No Justice for Vicki Weaver
6/14/2001
Associated Press (from http://www.latimes.com): SPOKANE, Wash. -- An Idaho county prosecutor
said today an FBI sniper who shot and killed the wife of
white separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge will not be
tried in an Idaho courtroom. Last week, a sharply divided
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that FBI sniper
Lon Horiuchi could face trial on an involuntary
manslaughter charge for the death of Vicki Weaver in the
1992 standoff. Boundary County, Idaho, Prosecutor Brett
Benton issued his decision in a news release from his
Bonners Ferry, Idaho, office. He gave no reasons.
Later, under L.A. Times Byline (not
AP): Attorney Stephen Yagman of Los Angeles, who was
appointed by Benson's predecessor as special prosecutor
in the case, was angered at Benson's decision. "In
order for me to agree to drop these charges, someone
would have had to kill me first," Yagman said from
his office in Venice. "It was done without
consulting me, sneakily and behind my back." . . .
Weaver, who is living in Iowa, could not be reached for
comment Thursday. But Yagman spoke to him and
characterized his reaction as "chagrined."
"He trusts that I will make good on my pledge to him
that sniper Horiuchi will be brought to justice,"
Yagman said. "He knows that these things take a very
long time. It's very, very difficult to bring down the
king, as it were. He's steeled to stay the course until
justice is done." Yagman said that because Idaho has
no statute of limitations on homicide, he held out hope
that a different prosecutor could launch a case at any
time in the future.
Later, also from Associated Press (from
http://www.foxnews.com): But Boundary County Prosecutor Brett Benson
announced Thursday he will dismiss the involuntary
manslaughter charge filed by his predecessor. He said it
was unlikely the state could prove the case and too much
time had passed. The Ruby Ridge incident was a tragedy
that deeply affected and divided many of the citizens of
this county and country," Benson said in a news
release from his office in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. "It
is our hope that this decision will begin the healing
process that is so long overdue." . . . Special
Prosecutor Stephen Yagman, who was appointed by Woodbury
to handle the case, criticized the decision and said he
hoped a different prosecutor might refile the charge or
bring a more severe charge. "I could not disagree
more with this decision than I do," Yagman said.
"It sounds to me like the system has suffered a
temporary corruption."
A few points to ponder:
- Contrary to Brett Benson's
intimation, letting a cold-blooded killer off the
hook does not "begin the healing
process." The FBI arrived with
unconstitutional shoot-to-kill orders. The states
must not allow assassins to operate with impunity
in their communities. As long as it's handled in
this inept manner, this case will NEVER go away.
- At least 3 attorneys with national
reputations have offered to assist in the
prosecution of Lon Horiuchi, basically at no cost
to Boundary County. At least two have actually
participated in the prosecution and appeals. The
prosecution has at its disposal the best
attorneys money can buy -- at no expense to
Boundary County! After recently winning a
landmark decision in the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals, this latest move in incomprehensible.
- Is Brett Benson, Boundary County
Attorney, qualified and competent to be handling
this case? He is currently being investigated in
the matter of a forged document. Check out this story from the Spokesman
Review on May 25.
Give Brett Benson a constructive piece
of your mind! According to the Idaho Bar Association,
this is his email address: idaholaw@dmi.net. Please keep it constructive and remember that
most internet communications can be traced -- anything
more intimidating than a promise to vote him out of
office could land you in the cell they were reserving for
Lon Horiuchi.
Watch the Spokane,
Washington, Spokesman-Review's
web pages to keep tabs on the latest developments in the
Ruby Ridge cases:
Webmaster
June 14, 2001
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