Though she outlasted Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon, embattled St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner could not survive Star Wars day. In a capitulation she swore would never come, Gardner resigned yesterday capping a week of cascading losses. In the seven days before her resignation, Circuit Judge Michael Nobel moved forward with a criminal contempt cause against Gardner calling her office a “rudderless ship of chaos,” multiple prosecutors resigned, her office suffered an embarrassing loss in a murder case (jurors called the prosecution “terrible”), it was discovered that Gardner is currently enrolled in a graduate nursing program, and Garner lost her motion to dismiss in the Attorney General’s case to oust her from office.
As with the Cardinals (0-6), there were just no wins this week.
Free calls in the Centennial State: This week, Colorado became the third state to approve free phone calls across all of its state prisons.
We’re waiting Illinois: It’s been 51 days since the Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments in the case that will determine whether the state will go full no-cash bail as intended by the legislature. While we wait, bail reform and unreform remain in the news across the US.
In Alabama, attorneys have petitioned the US Supreme Court (the house of leaks) to hear a case that could have an impact on bail law across the country. The underlying case from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals involves the various permissible variables in assessing pre-trial release and bond. Ultimately, the 11th Circuit ruled that “pretrial detainees have no fundamental right to pretrial release.” The conservative Cato Institute and the not conservative ACLU have both filed amicus briefs asking the Court to accept the case.
In New York, the Governor held up the state’s $229,000,000,000.00 budget to secure roll backs to the 2019 bail reforms. The new deal will give judges more discretion regarding terms of release, including gps monitoring and mandatory mental health or substance abuse treatment. The reforms also increased the number of cases in which the court can impose monetary bail.
Shawshank/RaisingArizona/OBrotherWhereArtThou? : In the case that seemed like a mash up of every movie that involves a prison break, Mississippi finally caught the 4th and final escapee from the April 22nd prison break. It is believed that the prisoners breached a cell, found their way to the roof and escaped at different times. While all hell did break loose for a time, all four have now been accounted for.
Dylan Arrington died after barricading himself in a central Mississippi home and setting it on fire during an armed standoff with deputies on April 26. He is suspected of killing 61-year-old Anthony Watts and stealing his truck after the escape.
Jerry Raynes was arrested on April 27 after allegedly stealing a public works vehicle and fleeing to Texas.
Casey Grayson was found dead at a New Orleans truck stop over the weekend. His cause of death has not yet been released.
Corey Harrison, the last of the four, was taken into custody yesterday at a home in Crystal Springs, about 20 miles from the prison. A female acquaintance was also arrested and is facing charges in connection with the escape.
Lone Star Update—The House is on Fire (for criminal justice reform): The conservative group Right on Crime applauded the Texas House of Representatives for passing 6 criminal justice reform bills that will now go to the state senate:
HB 3659 will raise the burden of proof the state must meet before forfeiting property and will establish a value floor to prioritize forfeiture actions against high-value contraband.
HB 213 would lower the time to parole eligibility for juvenile offenders to save taxpayer dollars and provide a meaningful opportunity to re-enter society, while also continuing to protect public safety.
HB 1737 will automate the record-sealing process, removing barriers to obtaining a sealed record for people who are already eligible under existing law.
HB 410 will prohibit arrests for non-jailable, Class C misdemeanor, traffic offenses.
HB 1736 will prohibit an individual from being sentenced to death if convicted through the “law of parties” or the “conspirator party rule”.
HB 504 will improve No-Knock Warrant procedures to protect law enforcement and the community
That’s not all. More than a third of Texas prisons do not have air conditioning and temperatures have been found to reach as high as 149 degrees Fahrenheit. A new bill, HB 1708, would require interior temperatures to be between 65 and 85 degrees. The bill passed the House vote with 124 yes votes to 24 no votes.
If you can believe it, the Texas House also passed a bill this week to effectively decriminalize marijuana.
Finally, the bill that criminalizes disabling or removing ankle monitors is on its way to Governor Abbott’s desk. The legislation was prompted by a double murder at Methodist Dallas Hospital that was committed by a parolee who had previously cut off his ankle monitor.
It will be a busy session for the State Senate.
Stuff of the Week
American emoji honor killing: Apparently, one guy killed another guy because that guy laugh reacted a profile picture of the other guy and his girlfriend.
A Texas black widow: A woman who beat a murder rap in 2018 is now accused of poisoning her fifth husband. Said her son, “It’s unreal seeing my mom in that jumpsuit now . . . I’ve waited for it my whole life.”
They are really, really loud: An Illinois man was shot to death after using a leaf blower in his own yard.
Fore!: A Florida man was brutally attacked by a golfer after walking on the cart path while not playing golf. Some people just don’t understand etiquette.
Walter White? Two inmates serving life sentences for San Diego County murders were killed behind bars this week on the same day at the same prison.
Uber’s lost and found: Uber has published a lost and found index for 2023. Clothing, phones, and backpacks are most often left behind, but drivers have also found lost fog machines, unicycles, and packets of fake blood. You do have to wonder about the rider who left behind their court-ordered ankle monitor.
You can’t poop on just any flag: NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an incident in which a man is alleged to have pooped on a Pride Flag outside of an apartment building as a hate crime. Maybe he just hates bathrooms.