Posted on 07/29/2008 8:51:59 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
Here is what the open-borders culture of entitlement has wrought:
After expressing remorse to a jury that later spared his life, a Mexican citizen who hired hit men to kill two local men did an about face during last week’s sentencing hearing by professing his innocence and railing against the American criminal justice system.
In May, a Multnomah County jury found Joel Sanchez-Jacobo, 31, guilty of two counts of aggravated murder and one count of murder for soliciting two murders in 2006.
But on Friday, July 18, when he appeared before Judge Michael J. McShane to hear his sentence, the man claimed to have been railroaded by his state-appointed attorneys and said his constitutional rights had been violated.
“I am deeply aware that justice has not been served in this case because I stand before this court today as a Mexican citizen who is 100 percent absolutely innocent,” Sanchez-Jacobo said through an interpreter, who read his written statement when he became too overcome with emotion.
“I did not kill these men nor at any time did I order these deaths. … I am here today only because the American justice system has failed to protect my rights.”
An amazed judge passed down the same sentence the jury recommended – life in prison without possibility of parole for the first murder, plus life in prison with a minimum of 25 years for the second murder.
The sentences must be served one after the other, rather than at the same time.
Wait, it gets better. Or rather, worse:
Following his month-long trial, a jury found Sanchez-Jacobo guilty of aggravated murder and murder. Before the jury recommended a sentence, he made a statement called an allocution in which he remorsefully asked that jurors spare his life by not recommending a death sentence.
He wept. He also vowed to continue his education and make something of his life while behind bars.
But after his sentencing hearing rant, Judge McShane all but threw the book at him, calling his earlier display of remorse a joke.
Sanchez-Jacobo began his statement by expressing his deep sympathy to the families of the men “who died,” adding that his family also experienced much pain.
Then he demanded a new trial.
“I hereby object to my treatment in this court as a foreign national,” he said. “I was denied the right to an impartial jury trial.”
He said Mexican-Americans were excluded from his all-Caucasian jury. With immigration being such a hot topic, “the citizens of Oregon chant and picket with signs that say, ‘Lock down our borders, out with Mexicans,’ ” he said. “… And then I’m subject to a trial with these same citizens as jurors. That is sad.”
Sanchez-Jacobo cited violations to his constitutional rights to due process, a fair trial, his right to testify on his own behalf and a full disclosure of information to be presented in court.
Even his right to counsel was violated because his attorneys don’t speak Spanish and didn’t call witnesses who have could have cleared him, Sanchez-Jacobo said.
Then he complained that books in the jail’s law library aren’t written in Spanish.
“All the law books are in English,” he said. “I can’t read English. So I have been unable to do my own legal research because the system does not accommodate Spanish written law books.”
Now that he’s being sentenced, he’ll need to prepare for his legal appeal. “So what am I supposed to do?” he asked.
McShane, a seasoned judge, was shocked.
“I just find it amazing that you can stand here and say those things,” McShane said. “You’re concerned that you were mistreated here as a foreign national and yet you were importing into this country pounds and pounds of methamphetamine that were effecting all the people in this community. You ordered the killings of two people, and you’re telling us that we’re mistreating you.”
***
Related: Freedom Folks drove to the Postville, Iowa protest of recent ICE raids and documented the open-borders parade.
Boo hoo.
He could have avoided all of this by staying in Mexico.
Just peachy
he’ll get a retrial on appeal....
“Sob Story” or “SOB Story”?
He is hoping that pro-immigration lobbies will be gullible enough to adopt his cause as if he were Mumia Abu-Jamal.
I wish the Judge had given him the Death Penalty anyhow.
Thank the administration and the 535 imbeciles in Congress.
You just don’t understand. His job is to make all the money he can by destroying our country and our job is to sit back and take it. It is this fundamental misunderstanding on your part that makes it impossible for you to see the injustice here...
The truly sad part is that this guy will probably win his appeal....
Am I the only one who thinks we should be sending these foreign nationals back to Mexico for their sentence?
At the very least, even if we freaking paid them to keep them, it would be cheaper than keeping them here.
Might be a deterrent, as well. NO ONE wants to spend time in a Mexican prison.
Where’s lazamataz?
Thank you John McCain.
“Am I the only one who thinks we should be sending these foreign nationals back to Mexico for their sentence?”
And the more I think about that, I guess it would raise all kind of jurisdictional problems. If it’s a state crime v. a federal one... Probably not an option.
It just annoys me to no end that we’re paying $35,000 or so per year to jail Mexican nationals.
The poor fool went and got himself banned over something stupid. I am not familiar with the details, but I know we are poorer without him.
Of course, there are worse ways to go...
As for me, I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, like my grandpa did... I don't want to die hysterically yelling and screaming like the other four people in his car...
Me too. At age 90-100, shot in my sleep by a jealous young husband.
< /rim shot >
Laz is banned? What a crouton!
Somebody probably went and mentioned llamas and he went over the top.
Maybe he’ll be back after a couple weeks chilling out.
Fly him to the Mexican border. Open door. Push him out.
I find it amazing that these words came from the mouth of a judge on the West Coast.
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