Durst and Malvo. A tale of two Americas.

[AP]

I couldn't help but notice when watching last night's local news the intresting juxtaposition of these two stories.

Durst, a white millionaire gets acquitted of murder. It probably wasn't even his first murder. And he chopped up the body to cover his trail. Cut to: Malvo, a black kid, a minor, who gets shopped around to a jurisdiction just so they can try him in one that executes kids. What are the chances that he'll the chair? Maybe if he get some of Durst's money and Durst's skin...

[brainshrub]

1. I'm so un hip

Durst is a rap star right? He's the guy who deflowered Brittney? I just don't know this stuff. When did Durst kill anyone?


Fred Durst is a killer?

[DS1]

2. Durst isn't a rap star, neither is Fred

The Durst in question is some billionaire heir to some sort of old money that shot a friend during a lively debate.

[TAH6988]

3. Yeah

can't wait for Malvo to claim he killed those people, as he hid in the trunk of a car, in self-defense.

[NicoleM]

4. I'm not even a teensy bit sorry

for Malvo. I'm against the death penalty, but if somebody indiscriminately murders people knowing that the penalty could be death, I'm not going to cry for him when he gets caught.

The Durst thing, though, that's fucked up. But comparing him to Malvo is a bit of a stretch.

[AP]

5. My point is Durst got off, and he probably killed two people.

Malvo is going to get executed. The state wants to kill him. He's a black KID. A MINOR. Most states don't execute minors. He was probably in the thrall of this adult who totally took over his life. At least there's a question as to whether he was in control of himself. It won't matter. He'll get the chair.

Durst, on the other, hand -- no question that he murdered his landlord (was it?). He's ACQUITTED. White millionaire old guy vs poor black kid.

[AP]

7. One more thing: I wouldn't be shocked if both got the SAME sentence.

If they were both executed, fine. If they both were convicted and got a sentence other than death, fine. If they both got acquitted, fine.

One got the sentence at one extreme - acquitted. And I'll bet the other one gets death.

Where's the justice?

[TexasMexican]

8. ...

I hope Malvo and Mohammed both get the death penalty.

As for this Durst guy the prosecution definately fucked up.

The way I understand it he tried just for a murder charge, so that meant the jury had to believe that the guy planned the killing and whatnot.

So the jury could have believed that Durst was crazy and killed him on the spur of the moment and he wouldnt have been guilty for what he was charged with.

Had the prosecution tried for manslaughter or something he would have probably been convicted.

Had I been on that jury thought I probably would have have said he was guilty regardless.

[AP]

10. If you're rich, you can buy yourself a pretty good defense. And the gov't

lawyers are usually underfunded.

The upshot is that if you're rich and white, you can get away with murder in this country. At least that's the lesson Bush-Cheney teach us.

[TAH6988]

11. Or Black and Rich

OJ ring a bell?

[mbali]

12. Black and rich and famous

[AP]

13. If you're black and rich, you got a 50:50 chance. If you're white and rich

forget about it. Don't even put your plans for the future on hold during the trial.

[TAH6988]

14. You mean

like the Max Factor heir or that Slakel guy?

[AP]

15. Remind me: Max Factor guy got away with it, right? He took off.

The Skakel guy got away with it for years, until he had to CONFESS to a roomful of people that he did it. ONLY THEN did he get a little justice imposed on him.

If I were rich and 15 and murdered someone and my options were to suffer Malvo's fate, get away with it for most of my life, or get away with it completely, I chose those option in the reverse order. Skakel got pretty lucky.

[TAH6988]

16. He was

CONVICTED--he didn't get away with it. BTW, a bounty hunter returned him to the US. Sakal was convicted at trial; he never confessed. Taking off is not the same as "getting away with it."

[AP]

17. They reopened the Skakel case because he told a roomful of people...

...in his twelve step meeting that he did it.

That's what you have to do to get convicted if you're rich and white in the US. 30 years after committing the crime you have to tell so many people that you did it that people feel morally compelled to blow you in. He didn't confess at the trial, but he did confess outside the court room.

The Max Factor kid didn't murder anyone right? He's a rapist. He probably would have served a year in a low security prison. Now he'll get two because he ran.

[neebob]

6. I agree

Durst was acquitted on reasonable doubt, but I have to admit it might be different for a crazy old black millionaire who, under suspicion of having murdered his wife, went to another city and masqueraded as a woman before chopping up the body of a man who just happened to die in his apartment and then jumped bail.

[AP]

9. Nine years ago the Menedez brother were convicted BECAUSE they ...

...tried to cover their tracks.

Durst covered his tracks (chopped up the body!). He probably committed the murder in an attempt to cover up the tracks of the other murder he probably committed.

It's amazing that a jury found reasonable doubt in there.