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Federal appeals court overturns conviction of killer of former Raider Fred Biletnikoff's daughter
San Jose Mercury News ^ | July 7, 2009 | Howard Mintz

Posted on 07/07/2009 5:12:50 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement

click here to read article


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1 posted on 07/07/2009 5:12:50 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Moral: NEVER get involved in ANYTHING with anyone named Mohammed.


2 posted on 07/07/2009 5:16:08 PM PDT by TheClintons-STILLAnti-American (E)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Turn him loose. He is black, a Hall of Famer. They had a hell of a nerve locking him up in the first place.

Had he had those two blacks on his jury , and Sotomoyor as Judge he would have gone free. S/? Not really.


3 posted on 07/07/2009 5:18:56 PM PDT by Venturer
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To: Venturer

I don’t believe the murderer was even a football player. It’s the girl’s father who is the Hall of Famer. I tried to read the remainder of the article, but the link wouldn’t load for me.


4 posted on 07/07/2009 5:26:31 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Damn shame. The bozo lawyers and judge screw up so they let a murderer go free. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!


5 posted on 07/07/2009 5:28:04 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Hey America! How's that "hope and change" thing working out?)
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To: Venturer

huh?


6 posted on 07/07/2009 5:28:08 PM PDT by bobby.223
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To: FlingWingFlyer
Damn shame. The bozo lawyers and judge screw up so they let a murderer go free. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!

He doesn't go free, he gets a new trial.

7 posted on 07/07/2009 5:29:50 PM PDT by Lurking Libertarian (Non sub homine, sed sub Deo et lege)
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To: mass55th

The complete article:

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court on Tuesday reversed the 2001 murder conviction of a man serving a life prison term for killing the daughter of former Oakland Raiders Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff.

In a 43-page ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that San Mateo County prosecutors improperly excluded two African-American jurors for racially motivated reasons, tainting the trial of Mohammed Ali. Ali was convicted of first-degree murder in the February 1999 slaying of his girlfriend, Tracey Biletnikoff, in the office of a San Mateo drug treatment center.

Ali always admitted killing Biletnikoff at the treatment center, where the couple was attending meetings, confessing the crime to police after first fleeing to Mexico. But the question for jurors was whether Ali was guilty of premeditated first-degree murder or manslaughter, based on his defense that the killing was provoked by an argument over Ali’s relapse into drug use.

The 9th Circuit concluded that Chief Assistant District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, who prosecuted the case, struck two African-American jurors from the jury pool, using other explanations as “pretexts for racial discrimination.” The U.S. Supreme Court has found that prosecutors cannot exclude jurors based on race, or run the risk of violating a defendant’s constitutional rights.

San Mateo County District Attorney Jim Fox expressed dismay at the ruling, noting that the lower courts had all rejected the same jury bias argument. “We are terribly disappointed because frankly it’s revictimizing the family,” Fox said. “I can assure you we will do what we can to make sure Mr. Ali is not released from custody.”

The state attorney general’s office can ask the 9th Circuit to reconsider the case with an 11-judge panel or San Mateo County prosecutors can retry Ali.

A San Mateo County judge sentenced Ali to 55 years-to-life in prison.

Since their daughter’s death, Fred and Angela Biletnikoff of Danville formed the Biletnikoff Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of young women recovering from substance abuse, and education for the prevention of domestic violence.

Contact Howard Mintz at hmintz@mercurynews.com or (408)-286-0236


8 posted on 07/07/2009 5:30:46 PM PDT by ConservativeStatement ("World Peace 1.20.09".... um, what happened?)
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To: Lurking Libertarian

Same thing. This time he’ll get a few O.J. jury types. Case over.


9 posted on 07/07/2009 5:31:56 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Hey America! How's that "hope and change" thing working out?)
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To: mass55th
Being a Broncos fan I've been a Raider hater my whole life. But no father, not even a Raider, should have his little girl turn out to be a drug addict mixed up with a scumbag who would murder her. Sad, really sad.

And now the courts will let the scumbag off.

10 posted on 07/07/2009 5:31:57 PM PDT by colorado tanker ("Lastly, I'd like to apologize for America's disproportionate response to Pearl Harbor . . . ")
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To: mass55th

Wouldn’t load for me either.


11 posted on 07/07/2009 5:32:56 PM PDT by CaptRon
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Thanks for posting the whole article.


12 posted on 07/07/2009 5:33:01 PM PDT by mass55th (Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway...John Wayne)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan
Ahh the 9th circus at work??
13 posted on 07/07/2009 5:33:48 PM PDT by mrsixpack36
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To: Venturer
“Had he had those two blacks on his jury , and Sotomoyor as Judge he would have gone free.”
Shouldn't they be crack addicted blacks? In any case,
he murdered someone. It wasn't an accident. I fail to see how the exclusion of two jurors changes the facts of his guilt.
As far as I'm concerned, the choice to use drugs isn't a mitigation of guilt, it is automatic grounds for premeditation in itself. Guess I won't be serving on any juries anytime soon.
14 posted on 07/07/2009 5:36:51 PM PDT by bitterohiogunclinger (America held hostage - day 163)
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Time for “street justice”?


15 posted on 07/07/2009 5:40:37 PM PDT by pankot
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Bill Ayers anyone?


16 posted on 07/07/2009 5:42:33 PM PDT by FTJM
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To: Venturer
Turn him loose. He is black, a Hall of Famer.

The killer is not a Hall of Famer. The father of the victim, former Oakland Raiders great Fred Biletnikoff, is the Hall of Famer.
17 posted on 07/07/2009 5:44:48 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: mrsixpack36

THe “9th circus” aka “The Nutty Ninth”. The most reversed Fed. Circuit in the US, much like Sotomayor is before the Supreme Court.


18 posted on 07/07/2009 5:54:15 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: MassRepublicanFlyersFan

Insanity.


19 posted on 07/07/2009 5:56:12 PM PDT by BenLurkin ("A new Dark Ages made all the more terrible and prolonged by the sinister powers of science.")
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

Thnks for the info, I am not much into football. I like it at the High School level where the kids are my kids, not some overpaid mercenaries.


20 posted on 07/07/2009 6:17:43 PM PDT by Venturer
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