Sunday, April 5, 2015

Sympathy for the Devil

The PR campaign is already underway for suspected violent predator Jack Doshay. Doshay is the son of extremely wealthy and well-connected Fairbanks Ranch residents. Doshay faces a sentence of only 11 years (of which he would typically serve about half) due to prosecutors' decision to charge him with simple kidnapping rather than aggravated kidnapping (which could result in a life sentence and which the facts of the case would seem to support). Doshay could be back out on the streets when he's in his late 20's.

Now comes Logan Jenkins to describe Doshay as "apparently troubled." Obviously, anyone who would attempt to kidnap a child is troubled, but we don't recall anyone attaching such an oddly sympathetic adjective to John Albert Gardner or David Westerfield. Did they not hire the right PR firm?

16 comments:

  1. Logan Jenkins want to lick the caviar off the platters at the high society parties.

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  2. "Justice", like any other commodity in America, is up for sale. There was a time when mental illness was plausible as a defense; it may still be if the system is tweeked just right by this high profile criminal attorney. Get the shrinks to evaluate him as insane and divert him into therapeutic custody.

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  3. My comment is stating the obvious to some, which is that rich people are going to have a better chance at beating the rap or receiving a lighter sentence because of the resources they have at hand.

    As to the charges, I would need a legal mind to lay out the thresholds for the various kidnapping charges. I do believe in prosecuting to the full extent of the law. I also believe in not convicting people in the press, and affording due process etc, so I will wait until more info becomes available.

    -MGJ

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  4. I'm a little more pessimistic than MGJ - I believe wealthy people have a better chance at getting real justice since they can match the resources that the state will use against them. Wealthy people make the state work harder to prove their case. How can you adequately defend yourself if you have no $$?

    - The Sculpin

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  5. Sculpin- OJ Simpson comes to mind. He had an amazingly expensive team of attorneys for his criminal case. And, he got away with murder, IMHO. Money does buy the best justice you can find.

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    1. Aw come n, that was a one off.

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  6. Sculpin, you expanded upon my point, and that's basically my thought. The wealthy have the resources to get Paul Pfingst. The regular joes who get the Public Defender don't. It doesn't always work, it depends on the evidence and a lot of other factors, but if you have a good defender who can cast doubt, like Alan Dershowitz, you have a chance. This one is already shaping up to be a weird one..

    -MGJ

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  7. DAs get re-elected with high conviction rates and wins in high profile cases.

    The points made by MGJ and Sculpin are all true, but also consider that DAs are more likely to charge people with little means for a proper defense.

    I take it as a sign that the evidence is strong that they quickly brought charges in this case, against a defendant with large caliber legal weapons. If they don't offer a plea bargain, that sign becomes stronger.

    It is sad that money and power play any role in criminal justice, but we would all be foolishly naive to pretend it doesn't.

    -FP

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    1. Bonnie Dumanis doesn't want to annoy the elite of San Diego County - this guy will get the psychiatric diversion approach while in custody. He is obviously too dangerous/unstable to be set free on bail.

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  8. 6:17
    Yeah. Just look at the concept of BAIL alone. If you can afford it, you can get out of jail.

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  9. Rich and crazy - he'll get the Ritz at the Waldorf Crazy Farm.

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  10. One good thing is that it isn't as if his family are the wealthiest people living in Fairbanks Ranch or the surrounding area. There will be a lot of community pressure/influence/$ to keep him in jail.

    If the police do suspect him in the case from a couple of years ago (and even if they don't) I hope they have contacted the police in the town where he went to college. Sounds like he dropped out but he was there long enough.

    No amount of $$$ given to charity is enough if they knew their son was a predator and they sent him to college.

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  11. Let Logan Jenkins take him in and mentor him.

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  12. David Westerfield didn’t hire any PR firm: the van Dams had two. Had it been the other way round, the outcome might have been very different.

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