Outsiders to prosecute murder

Florida Keys News

Friday, November 20, 2009

Outsiders to prosecute murder

Local State Attorney's Office has too many ties to case

BY ADAM LINHARDT Citizen Staff
alinhardt@keysnews.com

Monroe County prosecutors learned Thursday the governor has assigned a Fantasy Fest stabbing death case to an outside State Attorney's Office because of concerns over perceived conflicts of interest.

Miami prosecutors will handle the Key West murder case, according to a letter Gov. Charlie Crist sent to State Attorney Dennis Ward's office on Wednesday.

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Someone has Conflict of Interest backwards

Submitted on Sun, 11/22/2009 - 2:38pm

The role of the prosecutor is to seek justice - as an advocate for the State he should fight hard to gain convictions - as long as he fights fair. A conflict of interest exists where there are relationships with the other side that might come into play. Not when there are relationships with victims or witnesses. Ward's off ice does not understand what a conflict of interest is. How can it be a conflict to fight hard for a conviction - that is his job. Had it gone the other way where the deceased was the killer then there would be a conflict of interest. You would not want the connections within the office because it might result in the case being fixed by one of those connections to benifit the relative. A prosecutor cannot fix a case to obtain a conviction. A prosecutor could, however, fix a case to lose so as to benifit a relative.

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Conflict of Interest

Submitted on Sun, 11/22/2009 - 4:11pm

I for one am happy this case is being tried by an outside prosecutor. For one, the defense attorney (O'Donnell) and Dennis Ward work together in the same law firm years ago (huge conflict of interest), a two, I don't have the confidence the SOA in Key West can handle this case. Their lack of experience is quite concerning. However, I understand your explanation.

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Conflict of Interest

Submitted on Mon, 11/23/2009 - 11:11am

Lack of Experience? Sounds like the same blogger that said the SAO (not soa) didn't have the experience to convict Azcevedo. Nice grammer as well.

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This is good

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 12:31pm

At least now there can be an impartial jury to see the facts as they are. But also to see that those that may have made the situation worse may also be held accountable. I do think that the guy with the knife will get a tough sentence because of the fact that he brought a weapon to and event with a crowd of people and the rules of the event specifically state is is against the law to bring weapons or simulated weapons to the event. that should effect a more severe sentence.

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Before the barrage of comments hit today ..

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 9:22am

I think there are things we can all agree on:

1) This is tragic and sad for all families, no matter what side you take.

2) Having outside assitance/intervention is a very strong example of how small and inter-connected of a community Key West is ..

3) Key West cannot handle events as large as this without risk of similar tragedy in the future.

I hope common sense prevails to future leadership decisions.

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DYING JAIL INMATES .............................................

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 1:46pm

WELL WHAT HAPPEND TO THE 63 YEAR OLD GUY WHO DIED IN THEIR CUSTODY FRIDAY THE 13 TH?HE WAS FINE BEFORE HE WENT IN 3 DAYS LATER DEAD?HE WAS A GOOD MAN AND NO ONE HAS SAID HOW HE DIED WERE ALL WRITING CHARLIE CRIST ABOUT OUR CROOKED POLICE DEPT HERE AND THERE ABUSE TOWARD LOCALS!THEY HAVE TO BE STOPPED AND I URGE ANYONE WHO NEEDS TO FILE A COMPLAINT YOU DONT GO IN PERSON MY FEMALE FRIEND ANSWERED HER PHONE IN THE BUILDING AND GOT BEAT UP ASSAULTED AND TASERED.

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YOUR AN IDIOT...

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 11:28pm

If you don't know how he died then why are you blaming the jail? Your another low-life in this town who has no idea of what happens inside. And no one who went in to file a complaint ever got beaten or tased. Your friend was probably high on crack like most of the town when she told you that.

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Leadership has nothing to do with what happened. This was a

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 11:50pm by *.*

group of people from Key West and from Broward, who could not act like responsible adults. They drank themselves into oblivion. They got into a fight and someone died. It's simple. No amount of 'common sense' from future leadership would have stopped it. Perhaps some common sense from PARENTS in teaching values to their kids, and on the part of ADULTS who participated would have stopped it. Stop trying to blame the event. The individuals made their choices to drink heavily, to stay out til early morning, and to engage in altercations. THEIR CHOICE! Learn something about responsibility.

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Responsibility of a town ....

Submitted on Sat, 11/21/2009 - 2:36am

is not to have bars open from 10am to 4am daily, except Sundays, where the bars open at noon - but you can still binge til 4am to keep you off balance with a dangerous weapon on your person, until noon, then repeat.

LEARN something about responsibility and make decisions for those who cannot. It works, trust me.

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Well DUH. Those who want a drink will get one - buy their booze

Submitted on Sun, 11/22/2009 - 1:35pm by *.*

before 'closing time' and drink themselves numb anyway. Again, it's the PERSON WHO DRINKS who is the problem, and not those who serve it to them.

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While I agree in principle,

Submitted on Mon, 11/23/2009 - 1:29pm

there are efforts a town/county can make to reduce the risk. The 'end of the road, drink your face off at our 300 bars' tolerance increases the risk way beyond what it needs to be, no matter the responsible and irresponsible individual. A pig farm attracts flies.

Your interests must be more than the argument itself.

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I agree...

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 10:20am

Unfortunately, we have to recognize how inbred Key West really is. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone seems to be related to everyone. This is how corruption has been institutionalized to the point of having its own name... the "Bubba System." Continuous political appointments, nepotism, and a total disregard for hiring highly qualified "outsiders" in favor of connected locals with scant qualifications has held Key West back. With regard to the prosecution in this case, the only choice was to appoint an outside prosecutor to avoid a mistrial. There would always have been a question as to whether the defendant received a fair trial in this jurisdiction.

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ok

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 8:33am

How connected the boy is ? Them people bring that madness to Key West we are not killers and people who act off impulse either. "Gun laws" what about a knif law???????????

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You brought it here

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 8:23pm

You brought it here and now you need to face it here. This happened in Key West and what kind of trial do you want? A fair one? Did Mariques get a fair trial that night while he laid dying? Let this community where the crime was "allegedly" committed hear why it happened and make judgement on the verdict. I think a better solution would be to have the bastard run down Duval from end to end and if he makes it he can leave!!!! Wait when the brothers hear what you did when you get wherever you are going

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Ridiculous!

Submitted on Fri, 11/20/2009 - 1:12pm

Why waste the money by even having a trial.....Give that punk the electric chair and lets keep it movin

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Yeah, sure...

Submitted on Sat, 11/21/2009 - 1:29am

Forget that we are democracy with a Constitution and over two hundred years of freedom fought for with the blood of American patriots. Forget due process and the bill of rights. Forget fundamental fairness and the right to be judged by an impartial jury. Grow up. What you want is either a dictatorship or Communism. This is America and the defendant is entitled to a fair trial. There may be other countries offering summary execution without a trial... maybe you should consider relocating.

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America

Submitted on Sun, 11/22/2009 - 9:18pm

America? You really believe this what our forefathers thought this county would be like today. Wow, they have rolled over a million times in their graves. It all started when WE allowed religion to be taken out of the schools and just keeps getting worse. Democracy?? We can go on and on about that! You really believe with an unemployment rate of over 10%, the economic downfall, the health crisis, war and countless other atrocities we are going in the right direct. Lou Dobbs for President! P.S. I am sure may have read the Constitution, but I never the Holy Bible. What makes sense to me it to have this "boy" put on trial, then he will be convicted, appeal and appeal and appeal, and we will spend $2.5 to $4 million to house him for the rest of his life as people go without food and water. I would rather see him working on Oliva Street and I am sure it will all take care of itself.

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Wow

Submitted on Sat, 11/21/2009 - 10:00pm

Maybe people should realize that we the people of Key West have nothing to do with all of the Chaos that goes on during Fantasy Fest. Yes, we put on the event, but it is all the people who come down for the event that think they can do whatever the hell they want to. They act in a totally different manner than they would in their own towns. So long story short most of the bars do not stay open until 4:00 am on slow nights. They all for the most part close early on a normal night in Key West. Hello Fantasy Fest brings a lot of money to the businesses on Duval street. It is a special ocassion, and there really is no way to prevent something like this from happening. How can we predict some crazy lunatic was going to pull out a knife and stab someone. The person deserves to be in jail and I hope the jury convicts him, and he gets the death penalty. There is no excuse for what he did, and now he will pay for what he did. He ought to be ashamed of himself.