Question about trial

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[112888]

112888 Posts in 8615 Topics by 4618 Members
Latest Member: garrymoore

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[Fwarm]

It was not used during the trial I don't think. If he did take the stand I have missed it.

[Rugs]

About the only time Watkins rated a mention during the trial, was in Ford's closing argument;

May the fifth and May the sixth, there is not the first scintilla of evidence that places Jason Baldwin with Damien Echols. Not one thing.

They wanna talk to you about these three guys going over to the Sanders house. But if you’ll think back carefully and I know you been keeping notes, maybe you wrote down that those three guys were Damien, and Jason and Ken Watkins. Who’s Ken Watkins? Well he certainly wasn’t charged with a crime, was he? They don’t believe that. ‘Cause if they had believed that, they’d have put it on themselves. But they don’t want Jason with Ken Watkins because they know Ken Watkins didn’t do anything. But that’s ok, we don’t care that we don’t have a single bit of evidence about where Jason was. We don’t care.

[MachaSidhe]

My guess is they didn't use Ken Watkins becuase he statement conflicts with other statements given per alibis.

[DogIsYourName]

Ken Watkins recanted the statement he made to police and would not testify for the State.

[Farm]

Ken Watkins recanted the statement he made to police and would not testify for the State.

Any chance you could show us this recantation?

I didn't think so.

Funny thing about that, Mara claimed in Devil's Knot that Watkins mother Shirley was inflammed over the fact that she wasn't allowed to be present when Watkin's made his statement implicating Echols - implying he was coerced.

Of course you can see in the statement that she was right there...

RIDGE- OKAY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF.

KENNETH- UH UH.

RIDGE- OKAY. I'M GOING TO CONCLUDE THIS INTERVIEW. THE TIME IS 1:58 P.M. MAM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF THAT YOU NEED TO SAY? HAS HE TOLD YOU ANY OF THIS INFORMATION IN THE PAST?

SHIRLEY- NO, NO (INAUDIBLE)

RIDGE- OKAY. I'M GOING TO CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW,

Not that Mara was LYING or anything.

If I were a supporter, I would be embarassed by the fact that not one of them can address a single aspect of this case without making shit up.

[Farm]

People weren't exactly falling all over themselves to testify against the murderers.

Buddy Lucas is another example, he told police he fabricated his first statement and lied during his polygraph because he was afraid of what might happen to his family if he testified.



And of course there were threats....

http://www.callahan.8k.com/wm3/jury.html

[DogIsYourName]

Ken Watkins recanted the statement he made to police and would not testify for the State.

Any chance you could show us this recantation?

I didn't think so.

I can't show you a transcript or anything like that.  The guy just refused to testify after Ron Lax talked to him.

This information is written somewhere, but, offhand, I do not know where.  Todd can probably verify.  In Paradise lost, when told that the softball girls were going to testify, Todd made the comment "They haven't scared them off yet?"  I took this as him alluding to what happened with Ken Watkins.

What other possible explanation is there?  The state definitely would've used him, just like they used Carson against Jason.  The fact that it conflicts with Damien's alibi is even better....

[BlackAngel]

Don't forget one of the members of the jury were threatened too.

Jan

[Farm]

What other possible explanation is there?

I just told you, many people were afraid to testify.

It's real simple, Dog... you want people to believe Watkins was coerced into a false statement - like apparently everyone else in this case - but the simple truth is, he was afraid to testify.

But by all means, you tell us exactly how Watkins was coerced into lying for the WMPD with his mother sitting right there.

The state definitely would've used him, just like they used Carson against Jason.

Not if he was a hostile witness, and his attorney made it clear he wasn't willing to testify.

The fact that it conflicts with Damien's alibi is even better....

Again you are confused.

Watkins admitted he lied about the alibi, and that just like Dink said, nobody but Dink was home when Watkins came looking for them.

Damien's alibi was that he was with his parents at the Saunders..

[DogIsYourName]

I never said he was coerced, Farm.

The simple fact is he told the police one thing, then refused to testify. 

I don't know why he did that.  Maybe he was scared.  Or maybe he lied to the police.  I'd like to know which one as much as you would, but right now I don't see any real proof either way.

[kma367]

Perhaps Ron Lax coerced him into retracting his statements.  Maybe Lax made him feel guilty, since he was friends with Echols and Baldwin and his testimony would be putting them in prison, or condemning them to death.

Witnesses refuse to testify for a lot of reasons.  That doesn't mean that their original statements were untrue.

kma367

[Farm]

The simple fact is he told the police one thing, then refused to testify.

That's exactly right, Dog... that's what he did.

But that isn't what you said, is it?