thecrazyone
11-10-2006, 04:04 PM
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2618531&page=1
WEIGHING THE SCALES OF JUSTICE
2 men, Same Judge, Very Different Outcomes.
Nov. 4, 2006 — Do you believe the scales of justice tilt in favor of
the rich and powerful? To explore this question, "20/20" went to Texas
to examine the fate of two men who came before the same judge.
Alex Wood was accused of killing a male prostitute in Dallas in 1995.
He pleaded not guilty and went to trial. According to prosecutor Rick
Jordan, the evidence against Wood was incontrovertible: He had shot an
unarmed man in the back.
But just as the jury was about to conclude its deliberations, Jordan
struck a plea bargain: In exchange for a guilty plea, Wood would be
given 10 years of probation and no jail time. Jordan's explanation for
striking such a lenient deal? He believed the jury was sympathetic to
Wood, and Jordan worried it might acquit Wood altogether.
Maybe it would have. Wood had no criminal history and came from a
wealthy and well-connected Texas family. Wood's father, the Rev. John
Alvin Wood, is a retired pastor of the First Baptist Church of Waco and
a former regent of Baylor University. He's also a big game hunter and
fossil collector whose private museum was recently featured in National
Geographic.
Wood's sister is married to eight-term congressman Chet Edwards, whose
vast district, the 17th Congressional District of Texas, extends from
the Fort Worth suburbs in the north to the Bryan-College Station area
in the south.
Wood himself dabbled in the genteel business of breeding and showing
dogs, specifically Pharaoh Hounds — an exotic breed whose lineage can
be traced back to ancient Egypt.
At trial, Wood was represented by top defense attorneys who described
the victim as violent and aggressive, and argued that Wood shot the man
in self-defense. Even more important, given the location of the trial —
the Bible Belt South — they brought in several prominent members of the
Baptist church as character witnesses.
Among them was O.S. Hawkins, the exceedingly urbane pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Dallas, and a true celebrity among Baptist officials.
Said Jordan of some of the women jury members, "When O.S. Hawkins came
in, it was like they wanted to crawl over the rail and just kiss the
ring."
Another reason Jordan agreed to the plea was that he expected Wood to
violate probation and end up in jail anyway.
Wood did, indeed, violate probation. First, he tested positive for
cocaine use, and shortly after that he and another man were arrested
when they were found with crack cocaine in one of Chet Edwards' cars.
Citing the failed drug test and the arrest, prosecutors went to Judge
Keith Dean, the original trial judge, and asked him to revoke Wood's
probation.
Dean, who serves at the 265th Criminal District Court of Dallas County,
and who has been elected to the bench four times, is described as a
good, committed judge. But he allowed Wood to remain out on bail for
several months, during which time Wood failed two more drug tests.
In the end, Dean let Wood enter a private inpatient treatment center
rather than go to jail. In another lucky break, prosecutors decided not
to pursue the crack charges against Wood.
But Wood continued to get into trouble — and continued to escape the
consequences. In a dispute over a puppy, dog trainer Margaret Worth
said Wood broke into her home. After Wood's father intervened, Worth
agreed not to press charges.
Last year one of Wood's high-powered lawyers asked Dean to shave a year
off Wood's sentence and grant him early release from probation. Dean
refused but instead agreed to a "postcard" probation in which Wood
could simply write to the court once a year. Wood, now 46 years old,
has remained free.
The same can't be said for Tyrone Brown, another man who came before
Dean.
Back in 1990, when Brown was 17, he and a friend pulled a gun on a
Dallas man and demanded his wallet. After taking $2, they handed the
wallet back and fled but were quickly caught.
When Brown appeared before Dean, he didn't have a high-powered lawyer.
Brown was one of five children who grew up in a poor home and never
finished high school. The Baptist church he attended was the little
Telstar Baptist Church in Dallas, which cannot claim a single prominent
member.
Brown, who had a few minor juvenile offenses on his record, pleaded
guilty, and he, too, was sentenced to 10 years' probation.
Like Wood, he also violated probation, although only once, and he only
got caught smoking marijuana. But when Brown was called before Dean,
what happened to him was markedly different from what happened to Wood.
Dean sentenced Brown to life in prison, then added, "Good luck, Mr.
Brown." Brown's court-appointed attorney, Matt Fry, didn't protest.
Nora Brown, Tyrone's mother, recalled that she broke down when her son
called her with the news. "'Mama,' he said, 'they gave me life.' I just
started crying, you know, and I started screaming. And I said 'Baby,
how can they give you life. For what?' "
"20/20" correspondent Jim Avila spoke to Dean, who is running for
re-election, during a campaign event in Dallas. Avila asked the judge
about why he ruled so differently in the two cases. Dean insisted the
law and the "ethical code of judicial conduct says I can't talk about
any case at any point."
However, Seanna Willing, the executive director of the Texas Commission
on Judicial Conduct, told "20/20" Dean is incorrect. She said there is
nothing to prevent a judge from talking about cases that are no longer
pending.
Wood has finished his probation and is a free man. Brown has been in
prison more than 16 years. He's struggled with depression, tried
committing suicide, and got into trouble after joining a gang and
fighting with prison guards. In recent years, he has settled down, and
now says he spends time reading and writing poetry. He's eligible for
parole in 2009.
EDIT.
NOTES....for those who dont want to read.
by the same judge...
guy 1(rich) shot and killed somone, then violated probation with coke use and crack possesion,never saw jail time.
guy 2(poor) robbed somone for 2 dollars, violated probation with marijauna use, got life in prison.
thats pathetic.
WEIGHING THE SCALES OF JUSTICE
2 men, Same Judge, Very Different Outcomes.
Nov. 4, 2006 — Do you believe the scales of justice tilt in favor of
the rich and powerful? To explore this question, "20/20" went to Texas
to examine the fate of two men who came before the same judge.
Alex Wood was accused of killing a male prostitute in Dallas in 1995.
He pleaded not guilty and went to trial. According to prosecutor Rick
Jordan, the evidence against Wood was incontrovertible: He had shot an
unarmed man in the back.
But just as the jury was about to conclude its deliberations, Jordan
struck a plea bargain: In exchange for a guilty plea, Wood would be
given 10 years of probation and no jail time. Jordan's explanation for
striking such a lenient deal? He believed the jury was sympathetic to
Wood, and Jordan worried it might acquit Wood altogether.
Maybe it would have. Wood had no criminal history and came from a
wealthy and well-connected Texas family. Wood's father, the Rev. John
Alvin Wood, is a retired pastor of the First Baptist Church of Waco and
a former regent of Baylor University. He's also a big game hunter and
fossil collector whose private museum was recently featured in National
Geographic.
Wood's sister is married to eight-term congressman Chet Edwards, whose
vast district, the 17th Congressional District of Texas, extends from
the Fort Worth suburbs in the north to the Bryan-College Station area
in the south.
Wood himself dabbled in the genteel business of breeding and showing
dogs, specifically Pharaoh Hounds — an exotic breed whose lineage can
be traced back to ancient Egypt.
At trial, Wood was represented by top defense attorneys who described
the victim as violent and aggressive, and argued that Wood shot the man
in self-defense. Even more important, given the location of the trial —
the Bible Belt South — they brought in several prominent members of the
Baptist church as character witnesses.
Among them was O.S. Hawkins, the exceedingly urbane pastor of the First
Baptist Church of Dallas, and a true celebrity among Baptist officials.
Said Jordan of some of the women jury members, "When O.S. Hawkins came
in, it was like they wanted to crawl over the rail and just kiss the
ring."
Another reason Jordan agreed to the plea was that he expected Wood to
violate probation and end up in jail anyway.
Wood did, indeed, violate probation. First, he tested positive for
cocaine use, and shortly after that he and another man were arrested
when they were found with crack cocaine in one of Chet Edwards' cars.
Citing the failed drug test and the arrest, prosecutors went to Judge
Keith Dean, the original trial judge, and asked him to revoke Wood's
probation.
Dean, who serves at the 265th Criminal District Court of Dallas County,
and who has been elected to the bench four times, is described as a
good, committed judge. But he allowed Wood to remain out on bail for
several months, during which time Wood failed two more drug tests.
In the end, Dean let Wood enter a private inpatient treatment center
rather than go to jail. In another lucky break, prosecutors decided not
to pursue the crack charges against Wood.
But Wood continued to get into trouble — and continued to escape the
consequences. In a dispute over a puppy, dog trainer Margaret Worth
said Wood broke into her home. After Wood's father intervened, Worth
agreed not to press charges.
Last year one of Wood's high-powered lawyers asked Dean to shave a year
off Wood's sentence and grant him early release from probation. Dean
refused but instead agreed to a "postcard" probation in which Wood
could simply write to the court once a year. Wood, now 46 years old,
has remained free.
The same can't be said for Tyrone Brown, another man who came before
Dean.
Back in 1990, when Brown was 17, he and a friend pulled a gun on a
Dallas man and demanded his wallet. After taking $2, they handed the
wallet back and fled but were quickly caught.
When Brown appeared before Dean, he didn't have a high-powered lawyer.
Brown was one of five children who grew up in a poor home and never
finished high school. The Baptist church he attended was the little
Telstar Baptist Church in Dallas, which cannot claim a single prominent
member.
Brown, who had a few minor juvenile offenses on his record, pleaded
guilty, and he, too, was sentenced to 10 years' probation.
Like Wood, he also violated probation, although only once, and he only
got caught smoking marijuana. But when Brown was called before Dean,
what happened to him was markedly different from what happened to Wood.
Dean sentenced Brown to life in prison, then added, "Good luck, Mr.
Brown." Brown's court-appointed attorney, Matt Fry, didn't protest.
Nora Brown, Tyrone's mother, recalled that she broke down when her son
called her with the news. "'Mama,' he said, 'they gave me life.' I just
started crying, you know, and I started screaming. And I said 'Baby,
how can they give you life. For what?' "
"20/20" correspondent Jim Avila spoke to Dean, who is running for
re-election, during a campaign event in Dallas. Avila asked the judge
about why he ruled so differently in the two cases. Dean insisted the
law and the "ethical code of judicial conduct says I can't talk about
any case at any point."
However, Seanna Willing, the executive director of the Texas Commission
on Judicial Conduct, told "20/20" Dean is incorrect. She said there is
nothing to prevent a judge from talking about cases that are no longer
pending.
Wood has finished his probation and is a free man. Brown has been in
prison more than 16 years. He's struggled with depression, tried
committing suicide, and got into trouble after joining a gang and
fighting with prison guards. In recent years, he has settled down, and
now says he spends time reading and writing poetry. He's eligible for
parole in 2009.
EDIT.
NOTES....for those who dont want to read.
by the same judge...
guy 1(rich) shot and killed somone, then violated probation with coke use and crack possesion,never saw jail time.
guy 2(poor) robbed somone for 2 dollars, violated probation with marijauna use, got life in prison.
thats pathetic.