[LIConFem]

Mette's attacker his his head on the pavement. Does it surprise you that someone who is intoxicated (BAC .270) would fail to protect his melon in a fall?

And I'm curious as to where you came up with the "severe beating" claim. One would think that the judge would use such a fact (if indeed it was fact) to back his decision.

[Melas]

Dubuque physicians testified that his injuries were consistant with being stomped and kicked.

Gothard suffered a broken cheekbone, multiple fractures to his nose and a broken jaw, according to court records. He had multiple hemorrhages on the brain. He had bruising on both buttocks and the sides of his arms and on his ribs, and he had lacerations to his face and head.

The emergency-room physician, who was board certified, testified that these injuries would not have resulted from one blow," Dubuque County Attorney Ralph Potter wrote in a pointed defense of the case's prosecution. "The defendant's expert witness disputed that finding, while acknowledging that some of the bruising was consistent with "defensive" injuries