Lindh Decides To Plead Guilty To Charges, Attorney Says

Dow Jones ^

[Sub-Driver]

Headline only

[hellinahandcart]

Fox says AP is reporting same.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

BULLETIN

Monday, July 15, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/07/15/national1016EDT0548.DTL

(07-15) 07:16 PDT ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) --  John Walker Lindh, the American captured in Afghanistan, has decided to plead guilty to charges he aided the Taliban and al-Qaida, his lawyer told a court Monday.

"There is a change in plea," defense attorney James Brosnahan told U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

[ao98]

Fox News is reporting that Walker has plead quilty to some of the 10 charges against him. The penalty will still be up to the judge.

[woofie]

Amazing...I wonder why ?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

That means he copped a deal and won't fry. Wow, freedom of speech is still alive in America!

FREE PADILLA!

[AmishDude]

But . . . but . . . but . . . I thought he was innocent, wasn't informed of his rights, etc., etc., etc.

Wonder what the deal is and what they had on him.

[mystery-ak]

Great!....the Gov must have a lot more evidence that we don't know about......I hope he pleaded guilty to Spann's murder, but I doubt it.

[Sub-Driver]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP)--John Walker Lindh, the American captured in Afghanistan, has decided to plead guilty to charges he aided the Taliban and al-Qaida, his lawyer told a court Monday.

"There is a change in plea," defense attorney James Brosnahan told U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III.

[F16Fighter]

Should be a BIG difference in the penalty phase. This means we change Lindh's sentence from 'Death By Hanging' to 'Firing Squad'.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Lindh will plead "guilty on less serious charges" according to ABC radio news - carrying explosives and aiding the enemy

[lavrenti]

Oh yeah, they had to have threatened to hang the Spann killing over him. Wouldn't be surprised.

[AmishDude]

The penalty will still be up to the judge.

Wow! A plea without a guarantee of sentence. Still, the prosecutors must offer a recommendation, I wonder what it will be.

[HAL9000]

Wonder ... what they had on him.

They had Robert Young Pelton's videotaped interview with him.

The defense's argument that reporters should be required to inform their subjects of their First Amendments rights just wasn't going to fly.

[AmishDude]

I don't know any Padilla. I seem to recall a few Muslim names but they all start to sound the same. Of course, many of the names are the same, but that's beside the point.

[BikerNYC]

Wow! A plea without a guarantee of sentence.

In Federal Court, there is never a guaranteed sentence. It is completely up to the judge after the Probation Department works up the Sentencing Guideline range and the defense and prosecution submit their own papers.

[Mo1]

Amazing...I wonder why ?

Can't wait to hear more

[Oldeconomybuyer]

BULLETIN

Monday, July 15, 2002
©2002 Associated Press

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/07/15/national1016EDT0548.DTL

(07-15) 07:22 PDT (AP) -- Brosnahan told the court a deal was completed late Sunday night, on the eve of a hearing that was going to determine whether statements Lindh made to interrogators after his capture would be admissable in court.

Brosnahan did not immediately detail the specific pleas to each count or the terms of the deal, and the judge was explaining the consequences of a guilty plea to Lindh before any pleas were accepted.

The charges against Lindh, for which a trial had been set to begin on Aug. 26, include conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, contributing services to al-Qaida and the Taliban and using firearms during crimes of violence.

Three of the 10 counts carry maximum terms of life imprisonment for Lindh, who was captured in early December and transferred to civilian custody in late January.

[HAL9000]

"Hi, I'm a reporter for CNN. You have the right to remain silent..."

[AmishDude]

Judge must have indicated he wasn't going to take that defense seriously, even though (s)he didn't say anything publicly.