecution knew she was guilty but they also knew of the circumstances.

She did fire at an abusive ___hole. The guy is no prize. In fact, there are other parts to the story that suggest he should be arrested for more crimes.

But what it seems like to me, is the defence figured she would be able to get off with a "stand your ground claim" and they would feel sorry for her because in the past she was abused by him.

Too bad for her she was an abuser too, and she had a current restraining order out against her.



I don't pity this woman. And if anyone tries to use this as fodder in the Martin/Zimmerman case, they are being as ignorant in this as they are with the other.

Source.

reply to post by alfa1

ah. Now it makes sense. Twenty years however seems a touch harsh. Can't see how such a sentence would serve the public in anyway.

America is so broken.

It's called Sentence Disparity.

reply to post by Fromabove


There was a restraining order.. so Yes, I'd have to say she had reason to fear for her life..

Oops... the restraining order was on HER!.. so I guess SHE was in the wrong

Originally posted by Mutant
reply to post by Fromabove

 

There was a restraining order.. so Yes, I'd have to say she had reason to fear for her life..

Oops... the restraining order was on HER!.. so I guess SHE was in the wrong

edit on 14-7-2013 by Mutant because: Oops...

Um, no...there was a restraining order against Him who had TWO prior arrests for DV against OTHER women, he did not even HIDE his violence.

As for the Minimizing of Domestic Violence done by a few on this thread...he not only beat this woman he BEAT HER WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT. So much for caring about fetuses...hmmmm

www.miamiherald.com...

In his OWN words...puts his hands on all five of his babies mommas. Yep, that's Quite a VICTIM alright,

Yes sir indeedy.

4. She went back to her vehicle in the garage to get a gun, and then returned to fire. (Saying "I've got something for you")

______________________

There is no such thing as a warning shot. It's illegal for police to fire warning shots. We weren't allowed to fire warning shots as boarding team members in the Coast Guard. You either need to use lethal force or you don't, not warning shots.

And going to another room and coming back and saying "I've got something for you!" is not a warning shot.

Sounds to me like she should have left the relationship.

Interesting how the maximum sentencing works in Florida...

Felony Conviction
A Felon can Not own a gun, vote, sit on jury & may not be able to be employed in a job, which requires a State License.

Maximum Sentencing:
Felony, (Capital Felony) - Death or Life without Parole
Felony, (Life Felony) - Not Punishable by Death But Life without Parole
Felony, (1st Degree Felony) - Up to $10,000 Fine &/or Up to 30 Yrs Pen.
Felony, (2nd Degree Felony) - Up to $10,000 Fine &/or Up to 15 Yrs Pen.
Felony, (3rd Degree Felony) - UP to $5000 Fine &/or Up to 5 Yrs Pen.

Crime and Punishment.net/Florida

So...
Murder someone to the 1st degree, get 30 years.
Attempt to murder someone but fail, get 20 years.

So it seems to me that if you have a previous criminal history and you're going to end up serving 20 years, you might as well serve 30, and at least get the satisfaction of watching their brains splatter all over the place... with a double tap for good measure, just to be sure you don't miss.


Edit to add:
You might as well sit back on the taxpayer's nice cushy wallet and get three squares for another 10 years before you get tossed back out into the world and try to collect your welfare checks, since you have little hope of ever getting a job due to the state licensing laws.

reply to post by ThreeBears


There were restraining orders on both. She left, got a gun, came back and shot at him. There was no evidence she was in danger that day, and she shot towards her son who was standing near his father. I suppose all that was his fault too right? Because only men are dangerous and women are always victims, right?

reply to post by TinkerHaus


Does anybody think if Obama had a daughter she would look like Marissa Alexander?

These horribly biased news stories are really making the Leftist Liberal Media look bad.

You don't fire "warning shots", if you're threatened to the point the gun has to come out of its holster it better hit its target. I think 20 years is ridiculously excessive for what she did bit I (somewhat) understand the logic behind the example. Where did she physically discharge the weapon? Was it outside? What if she sent a few "warning shots" loose in an apartment building?

If you want to own a gun it comes with certain ammount of responsibility. Discharging your firearm when not in a life threatening situation is irresponsible at the very least and dangerous and negligent at the worst. If she wants sonething to wave around and look threatening she should've bought a tazer.

reply to post by TinkerHaus


There's something very wrong with that news article. No judge is going to hand down a 20 year prison sentence to a woman with no criminal record that only fired warning shots.

Just found this, which makes a lot more sense:

Florida Times-Union

reply to post by jiggerj


Its pretty telling that the kids went with the Dad.

reply to post by TinkerHaus


In other news:

Florida Judge Encourages Women To Just Take Their Beatings.

This is an outrage. There is no way this woman should have gotten 2 years let alone 20.