I read the paper this morning (via the internet because I was working) and I came across an article entitled “Arraignment postponed for suspect in Cape Coral police officer shooting”. It caught my eye, obviously, and I began to peruse it. A local attorney, a gentleman (a term I use loosely) named David Brener has filed to have the arraignment postponed because the family is trying to raise enough money to hire him. I thought about it for a minute and realized that this same lawyer was the same who defended a local gang member who brutally tortured and ultimately murdered two teenagers. I decided at that point to Google this lawyer and see what else he has done. I came across his webpage which is titled justiceisourpassion.com. I will cut and paste a section from his personal website that really made me think.
Mr. Brener has eliminated the death penalty in eighteen of nineteen death penalty cases he has handled, including the recent unanimous jury recommendation of life in prison, instead of the death penalty, for alleged Cash Feenz “ringleader” Kemar Johnston, who was charged in a double murder of two teenagers. Mr. Brener eliminated the Death Penalty in the Iris Moreland/convenience store murder case, and in the double murder case of Jeremy Chapman, who was accused of killing a seventeen year old honors student and his landlord in a ten day period. See our In The News section. Mr. Brener has no clients on Death Row.
Ummm, what?? What I am trying to understand is how someone can look at themselves in the mirror knowing that they have defended the “rights” of individuals who have violently murdered multiple subjects? I understand in our justice system there is a “necessary evil” called defense attorneys, but seriously? I don’t think that when our founding fathers wrote the constitution they would have ever imagined that the words they wrote would be used to defend violent criminals. It made me wonder how a person could use the phrase “justice is our passion” when the very thing they are defending is injustice.
A few questions come to mind as I ponder this situation. First and foremost, at what point does someone sell their soul to defend these pieces of scum? How much money does it take to satiate the horror that has to be there, knowing that you had a part in freeing a known violent criminal or depriving justice from a genuine victim? I know for a fact that as humans we have an idea, how strong it is I can’t say, of what is right and wrong. How can a person who defends a murderer justify what they do as right?
I suppose the reason why this hits home the most for me is twofold. First in my line of work there is right and there is wrong. You commit a crime and you have to pay for it. I guess the phrase “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” means more to me than some. The second reason is the scum he is defending, or they are trying to raise enough money to have him defend, tried to kill one of my friends. I cannot wait to see the defense that is mounted for this criminal. Seriously, he was a felon with a gun who didn’t want to go back to jail so he shot a cop. How can you defend that? I guess a better question is how can you defend that and honestly look yourself in the mirror when you go to bed at night. I know that I couldn’t do that and no amount of money could persuade me to.
No comments:
Post a Comment