Soffar found guilty; Chron editor's wife shaken (updated)
Yesterday, the retrial of Max Soffar went to the jury. Soffar had spent over 20 years on death row after confessing to a brutal triple murder, but his conviction was overturned by a federal court that found his legal defense was inadequate. The wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen is a supporter of Soffar, as is Kinky Friedman.
The anti-death-penalty Chronicle's coverage of yesterday's events concluded as follows:
Prosecutors argued Soffar's own words convicted him. "The defense didn't bring you any evidence that he falsely confessed, that he didn't commit the crime or that someone else committed the crime," said prosecutor Denise Nassar. But, Soffar's attorneys argued, the burden of proof does not rest with them."There can be no closure and no justice based on lies. That is not our system," said defense attorney Kathryn Kase, her voice breaking with emotion. She put her arm around Soffar and hugged him after the defense rested.
Kase was not identified as the wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen.
Apparently, the jury was not impressed with Kase's theatrics. They returned a guilty verdict just before noon today (coverage from the Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, KTRK-13/AP, KPRC-2, KHOU-11).
PREVIOUSLY: A missed Chron Eye opportunity?
UPDATE: The anti-death-penalty Chronicle has updated its coverage of the conviction, and it now includes this accounting of Kathryn Kase's theatrical performance:
Defense attorney Kathryn Kase at times became tearful while outlining Soffar's childhood: his continuous crying as a baby, his brain disorder, mental problems, low IQ and struggles in school that led him to drop out in the seventh grade. His mother sometimes drugged him to make him sleep, Kase said.
[snip]
"He was not a normal, healthy child from the beginning," Kase said. "You have to ask, 'Did he choose to be this way?' "
You also have to ask why Kathryn Kase was not identified as the wife of Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen.
Incredibly, that quote was the conclusion of the story about Soffar's conviction!
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 02/22/06 09:58 PM | Print |
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