Beware of soft shoe shufflers

Two quotes come to mind as I open this post. One comes from George Harrison. You can listen as you read.

Watch out now, take care
Beware of soft shoe shufflers
Dancing down the sidewalks
As each unconscious sufferer
Wanders aimlessly

After yesterday’s motion, do Jose Baez and Cheney Mason think they will be dancing down the sidewalks, as Casey prances between them, arm-in-arm? Mason said so. This is going to be fun!

Last month I wrote a whimsical comment…

I’m back. I had lunch. We all went out. Jose and gang, Linda Drane Burdick and company. I told them we wouldn’t all fit in Waffle House, but dang! We did. Cheney Mason even picked up the tab – plus, he left a big tip! Judge Strickland was telling funny jokes the whole time. I coughed in my coffee, it was so funny. The only sad part for me was that they all ate dessert, but I couldn’t.

Now, I am reading that people actually believe this to be true, as if we really did sit down together at a Waffle House and pass the syrup. One big happy family.

Let me tell you, I did not expect this nightmare to come down on me yesterday. I have maintained all along that Casey could never get a fairer judge in the state of Florida and I am of the opinion that the defense has not just shot itself in both feet, it took a shotgun blast to the liver. That’s my gut feeling.

When private investigator Jerry Lyons came calling last Sunday, I had no idea of the tack the defense would ultimately take. The guy was as smooth as butter. To be truthful, he was exactly like a car salesman who loads you up with all the options without you knowing it and before long, you pay a huge price. First, he plied me with compliments about my blog. Then, he asked me whether Casey could get a fair trial in Orlando. He questioned my friendship with police, especially Sgt. John Allen of OCSO. He segued into the judge and before I knew what he was doing, he got me to talk. Mind you, as soon as I realized what he was up to, I told him the defense would be stupid, stupid, stupid for going after Judge Strickland and I stopped. But it was too late.

Between you and me, Jerry Lyons said that John Allen is a bad cop. He’s got a ridiculous track record and he makes all police look bad. He’s dishonest and a liar. Did I agree with his sleazy critique? Of course not, and this is how he tricked me into opening up, by hitting below the belt and getting me to defend his targets, but there’s nowhere in that motion that any part of this conversation took place. Clearly, it was a pick and choose edit intended to do one thing and one thing only: nail the judge to a cross. How naive I was, but did I purposely help the defense? Not in your life. Did I think this selectively taped conversation would work against the judge? No, not initially, and I only spoke to him to begin with because I felt there was nothing to hide; that the state, law enforcement and the judge were on solid ground. I told this P.I. that the judge bases his decisions on law and statutes and that sort of thing and he would never deny a motion due to his own personal feelings. From what I’ve seen in the courtroom, he’s never shown me signs that he took issue with the defense. What I always saw was a judge described by Eyewitness News Legal Analyst Bill Sheaffer, who agreed with me yesterday by saying “the motion is a mistake because Knechel is not directly involved in the case.” He added that “the defense could not ask for a more impartial, patient, or fair judge.”¹

I couldn’t agree with him more.

On the WESH Website, Richard Hornsby said, “There is little doubt that one day the defense will look back on the motion (as) the worst move they’ve made,” He added that, “Judge Strickland has previously shown a fairness to Casey in the way he sentenced her in the check case, and now they don’t know who their judge will be.”

Before I dig into the motion filed by the defense yesterday, let me tell you a few things. To all who sent me nasty comments, they went unread because I only need to read the first couple of words to let me know why they went into spam to begin with. The others who did so I know by heart. You just soldier on. By all means, continue sending me hit after hit after hit. Also, to you who have done so for months now, day after day after day, so what? Nothing has changed from Thursday to yesterday because you were already filled with the stench of hatred. Whatever gets your jollies off.

What has perplexed me all along is how I am considered an Anthony lover and now, the defense throws me under the bus by accusing me of being the exact opposite and some of you still regard me as this Casey supporter because I aided the defense in this conspiracy to unseat the judge. Well, let me tell you, I did no such thing, and if you add up all the elements, you would know that the ripple effect from this will be the exact opposite if the defense gets it’s wish. If, as I have maintained all along, the Honorable Stan Strickland is the fairest judge, what sort of judge would replace him if he chooses to recuse himself? The defense cannot hand-pick a replacement. Who would take his place is a game of Russian Roulette with 41 rounds in a 42-shot pistol. No insult intended for the remaining circuit court judges, but Judge Strickland is held in such high esteem, I don’t need further explanation.

The Motion

To say I was blindsided by this defense is an absolute understatement and I never really got to see the motion until after all of the interviews were done. Thank God that yesterday’s news, as the old saying in the newspaper industry goes, is the bottom of today’s bird cage, but the ramifications of this motion will continue for months to come, if not throughout history. Does anyone really believe this is how I would like to be remembered? The guy who took out a judge who I have nothing but complete respect and admiration for? This motion is eating me up inside because I will forever be remembered as the defense’s scapegoat. Knechel trumped Kronk and I’m not directly involved whatsoever. Instead of proving Casey is not guilty, it will be about how a blogger inadvertently changed the course due to a legal technicality. No, I am not implying anything about the final outcome.

Let’s start with the opening bell:

The precipitating grounds for disqualification is the revelation that the judge has apparently developed a personal relationship with a journalist/blogger known fictitiously as “Marinade Dave”, who has historically presented numerous stories of severe bias and prejudice against the Defendant.

Now, this is what clearly befuddles me. I have tried to be fair in my writing and that has gotten me into trouble with the lunatic fringe who are obsessed with my so-called love for the Anthonys. I wrote a post titled, Casey Anthony must die, published on April 20, 2009 - virtually a year ago. Does any proof exist that the judge even read it? Did he single that post out and bring it to my attention as a fair post? Better still, did the defense even take the time to read it? I contend that they did not, and there’s a reason why. The following is a paragraph from that post:

Since the middle of July of last year, the name Casey Marie Anthony has permeated the airwaves, earwaves and print media of this country and many parts of the civilized world on a daily basis. Every day, something must be reported on the case against Casey, and no one has titillated more than Nancy Grace. All of her loyal followers must be tickled pink since the State Attorney’s Office of Florida announced last week that the prosecution will seek the death penalty against her for the murder of her daughter, Caylee Marie. State Attorney Lawson Lamar’s office said they want to kill Casey because, as the official explanation says, “sufficient aggravating circumstances” have come to light. Please take note that Lamar did not ask for the same thing against George, Cindy and Lee and some of you won’t sleep until the entire family is dead by the wheels of justice. How ironic that nearly 2,000 years ago and for hundreds of years, the idol worshippers of Rome demanded the heads of Christians as they begged for their lives. Now, it is the Christians making the same kinds of demands. There should be no trial.Casey Anthony must die! I am not going to delve into the pros and cons of this sort of punishment and I don’t really want to hear opinions one way or the other. This article is meant to just give you a taste of things to come.

Does that sound like I was asking for Casey’s scalp or does it reflect a more humane sort of treatment? My intent of the post was to explain the death penalty, which was what the state had just changed the penalty to. I continued…

Before you throw any “Lawson Lamar lament” my way, this is not meant to argue the pros and cons of the death penalty, nor is it to trash Casey for not fessing up. This is just to let you how the process works.

All who read me are aware I am against the death penalty based on my moral beliefs. The post I wrote was more or less to point out the barbaric nature of it and I based it on case studies. The people out there who insist that Casey must die were my targets, not Casey. How mindless this defense must be.

The Caylee’s murder: Premeditated and pretty stupid, too post was pretty much like what the title says. Hey, I was telling it like I saw it back then. Written in February of 2009, is there any proof whatsoever that the judge read it? To the morons who call me an Anthony lover, no doubt you passed it on by. Idiots.

The other post cited by the defense in the motion was Guilty as CHARGED?published in June of 2009. Please note the question mark at the end of the title. You know something? That post was primarily about the fraud charges and if it was read thoroughly, the defense would understand it was a straight-up report, similar in fashion to an AP style. Should the judge recuse himself because it could have come out of a newspaper and he reads the Orlando Sentinel? What if he watches the news, too? And, of course, has the defense forgotten what Casey did? Why, she pleaded guilty to ALL thirteen charges and let this be a reflection on the sitting judge; he dropped seven of the thirteen. Baez asked the court to give Casey credit for time served and place her on probation in the check case. The judge agreed that Anthony had already spent more time in jail than any sentence she could receive in the check case. If that sentence wasn’t fair enough, I wish the plea could be rescinded and put before a different judge, let’s say Belvin Perry, Jr. Damn, Baez, what did you want? That the state apologize to Miss Anthony for charging her with fraud to begin with?

On page 13 of the motion, the defense writes:

Judge Strickland’s deliberate courting of a well known media figure raises the inference that Judge Strickland seeks publicity in his own right…

and

Due to Mr. Knechel’s relentless pro-prosecution bias, as evidenced in his blog posts, any reasonable observer could conclude that Judge Strickland’s endorsement of Mr. Knechel’s blog is evidence of Judge Strickland’s own pro-prosecution slant in this case.

How disgusting. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary describes courting as,“to engage in social activities leading to engagement and marriage” and “to engage in activity leading to mating.” Baez and Mason need to get their minds out of the gutter. That’s bad enough, but to state that I am a well known media figure? Tell that to the millions and millions of people out there who never heard of me until yesterday. You clowns created the media beast. That’s after the fact, not before. Motion dismissed.

Had the defense cited ALL of my posts, it would see there is a fair and open-minded balance of views, to which my loyal readers will attest. How dare an unrefined, wet-behind-the-ear lawyer and an over-the-hill windbag attorney write such drivel. Ask my critics whether I am an Anthony lover or not and see what response you get.

I know there are many more elements of that motion I could argue all day long, but I think I’ve gotten my point across. I will readily admit I have made some mistakes. I regret the day I put up the post about meeting the judge and I have said so, but I stand behind everything I have written about this case. The defense heard the judge call me up that day. No evidence exists that he has read every one of my posts, including ones that have nothing to do with the Casey Anthony case. I have steadfastly maintained that I am more than fair and balanced regarding the crime and what I have reflected on, and everyone who knows me will pretty much agree with this assessment. In my opinion, what Casey’s defense has done is tantamount to handing her a ticket to hell. If the defense has no faith in her innocence, which it clearly spells out by the direction it is taking, how can anyone expect a jury to buy her story? Kronk owns duct tape. Knechel knows the judge. George and Cindy are yet to come.

Why did the defense waste taxpayers’ money to find me instead of Zenaida Gonzalez? Is it nothing more than an admission that a nanny does not exist? Why is the defense searching for a way to get Casey out of jail on a technicality instead of pursuing a course that proves she did not commit the crimes for which she stands charged? Why attack this judge who has stood by his tenets based on law, not emotion?

What the judge needs to do is toss this motion out because it smacks of desperation. When Baez and Mason must attack a blogger and a distinguished member of the court, clearly, they have run out of options. I’ll bet the farm it ran out the same day Cheney Mason’s notary commission expired, which makes this motion null and void. If this is the best the defense can muster, God save Casey, because they sure aren’t doing their job. I still don’t believe in the death penalty, and if they had any smarts, they’d have paid some attention to what I’ve written about that, too, instead of focusing on all they disagree with. Those stupid idiots. That’s what makes me fair and balanced.

I never looked for trouble. I was blindsided by the defense, but let me tell you, the words of encouragement from all of the media personnel who interviewed me yesterday kept my spirits from sinking into an abyss because of this mess. They helped me tremendously by offering their support behind the scenes. Believe me, there’s more going on behind these scenes than any of you can imagine and that’s just the way it is, believe me or not.

I will forever maintain that Casey Anthony deserves her day in court. I have been steadfast in my belief that she is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. It has never been our job to pronounce judgment on her. Today, I stand before you, my peers, and make this last statement. Jose Baez and Cheney Mason are guilty of insufficient legal counsel. It is their own inept bumbling that will change the course of this case, not me, and certainly, not Judge Stan Strickland. This isn’t bias. It’s fact.

One final thought. I have maintained all along that I have never published anyone’s private identifying information on the Internet. Jeremiah Lyons has turned me into a public figure and I am going to do the same thing to him. Look him up on the Internet, just like what he did to find me. Jerry, I know you were just doing what you do well, but you’re a sleazeball, you rotten son of a bitch. You took me out of context.

Jeremiah Lyons, Investigator, Port St. Lucie, Fl (772)812-6430

Just like his card says. Do what you want with it.

I want to especially thank Bob Kealing from WESH for being such a stand-up guy. He has been the consummate gentleman and mentor, and I have the utmost respect for him. He’s a class act.

In closing, my heartfelt thanks go out to Snoopy and everyone who has stood by me, including Melissa, who wrote a wonderful post. I will continue to do my best to provide my unique insight into this case. To all who sent me encouraging e-mails, thank you. I will try to respond, but I am in a bit of a funk these days.

Comments

[Cynthia]

Bummer, Dave. I never knew that you had actually been cited in the Motion until I read this. I agree with you about the changing of the judges. I posted on one of the (Caylee-Anthony-and-other-crimes) forums that I predict in years to come when this case is analyzed, law students will look back and cite that Motion as the single biggest mistake the Defense made. The point at which the wormed turned, and they lost the case.