Chase Neill may have regrets about representing himself. The 32-year-old Kansas man failed to persuade a jury of his innocence after plotting to kill Congressman Jake LaTurner, R-Kan.
While cross-examining LaTurner, Neill claimed that he never threatened to murder the representative but was forwarding a message from God.
A jury of Neill's peers was unconvinced, and he now faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Washington Examiner reports:
The decision to allow the defendant to represent himself was controversial. Court records showed that he had sustained a traumatic head injury previously, and Judge Holly Teeter feared that it may affect his ability to represent himself properly.
Teeter said Neill has โa mental disease and that the mental disease renders him unable to assist properly in his defense.โ Nevertheless, he was deemed fit to stand trial after a psychological evaluation.
The Examiner noted the trial reached its crescendo during Neill's surreal questioning of LaTurner:
In the exchange, Neill asked whether it was reasonable to identify himself as the son of God in the voicemail.
โI thought the whole voicemail was unreasonable, especially the death threat parts,โ LaTurner replied.
The congressman praised law enforcement for โdoing their jobs with honesty and integrityโ following Neill's conviction.
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4 Comments
It is the newest & unassailable reason for excusing any defendant for being untriable. He had a head injury. This guy will be out of jail on appeal before he’s even sentenced. If you have EVER had a head injury AND you want to represent yourself (& you’re not a licensed attorney), you are by definition mentally incapable of representing yourself. Therefore, no matter what the Judge does to help you, you have an appealable case that either gets you a new trial with a better lawyer than you had OR the state stops trying to prosecute you for that crime because, under new guidelines for the “mentally ill,” you had a head injury.
If you wonder why the wheels of “justice” move so slow, this, IMHAO, is one reason.
If you think I’m wrong; look into the case of the murderer in the Boulder Table Mesa King Soopers shootings almost 2 yrs ago. He is currently untriable because he is mentally incompetent to help his attorneys to prepare in his trial BECAUSE HE MIGHT OVER-RELY ON THEIR ADVICE. I KID YOU NOT.
Why wouldn’t a previous head injury render the same conclusion as the guy from Arvada who shot & killed 10 white people because he felt entitled to?
All the generations propagandized for yrs in our schools are now teachers, doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health workers, etc., & they’re a lot more concerned about YOUR vax status than they are about letting murderers & the like back on the street when they finish their psych evaluations & are no longer “insane.”
You could once trust that your local prosecutor would pick up the ball & prosecute the former incompetent who’s now been ruled sane. NO, NOT ANYMORE.
Colorado even goes as far as moving people like the “Aurora movie theater mass murderer” to other state or federal prisons so HE WILL BE SAFER in general populations. Do you know how that re-victimizes the families again? Think of that…. you can no longer call to double-check he’s still there where he’s supposed to be.
Justice served to the stupid.
Only a woke pos leftist moron would threaten a Republican congressman. It is however, surprising that many leftist, dirt bag, domestic enemy democrats are not targeted. That would be a public service since they are all traitors.
The god worshiping demonrat criminal voter will be exonerated by globalist puppet, chester biden .