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Murder Suspect To Be Tried By Media
Overworked Justice System Grateful For Help
LOS ANGELES--Overwhelmed by its ever-growing criminal caseload, the Los
Angeles district attorney's office announced Monday that William Craig,
arrested last week in connection with a string of brutal Bel Air stabbings,
will be tried by the media.
"More than 150,000 cases come through this office every year, and,
despite our best efforts, we simply are not equipped to adequately handle
them all," Los Angeles district attorney Benjamin Dozier said. "That is why
we are launching an experimental new program in conjunction with the
National Society Of Journalism Professionals, in which certain criminal
cases will be tried by the media. In these cases, the media will serve not
only as judge and jury, but also as executioner."
According to Dozier, an alliance between the judicial system and the
media should prove mutually beneficial. "This partnership makes good sense
for both sides: By handing over a percentage of cases, our workload is
greatly lightened," Dozier said, "and by taking these cases, America's
journalists will finally get their wish and be able to actually make the
news, rather than merely report it."
While opening arguments in the trial are not scheduled to begin until
June 25 at the offices of The Los Angeles Times, many legal experts contend
that, in the media's eyes, Craig has already been convicted.
Said Harvard University Law School dean Nathan Unger: "Just yesterday
in The Orange County Register, columnist Herb Garowitz called for the death
penalty for Dozier, whom he described as 'human garbage who must pay dearly
for these brutal murders which he obviously committed.' While ordinarily,
such editorializing is fine for a columnist, Garowitz also happens to be the
presiding judge in this case. This could present a major conflict of
interest."
Dozier was unfazed by the criticism: "I can guarantee you that Mr.
Craig will receive the same fair trial from the media that he would have
received from America's first-rate judicial system."
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yda
