http://www.officer.com/news/10263221/detroit-cop-killer-sentenced-to-life-in -prison
Detroit Cop Killer Sentenced to Life in Prison By Joe Swickard Detroit Free Press . <http://r2.cygnuspub.com/files/cygnus/image/OFCR/2011/MAY/500x500/detroitcop killer_10263225.png> http://r2.cygnuspub.com/files/cygnus/image/OFCR/2011/MAY/300x200/detroitcopk iller_10263225.png AP Photo/The Detroit News, David Coates Jason Gibson, left, was ordered to serve a mandatory term of life in prison with no chance of... . 1In a courtroom wracked by sobs, with uniformed officers wall-to-wall, Jason Gibson was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday for the fatal shooting of Detroit Police Officer Brian Huff a year ago. "I don't know why you had to take my dad away," 11-year-old Blair Huff said as Gibson sat hunched over at the defense table not 10 feet away. "He was a good man," the youngster said. "He was just doing his job." Huff was killed, and four other officers were wounded, last May while investigating a reported break-in at a vacant duplex on Schoenherr near 8 Mile. Gibson reportedly surprised the officers as they entered. Large quantities of marijuana were recovered from the house. In all, Gibson was convicted on 17 counts of murder, assault, drug and weapons violations. "Justice has prevailed," said Huff's wife, Melissa Alexander-Huff, as she thanked Judge Cynthia Gray Hathaway, the jurors and Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Trzcinski. Alexander-Huff said her husband believed that reason and talking could change lives and stop violence. "If you would have heard his voice, none of us would be here today," Alexander-Huff told Gibson. Huff, she said, was a man who left his home each day with a badge and faith: "Whenever he'd go out that door, we'd cover him with prayer that this day would never come." She recalled that they had met when they were toddlers, and the playmates grew into adulthood and marriage. "He was our protector," she said. Huff's stepmother Ginger Radd-Blair said he was a big, gentle man. "But mostly, he was a giant to his son. ... And I want you to know that giants never die." The spectators' gallery was packed with Detroit police officers -- most of them in uniform, but also many in plainclothes -- and ringed with Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputies. Four deputies surrounded Gibson throughout the 35-minute sentencing. Emotions ran high. Huff's sister Tanise Blair sobbed aloud. Even Trzcinski, a veteran of dozens of homicide trials, apologized for weeping as he acknowledged all the law enforcement personnel and private citizens who aided Huff and the prosecution. In handing down the sentence, Hathaway told Gibson that the dope bosses weren't standing in court with him to pay the price for taking a life and harming so many others. "Do those drug people mean that much to you?" she asked. "Can they mean that much to you?" Given the opportunity to speak, Gibson began in a hoarse whisper, but stammered when told to speak up. He appeared to struggle and then chose silence. "Good luck to this entire community," Hathaway said, ending the hearing. McClatchy-Tribune News Service [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtmlYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
