Building a case for Mills

[Bla Bla Bla]

An innocent Marsha Mills sits in prison for over two years and they have a hearing in the Fifth District Court of Appeals to see if they should have a hearing to allow new evidence. What a waste of time. Just allow the evidence and see what it is. Even if they allow it the hearing goes back to the same court that railroaded her into prison. Judge Tomacos has already shown prejudice against Mills in many ways including praying for everyone involved in the case except Marsha Mills and stating at sentancing the she would not allow her out when parole comes up in fifteen years. This will end up a Federal case where the judges are not elected but appointed. There will be no votes from us come election time for those involved in this case at the local or state level. We won't forget Marsha or those who did this to her.

[TIME4CHANGE]

The Innocence Project has demonstrated BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT that there are serious flaws in our legal system. Over 218 wrongfully convicted individuals on death row for murder have been exonerated by the Project (through DNA evidence) and saved from execution.

The causes of these miscarriages of justice include prosecutorial and police misconduct, unqualified “EXPERT WITNESS” testimony, evidence tampering, and character assassination. The Mills case seems to have it all and another innocent person is sitting in prison for a crime that never happened.

The most glaring fault of this case is the mishandling of the autopsy by the Assistant Medical Examiner George Sterbenz. Mr. Sterbenz has been found wrong just this past year in another sensational case that he used over 90 autopsy photos to declare a murder.

[Making a case for Mills]

http://www.timesreporter.com/homepage/x560174...

[RUKiddingMe]

Mills innocent? What a joke. Even if it was a tragic accident, she was negligent in letting it happen. It's her fault no matter how you slice it.

[Accidents Happen]

I do not agree. Marsha Mills doesn't have a bad bone in her body. I have said all along that it was a tragic accident. I think the boy simply fell down the steps and landed the wrong way.

[Bla Bla Bla]

RUKiddingMe - So what if Noah's brother gave him a push or nudge like little brothers often do, not meaning any harm, and he fell off the porch down the steps onto the cement. What if he simply stepped on a long shoelace and lost ballance? Why should Marsha go to prison for life? There are some situations that happen in a split second that no one can control or stop.

[justhefactsmam]

Tragic accident, what did Noah do fall down the steps 20 some times to account for all the bruises on his little head. Poor little guy was beat beyond belief by the CONVICTED killer.

[Shoemaniac]

Has anyone out there ever watched or "babysitted" your child or grandchild? Did they ever get away from you, get into something or have an ACCIDENT?? How about sending YOU to prison if the child becomes disabled or dies?

[Mister H]

I've never met Marsha, so I can't say anything resolute about her like "she'd never do such a thing".

I have, however, read every article in our local newspaper AND the transcripts and briefs for the trial and appeals. I care about justice,*accurate* justice, where you know that those who are behind bars deserve to be there beyond a doubt.

My belief, and the belief of many who've never met the woman, either, can be distilled down pretty simply: she was poorly represented at her trial. It was the state's burden to give her a competent Public Defender, especially given the fact that the Prosecution's "evidence" was mostly the testimony of highly paid experts. The average person has no chance of getting their own lawyer and funding the cost of their own experts to refute the State's.

Lack of a of a proper defense lead to jurors being chosen that were later shown to be biased (her lawyer allowed them on). Her lawyer did not object to completely irrelevant and obscenely excessive pictures of the child AFTER extreme resuscitation attempts and organ harvesting. The prosecution was effectively allowed to show them a boy who was dissected after death and Marsha's lawyer did not properly object to this ridiculously offense tactic.

...and let's not forget the boy's family, mad with grief and convinced of foul-play long, took out an ad in the local paper, publishing an accusing letter long before the trial (and Jury selection) ever began.

The court is supposed to be a system of fact and reason, but with this trial, it was clearly anything but.

I can't tell you that she's innocent, but I can sure as hell tell you that she should never have been found guilty.

[Bla Bla Bla]

The Fifth District Court did correct the simple math error (2 murders reduced to one) in the first appeal after considering it for TEN months.
Sooner or later this woman deserves and should get a new trial with competent representation.
If we allow her rights to be walked all over, then who gets it next?

[mijmit]

I have two boys of my own and I know that if I took them to a sitters house and they were being hurt by the sitter they would cry and throw a fit when you go to leave them. So if little Noah did that then his parents were not paying attention to him and how do any of us know that the parents we not abusing him and Marsha got the blame? I personally know Marsha and even to this day if she were out I would not have a problem letting her watch my 2 boys. My oldest loves her, my youngest to young to remember her. I feel with every being in my body Marsha is INNOCENT and she deserves a new trial. I also feel they needed to move the trial else where for it to be fair the jury pool was tainted by what the papers had to say. I mean look at that actress that had the skiing accident she hit her head and a few days later died from it. So don't tell me that can't happen to a little boy that fell.

[Butterfly]

Thank you to those who took the time to post your views on the INNOCENCE of Marsha Mills. You couldn't be more correct! Marsha, and many of us close to her, put our faith and her very life into the hands of a "system" that collapsed in ineptitude. Beginning with her completely incompetent public defender, to the biased judge, to the unfit jurors, the entire trial was an utter mockery of our justice system.
When all the smoke screens and noxious clouds of ignorance and hate settle, all one has to do is go back to the beginning-that fateful day of the accident-and look at the FACTS--there was simply NO evidence that a crime occurred.
Remember, an accident can happen to any of us at any time. We owe it to Marsha and to everyone in our community to fight for true justice and truth. Marsha WILL be free again, and this horrible wrong will be made right. Keep praying for her and letting your opinions be known.

[Justice for Marsha]

I have known Marsha for 20 plus years, I married a relative of hers. She is a VERY good person and I know there is absolutely no way she intentionally hurt Noah. I feel his familys pain but she should have never been convicted. The jury was not properly chosen the prosecuter was sleeping with one of the head detectives and the head detectives brother and sister and law used to babysit for Noah. Now tell me she had a chance.I pray that Marsha is let free and the truth is known.

[justhefactsmam]

Her lawyer, and the new prosecutor helped chose the jury for her. Where were all of her supporters when she had to get a public defender. It is costing a small fortune to pay for the appeals. That money should have been spent on a real lawyer the first time around. If it is true about the detectives brother being a former babysitter what does that have to do with anything, other than Noah should have stayed with them, and he would still be alive. Marsha has a relative that still works for the police dept. That should have given her a fair shot if there was anything shady going on. Everybody wants to blame the entire justice system from the police all the way to the state supreme court, and everyone in between. I'm sure she is not a bad or evil person, but sometimes we all snap.

[Mister H]

justthefactmam said "Sometimes we all snap..."

...do we "snap" and kill children?!? I've certainly never done that. You say that as if it happens all time. I might add that there wasn't a single shred of evidence to suggest that she was anything other than a mentally sound, decent human being.

...and it has frequently been mentioned that "her lawyer" was a court-chosen Public Defender.
You seem to imply that since it was "her lawyer", that any mistakes he made were ultimately her
fault. The responsibility of a good defense rests with the court, who can, and clearly has, erred
(hence the Appeal).

You also seem to imply that it's also somehow the fault of her supporters for not "being there", in
a financial sense, and that's why she didn't have a good lawyer.

I pay my taxes like everybody else - I'll be damned if I'm going to be blamed for her wrongful
conviction because I didn't give enough "outside the system".

It is the responsibility of the court to see that she is properly defended. If she's not, then it's the court's fault that she's sitting in prison and that tens of thousands of dollars are being spent trying to fix the situation.

[Curious]

How come Ms Mills used a public defender to present her case and then files an appeal by some expensive law firm- how come she can afford it now but could not at the time of the trial?? Who is paying for these expensive appeals?

[Mister H]

"Curious"... Thanks for questions.

In the case of Ms. Mills, the state was presenting a case with very little "hard" evidence (like the stuff you see on CSI) or witness testimony. Their case was based on "Expert Testimony", paid professionals who explain how or why something occurred. Effectively, Ms. Mills was put up against someone's opinion.

In order to defend such a case where there is very little real evidence to refute or challenge, a person must come up with (and pay for) their own paid, professional experts. It becomes VERY expensive; so much so that a person must fall back upon the Public Defender's office to have any hope of "affording" justice.

Her current appeals are being funded through a very strong, "grass-roots" effort. The primary members of which are collectively known as "Team Marsha". There is a website at http://www.marshamills.org for those who wish to know more.

[justhefactsmam]

Mister H, all of us have been brought to the point of no return. Thank god that most people take a deep breath and don't act on the impulse to hurt a child or anybody else for that matter. You say that she was mentally sound, however there was evidence I think that was presented that there were several issues going on in her life that caused tremendous stress. The publis defender was her lawyer, and she chose to have them represent her. Her defense does not rest with the court, it is her and her lawyer. They are the ones who chose what type of a case the are going to present. Who to call as witness's, whether Marsha testify's or not. I went to the the web site that you mentioned, and again state that where were all the people supporting her during the trial. $92,000.00+ collected so far would have bought a helluva defense team for her. Marsha also had several high dollar expert witness's on her side that testified. Looking at the court dockets I don't think I found where the prosecution paid anybody to testify as you claim. Marsha was given a fair trial of her peers and was found guilty, there is no such thing as a perfect trial.

[Dee Ta Dee]

justhefactsmam, That should be "Thank God"
Marsha was not given any choices by the Public Defender. She wanted to speak in her own defense. He dictated everything and did not use any help or information offered by Marsha"s supporters or properly utilize the expert witness or properly cross-examin the states expert witneses. Marsha"s supporters WERE there. That's why no one can accept this misscarige of justice. You sound as if the systems errors are OK and you only get one chance, innocence is not important. Is that how you see it?

[Shoemaniac]

justhefactsmam --- Plain and simple, I am one of Marsha's supporters, and the reason we did not get what you call "high paid attorneys" the first time around, is because there was NO EVIDENCE that Marsha hurt Noah. She was supposed to be INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty, and there was NO PROOF!