Posted on 01/26/2006 6:41:13 PM PST by Dr. Scarpetta
An 18-year-old Lititz man pleaded NOT GUILTY to two counts of criminal homicide in the shooting deaths of his girlfriend's parents - a case that sparked a national manhunt when he fled the state with the 14-year-old girl.
David Ludwig also waived his right to an arraignment, which had been scheduled for yesterday, according to papers filed in Lancaster County Court late Tuesday afternoon.
Ludwig, who is being held without bail, is accused of gunning down Michael and Cathryn Borden inside their Lititz home Nov. 13 after Michael Borden ordered him to stop seeing their daughter, Kara Beth. Ludwig could get the death penalty if convicted.
The girl, who was not charged, fled the state with Ludwig after the shooting. She was with him when he was captured in Indiana the following day after he crashed his car into a tree while being chased by police.
Ludwig admitted to the killings, authorities have said. He allegedly told detectives that he and Kara, both of whom were home-schooled, wanted to "get as far away as possible" and get married, but that she was not involved in planning and carrying out the killings. Ludwig also pleaded not guilty to a charge of reckless endangerment.
Merrill Spahn, a lawyer who is part of a court-appointed defense team, said Ludwig will also plead not guilty to statutory sexual assault and to carrying a handgun without a permit, additional charges that were filed in December.
Ludwig's trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 5.
There is no point to pleading guilty unless they offer you a deal. They're not going to do that with this guy.
What's the point of pleading not guilty when he confessed?
The girl was defiant and has a lot to learn. (Did you get the 15K?)
I see you just signed up on FreeRepublic. I hope you are not a troll. You're just being sarcastic here, right???
Oh! Home-schooled, eh? That explaines it. Glad they pointed that out for me.
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The girl, who was not charged,...
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Why has she not been charged? Surely, she heard the shots he fired. Even if she did not know beforehand, she must have known after he killed her parents.
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Yep, Home-Schooled, I expect to be murdered by my kids anytime now!
I just can't imagine what that poor young girl must be going through. I pray to God that she does not blame herself.
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She darn well should blame herself. Even if she did not help him plan it she ran off with him after he had just murdered her parents.
Yep, Home-Schooled,...
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Well, of course. And her parents raised her Christian, too, so I guess they were just askin' for it. /s
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You gotta be joking. From what I've heard she knew what was going down. She is just as guilty as he is. If she is suffering from guilt it is because she is guilty.
I heard someone here once post this: How many here at Free Republic would have said "Darn right I'll throw the first stone, the woman's a harlot".
"Home-schooled, eh? That explaines it."
Hey, at least these kids were probably actually homeschooled for many years. This story is at least not like hearing about some toddlers (whose family has ended up in a mess) being "homeschooled".
I believe Kara Borden will be charged. Ludwig said he was looking to her for a signal before he shot her parents. She did not give a signal. Probably one blink from her would have saved her parents.
My opinion, this is one out of control child who thinks she's a woman. She is nothing more than a delinquent juvenile. She has proven she can deceive and lie.
She has stood by while her lover took the parents of her siblings, these children have been through more than most people will go through in a lifetime. I don't know how they could stand to be near their sister Kara.
I just hope the whole truth comes out before this selfish girl ruins some other family.
Despite the fact that the authorities have not charged her with any complicity in the crime, going on what's been published, I can't see how a rational human being, even at her age, could convince themselves that they played no role at all in the murder of their parents.
What am I getting wrong here?
I guess the defense is depending on the "poor little boy" defense or somehow feel they can suppress the voluminous evidence against him.
Or maybe his parents are in the mix and are insisting he plead not guilty, maybe as a way to save face for them.
I disagree with the posters who say there is no reason to plead guilty unless the accused is offered a deal. Pleading guilty when it is obvious you are guilty allows you to plead for mercy---i.e.,you accepted responsibility, have remorse and now ask for mercy. This is most likely to work in a case such as this one.
When the accused doesn't plead guilty and there is loads of evidence against him, this just ticks off the judge and jury. Why did I sit here for four weeks (or more) listening to this garbage? Is the accused not remorseful at all? Why didn't he just take responsibility for the crime he obviously committed? It certainly can reduce sympathy for a clearly guilty defendant.
Unless, of course, you are O.J.
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