A Bexar County jury on Wednesday acquitted Ezekiel Gilbert of murder in the death of a 23-year-old Craigslist escort.
Gilbert, 30, embraced defense attorneys Bobby Barrera and Roy Barrera Sr. with tears in his eyes after the not guilty verdict was read aloud by state District Judge Mary Román.
Outside the courtroom, Gilbert thanked God, the Barrera family and the jury for being able to “see what wasn't the truth” and for the “second chance.”
Had he been convicted, he could have faced up to life in prison for the slaying of Lenora Ivie Frago who died about seven months after she was shot in the neck and paralyzed on Christmas Eve 2009. Gilbert admitted shooting Frago.
“I sincerely regret the loss of the life of Ms. Frago,” Gilbert said Wednesday. “I've been in a mental prison the past four years of my life. I have nightmares. If I see guns on TV where people are getting killed, I change the channel.”
The verdict came after almost 11 hours of deliberations that stretched over two days. The trial began May 17 but had a long hiatus after a juror unexpectedly had to leave town for a funeral.
During closing arguments Tuesday, Gilbert's defense team conceded the shooting did occur but said the intent wasn't to kill. Gilbert's actions were justified, they argued, because he was trying to retrieve stolen property: the $150 he paid Frago. It became theft when she refused to have sex with him or give the money back, they said.
Gilbert testified earlier Tuesday that he had found Frago's escort ad on Craigslist and believed sex was included in her $150 fee. But instead, Frago walked around his apartment and after about 20 minutes left, saying she had to give the money to her driver, he said.
That driver, the defense contended, was Frago's pimp and her partner in the theft scheme.
The Texas law that allows people to use deadly force to recover property during a nighttime theft was put in place for “law-abiding” citizens, prosecutors Matt Lovell and Jessica Schulze countered. It's not intended for someone trying to force another person into an illegal act such as prostitution, they argued.
hahaa...
SariBari posted:can't wait for all the funny things that our forum's sex addicts will have to say about this.
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3553283#post416204608
Sadly, people being shot (or even killed) over this happen all the time. The only reason he's not in prison for manslaughter (and he should be) is that it happened in Texas where it's permitted to shot to kill while trying to retrieve your property.
iFederico posted:SariBari posted:can't wait for all the funny things that our forum's sex addicts will have to say about this.
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3553283#post416204608
Sadly, people being shot (or even killed) over this happen all the time. The only reason he's not in prison for manslaughter (and he should be) is that it happened in Texas where it's permitted to shot to kill while trying to retrieve your property.
Gilbert's actions were justified, they argued, because he was trying to retrieve stolen property: the $150 he paid Frago.
hahahaha, i can't believe that's a justification for killing someone. "i wanted my $150 back;" jury/judge: "oh okay, this murder is officially approved." *stamps man's gun hand with a stamp*
"she was a hooker"
"oh okay, this murder is officially approved"
Lysenko posted:i wonder if a prostitute who killed a john who didn't pay would get off
That depends entirely on whether it was pre or post coitus
discipline posted:pretty cool how it's impossible to prove this either way. he might have just wanted to murder a woman.
that's exactly what he did, so...
SariBari posted:can't wait for all the funny things that our forum's sex addicts will have to say about this.
Pure Pwnage's "FPS Dave" character has already said it all.
discipline posted:pretty cool how it's impossible to prove this either way. he might have just wanted to murder a woman.
i think its clear this was the plan all along
As a Marxist forum we shouldn't entertain so much of this effete identity politics fluff, but I guess it's much easier to "discuss" sexy First World females doing sexy autonomous work and living sexy risky nightly lives than the working men worldwide suffering backbreaking labor.
Shouts out to Baby Huey P. Newton.
Chears.
COINTELBRO posted:Can all this prostitute stuff be contained in discipline's general sex thread?
As a Marxist forum we shouldn't entertain so much of this effete identity politics fluff, but I guess it's much easier to "discuss" sexy First World females doing sexy autonomous work and living sexy risky nightly lives than the working men worldwide suffering backbreaking labor.
Shouts out to Baby Huey P. Newton.
Chears.
BHPN is one of the few people on this forum with first hand experience of the effect of sex work on third world workers, so you should probably be slightly more respectful.
SariBari posted:can't wait for all the funny things that our forum's sex addicts will have to say about this.
i cant wait for u to stop posting
SariBari posted:can't wait for all the funny things that our forum's sex addicts will have to say about this.
uh...."remember the alamo?"