I just remembered this case. Not sure what the outcome has been but he has still been dealing with it 5 fucking years after the fact because of some anonymous canadian cunt? Hits too close to home.
www.techdirt.com
"
Way back in the summer of 2013, Justin Carter, a teen living in Texas, made a joke on Facebook while chatting with other League of Legends players. Responding to facetious comments he was insane, Carter sarcastically agreed, using a very regrettable choice of words.
Things went from stupid to insane quickly. Prosecutors got the judge to agree to set bail at $500,000. Carter's family was unable to get him released while he awaited trial. During the time he was locked up, Carter reported being beaten frequently by other inmates and placed on "suicide watch" by jailers. "Suicide watch" basically translates to being stripped of all belongings and most of your clothing and being sent to solitary confinement.
Fortunately, an anonymous donor paid Carter's insane bail to spring him from jail. If this person hadn't, there's a good chance Carter would still be locked up, if not actually dead. Carter isn't a hardened criminal with a long juvenile rap sheet. He's a young gamer who said something stupid online and has since been subjected to the full force of prosecutorial discretion.
Five years later, he's still waiting to go to trial. The trial was due to start February 20 but prosecutors filed a motion asking the judge to push the trial date out even further.
Carter's lawyer is justifiably angry.
Fortunately for Carter, the presiding judge is no more impressed by the prosecution's last-minute attempt to push Carter's trial even further down the road.
I'm sure prosecutors feel jurors won't take Carter's comments as seriously as they do. They seem intent on locking Carter up for a long time, even though context makes it clear the post was joke. The state offered a plea deal -- eight years in prison -- but this has been rejected by Carter and his counsel. Juries can sometimes be unpredictable, but this last-ditch continuance request reeks of desperation -- an attempt to put off an inevitable acquittal for as long as possible. It's almost as though the prosecution has bought into the Sunk Cost Fallacy and can't stop throwing resources at its lemon of a case.
www.gameskinny.com
"You'll remember that a warrant was issued for the search of Carter's home--there was no further evidence of any terroristic activity; Carter didn't own any weapons, though two years prior, an ex-girlfriend at his high school had filed a temporary restraining order after he threatened to hurt himself, kill her, and shoot up their school. Carter's Facebook activity shows a long history of suicidal thoughts and dark humor.
All that aside, no other evidence convicting Carter exists. The entire case is based off of three Facebook comments. You can see in the image to the left that there isn't any context given; according to the Dallas Observer,
All we see here are three very damning comments, but that's all anyone sees. According to Flanary, the grand jury didn't even see the first part of Carter's first comment, where he's "f*cked up in the head, alright..."--all the prosecutor showed was the part about Carter shooting up a kindergarten. No one has been able to obtain the entire thread.
Carter's attorney at the time was unaware that he was being interviewed by detectives. Coerced by the detective's promise of release, Carter confessed to making the comments, though he did not confess any sort of intent. This confession alone doubled his bond and lead to another transfer back to Comal County Jail, where Carter was sexually assaulted.
It was after this period where Don Flanary offered his services pro bono (for free), and an anonymous donor paid Carter's $500k bond.
News of his case also went global, which drew a lot of attention to the nature of Carter's arrest; if you've ever seen the movie Minority Report, this is eerily similar. Carter was arrested not because he had actually committed a crime, but because he had (presumably) made a joke about committing a crime.
I believe that New Braunfels detectives are aware of their lack of evidence against Carter. It's notable that after Flanary offered his services and news went viral, detectives offered Carter ten years probation--that's a pretty significant reduction from the eight years in prison he was originally facing, but Flanary says he was insulted by the deal. He moved to have the case dismissed in December, but the motion was denied.
Carter faces a felony terrorist threat charge and could receive up to eight years in prison."
LAND OF THE FUCKING FREE
Five Years After His Arrest, Prosecutors Try To Push Back Justin Carter's 'Terroristic Threat' Trial
Way back in the summer of 2013, Justin Carter, a teen living in Texas, made a joke on Facebook while chatting with other League of Legends players. Responding to facetious comments he was insane, C…
www.techdirt.com
"
Way back in the summer of 2013, Justin Carter, a teen living in Texas, made a joke on Facebook while chatting with other League of Legends players. Responding to facetious comments he was insane, Carter sarcastically agreed, using a very regrettable choice of words.
This was followed with "lol" and "jk," which would indicate Carter wasn't taking his words seriously and neither should anyone else. Unfortunately, someone in Canada took his words seriously and reported him to law enforcement. Prosecutors decided to bring terroristic threat charges against the 18-year-old, taking his comments both seriously and out of context.
Things went from stupid to insane quickly. Prosecutors got the judge to agree to set bail at $500,000. Carter's family was unable to get him released while he awaited trial. During the time he was locked up, Carter reported being beaten frequently by other inmates and placed on "suicide watch" by jailers. "Suicide watch" basically translates to being stripped of all belongings and most of your clothing and being sent to solitary confinement.
Fortunately, an anonymous donor paid Carter's insane bail to spring him from jail. If this person hadn't, there's a good chance Carter would still be locked up, if not actually dead. Carter isn't a hardened criminal with a long juvenile rap sheet. He's a young gamer who said something stupid online and has since been subjected to the full force of prosecutorial discretion.
Five years later, he's still waiting to go to trial. The trial was due to start February 20 but prosecutors filed a motion asking the judge to push the trial date out even further.
This sounds like prosecutors simply want to make Carter's life hell for as long as possible. This isn't the move of an attorney who feels he has a strong case to pursue. For most of the last half-decade, Carter has been technically free, but his movements limited due to his pending trial. On top of that, Carter has been forbidden from using any online services without the prior written consent of the corrections department.
Carter's lawyer is justifiably angry.
This is a damn good question: what exactly would this person add to the state's case, considering her testimony would be completely redundant. Does the state think the key to securing a conviction is a jury hearing firsthand how one person took Carter's comments seriously enough to report them to law enforcement? As his lawyer points out, Carter isn't disputing the fact he posted the comments, so there's nothing this Canadian "witness" could possibly add, other than an unfamiliar accent.
Fortunately for Carter, the presiding judge is no more impressed by the prosecution's last-minute attempt to push Carter's trial even further down the road.
This is better but it still allows the state to control Carter's life for a couple more months. His original trial date was supposed to be February 20th. Prosecutors didn't get the indefinite extension they wanted, but they do get to keep Carter on ice for another 60 days.
I'm sure prosecutors feel jurors won't take Carter's comments as seriously as they do. They seem intent on locking Carter up for a long time, even though context makes it clear the post was joke. The state offered a plea deal -- eight years in prison -- but this has been rejected by Carter and his counsel. Juries can sometimes be unpredictable, but this last-ditch continuance request reeks of desperation -- an attempt to put off an inevitable acquittal for as long as possible. It's almost as though the prosecution has bought into the Sunk Cost Fallacy and can't stop throwing resources at its lemon of a case.
What Happened To Justin Carter, League of Legends "Terrorist"
Justin Carter made his $500k bail thanks to anonymous donor, and now awaits trial after an unsuccessful move to quash his case.
"You'll remember that a warrant was issued for the search of Carter's home--there was no further evidence of any terroristic activity; Carter didn't own any weapons, though two years prior, an ex-girlfriend at his high school had filed a temporary restraining order after he threatened to hurt himself, kill her, and shoot up their school. Carter's Facebook activity shows a long history of suicidal thoughts and dark humor.
All that aside, no other evidence convicting Carter exists. The entire case is based off of three Facebook comments. You can see in the image to the left that there isn't any context given; according to the Dallas Observer,
Don Flanary, Carter's attorney, has a point.
All we see here are three very damning comments, but that's all anyone sees. According to Flanary, the grand jury didn't even see the first part of Carter's first comment, where he's "f*cked up in the head, alright..."--all the prosecutor showed was the part about Carter shooting up a kindergarten. No one has been able to obtain the entire thread.
During his time in jail, though he did have a court-appointed attorney, Carter was questioned by New Braunfels detectives in an attempt to get his confession. It's important to understand that as long as a person has legal representation, it's fairly shady for cops to try and interview them without that attorney present, much less aware of the questioning.
Carter's attorney at the time was unaware that he was being interviewed by detectives. Coerced by the detective's promise of release, Carter confessed to making the comments, though he did not confess any sort of intent. This confession alone doubled his bond and lead to another transfer back to Comal County Jail, where Carter was sexually assaulted.
It was after this period where Don Flanary offered his services pro bono (for free), and an anonymous donor paid Carter's $500k bond.
News of his case also went global, which drew a lot of attention to the nature of Carter's arrest; if you've ever seen the movie Minority Report, this is eerily similar. Carter was arrested not because he had actually committed a crime, but because he had (presumably) made a joke about committing a crime.
I believe that New Braunfels detectives are aware of their lack of evidence against Carter. It's notable that after Flanary offered his services and news went viral, detectives offered Carter ten years probation--that's a pretty significant reduction from the eight years in prison he was originally facing, but Flanary says he was insulted by the deal. He moved to have the case dismissed in December, but the motion was denied.
Carter faces a felony terrorist threat charge and could receive up to eight years in prison."
LAND OF THE FUCKING FREE
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