Jail from March to July without a trial!? WTF, over?
On February 13, 2013, police say that a Texas 18-year-old
posted the following messages to his own Facebook page:
“I’m fucked in the head alright, I think I’ma SHOOT UP A
KINDERGARTEN”
“AND WATCH THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT RAIN DOWN”
“AND EAT THE BEATING HEART OF ONE OF THEM”
As a result, Justin Carter, now 19, is in a Texas county
jail on charges of making a “terroristic threat.” Carter apparently made the
remarks in regards to someone who had called him “crazy” while playing League of
Legends. The young gamer has been in prison since he was arrested in March
2013.
On Wednesday, Carter’s lawyer, Ivan Friedman, filed a motion
seeking reduction of his bond, which currently stands at a very high $500,000.
The motion also sought to suppress Carter’s statements to investigators. The
defense attorney has not returned Ars’ repeated requests for comment in the
case.
This week, Carter’s parents have told members of the media
that their son’s comments were meant in jest and were immediately followed up
by “LOL” and “J/K,” which they say show that the threats—made in New Braunfels,
Texas—were not meant to be taken seriously.
Of Carter's time in prison, his father Jack told National
Public Radio (NPR) on Wednesday, "Without getting into the really nasty
details, he's had concussions, black eyes, [and he's been] moved four times
from base for his own protection. He's been put in solitary confinement, nude,
for days on end because he's depressed. All of this is extremely traumatic to
this kid. This is a horrible experience."
“I was dumb”
If found guilty, Carter could be sentenced up to 10 years in
prison.
"The whole situation is kind of unfortunate," Lt.
John Wells of the said New Braunfels Police, told NPR. "We definitely
understand the situation that Mr. Carter is in, however he made the comments,
and it is an offense. We have to ... protect the general public and
specifically, in this case, with it involving schoolchildren, we have to act.
We take those very seriously."
Ars did obtain Carter's search warrant and arrest warrant,
which show that police recovered a computer and other digital storage devices,
but no weapons. According to the San Antonio Express News, Carter wrote in a
letter to the judge in late May in which he apologized for his comments made on
Facebook.
“I was a smartass, sarcastic, a regular keyboard warrior,
and I was dumb,” Carter wrote, adding that he'd gone online after work to
“vent, play, laugh, and relieve stress.”
“I've learned a lot about the path I was on and I've taken
steps to change it,” Carter added.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 16, 2013.
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