Winter Woman
Well-Known Member
This happened not all that far from where I live. Hutaree is a group of men that played milita and smack talked. I think that they are and always were just bs talking. In other word all jive not action. I always thought that they were being railroaded.
The judge should be applauded for making a correct decision on a highly watched trial.
For full article and video
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120327/METRO/203270433/7-Hutaree-acquitted-most-serious-charges?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Detroit— A federal judge acquitted seven members of the Hutaree militia Tuesday of the most serious charges following six weeks of testimony in a high-profile terror case.
On the second anniversary of the Hutaree arrests, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts granted a defense motion to acquit the militia members on seven charges, including seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The most serious charge could have resulted in life prison sentences.
She ordered the trial to continue against Hutaree leader David Stone Sr. and his son, Joshua Stone, on weapons-related charges.
"Wow. Wow," Joshua Stone's lawyer, James C. Thomas, said, adding he will move to have his client released on bond. "We're extremely elated."
The judge said the government's case was built largely on circumstantial evidence.
"While this evidence could certainly lead to a rational fact-finder to conclude that 'something fishy' was going on, it does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendants reached a concrete agreement to forcibly oppose the United States government," Roberts wrote.
The judge's order cannot be appealed, said Peter Henning, a former prosecutor and current law professor at Wayne State University. That would constitute double jeopardy.
"Ultimately, this was a case that was all talk and no action," Henning said. "This is a blow to the government. They put a lot of resources into this case. It demonstrates how difficult it is to prove conspiracy cases that have not advanced very far."
The judge should be applauded for making a correct decision on a highly watched trial.
For full article and video
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120327/METRO/203270433/7-Hutaree-acquitted-most-serious-charges?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Detroit— A federal judge acquitted seven members of the Hutaree militia Tuesday of the most serious charges following six weeks of testimony in a high-profile terror case.
On the second anniversary of the Hutaree arrests, U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts granted a defense motion to acquit the militia members on seven charges, including seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The most serious charge could have resulted in life prison sentences.
She ordered the trial to continue against Hutaree leader David Stone Sr. and his son, Joshua Stone, on weapons-related charges.
"Wow. Wow," Joshua Stone's lawyer, James C. Thomas, said, adding he will move to have his client released on bond. "We're extremely elated."
The judge said the government's case was built largely on circumstantial evidence.
"While this evidence could certainly lead to a rational fact-finder to conclude that 'something fishy' was going on, it does not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendants reached a concrete agreement to forcibly oppose the United States government," Roberts wrote.
The judge's order cannot be appealed, said Peter Henning, a former prosecutor and current law professor at Wayne State University. That would constitute double jeopardy.
"Ultimately, this was a case that was all talk and no action," Henning said. "This is a blow to the government. They put a lot of resources into this case. It demonstrates how difficult it is to prove conspiracy cases that have not advanced very far."
