<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18852">
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV>Chuck,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I did not disagree real strongly with the plea bargain in this case.
What I expected to happen is that the original sentence would be
served. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I very strongly and angrily disagree with discretion exercised by Judge
Brudie upon the recommendation from Cottonwood officials. I don't know if
Latah County citizens have a chance to vote stay or go for Brudie. If we
do, this issue will be raised before such an election.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Latah County prosecutor's office has not had a really effective trial
advocate since Robin Eckman left. This was a real loss for the community
in my opinion. If Eckman were here, I think matter would have went to
a trial by jury on a charge of second degree murder. I think the
prosecutor weighed a number of factors including the probability of securing a
conviction in a trial by jury and the amount of work/time needed for preparing
for such a trial when deciding upon the plea bargain reached. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Again, it's not the plea bargain that angers me, it's the discretion of the
judge and the message it sends. That's why a partial description of the
crime was included in the post to which you responded.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Us old codgers use ordinary language. Whatever fine shadings of
legalese there are to describe the various kinds of chickenshit slayings, I
don't care.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff>"Police allege Leonard shot Lee, 25, of Moscow multiple
times with a handgun and killed him after a June 19 argument at Leonard's
Sprenger Road home near Genesee."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff>'Lehmbecker's affidavit also states that Sunny Namauu,
who lived at the Sprenger Road home with Leonard, told an Idaho State Police
officer in July that Leonard "tried to dispose of Lee's body." Namauu said
Leonard asked him for a shovel, which Namauu gave him.'</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I call it murder. If Leonard doesn't like my use of ordinary
language, let him sue. He won't get anything but a vigorous
countersuit.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>W.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"
dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=ckovis@turbonet.com href="mailto:ckovis@turbonet.com">Chuck Kovis</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=deco@moscow.com
href="mailto:deco@moscow.com">Art Deco</A> ; <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, November 06, 2009 1:10
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Vision2020] WTF?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Wayne, you make an excellent argument for a jury
trial. If this would have gone to a jury with Mr. Leonard asserting
self-defense and found not guilty, what would you say then? It seems to
me you are just lamenting the fact that a plea bargain was reached with which
you don't agree. Both sides in this matter, the State and the Defendant,
gave ground to reach a mutually agreeable outcome, as the judge
stated. BTW, you should be careful calling Mr. Leonard a murderer - he
is not. FWIW. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Chuck Kovis</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>