OREGON STANDOFF FBI AGENT TRIAL: THE NOT GUILTY VERDICT, CHIEF JUROR SPEAKS OUT, AMMON BUNDY'S VIEW
"I feel it's possible someone is lying. I don't know which side, or who, or it could be both. There's still two unattributed shots, and I feel like we're never going to know for sure who took them."
The lead juror in the trial of FBI Agent W. Joseph Astarita
It was back and forth like a "pendulum" for the man who led the jurors who came up with three not guilty verdicts at the trial of FBI Hostage Rescue Team Agent W. Joseph Astarita. Astarita was accused of lying about firing two shots at LaVoy Finicum as his truck went into snow, one of them injuring Ryan Bundy.
It all happened on January 26, 2016 at a roadblock where moments later an Oregon State Police Captain shot Finicum twice in the back, killing him.
Finicum and Bundy were part of the Oregon Standoff protest on behalf of the jailed ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond, recently pardoned by President Trump.
The 37 year old married father of two from a Portland suburb spoke with "OregonLive" after the verdicts were done. He had written on his juror's questionnaire that law enforcement officer's are "heroes" and "I will always tend to give them the benefit of the doubt".
He was surprised to be picked for the jury on the basis of those answers, but he was in a process that was hidden from courtroom spectators. They were barred on the basis of space limitations in the ccourtroom.
Journalists were excluded from most of the process as well with reporter Maxine Bernstein of "OregonLive" being kept out until she was able to contact the judge and get his permission to enter.
Among those watching the trial once it got underway was Jeanette Finicum, LaVoy's widow. She thanked the jury for their work. But she also noted a lack of a robust case from the federal prosecutors in the case and how the trial seemed an effort to paint LaVoy in a bad light.
The lead juror who sees law enforcement as "heroes" was troubled when he saw the 'us versus them' tension between the FBI and Oregon State Police that came out in the testimony.
He told "OregonLive" that without the lack of direct testimony from a witness or definitive physical evidence tying Astarita to the two shots, he could not convict Astarita because he couldn't be certain that the FBI agent fired the two shots.
In the end it could have been "Officer 1-Trooper 1" (Captain Casey Codding-Oregon State Police, FBI Supervisory Agent "B.M" or Astarita that fired the shot in the lead jurors opinion.
By the way, the lead juror's job is to provide technical support to a large law firm.
Writing on his Facebook page leading into some writing from another person about LaVoy Finicum, Ammon Bundy said this:
Among those watching the trial once it got underway was Jeanette Finicum, LaVoy's widow. She thanked the jury for their work. But she also noted a lack of a robust case from the federal prosecutors in the case and how the trial seemed an effort to paint LaVoy in a bad light.
The lead juror who sees law enforcement as "heroes" was troubled when he saw the 'us versus them' tension between the FBI and Oregon State Police that came out in the testimony.
He told "OregonLive" that without the lack of direct testimony from a witness or definitive physical evidence tying Astarita to the two shots, he could not convict Astarita because he couldn't be certain that the FBI agent fired the two shots.
In the end it could have been "Officer 1-Trooper 1" (Captain Casey Codding-Oregon State Police, FBI Supervisory Agent "B.M" or Astarita that fired the shot in the lead jurors opinion.
By the way, the lead juror's job is to provide technical support to a large law firm.
Writing on his Facebook page leading into some writing from another person about LaVoy Finicum, Ammon Bundy said this:
"LaVoy was a man of principles and he was willing to defend those principles with his life"
In another post tonight Bundy also noted in part:
"The problem with law enforcement is not just a few bad apples. If that were the problem this would be so much easier. The problem is the system is bad, the training is bad, the spending is bad and the laws have become corrupted.
Those that may be good in law enforcement won't stand up against the bad, making them bad. They are either ignorant, too afraid or will not the take the chance of losing their pension....
Just because someone is an officer of the law does not justify hitting someone, making someone bleed, arresting someone or killing someone. Gods laws apply equally to everyone no matter what their position.....
All people are important and all people are equal, this is the true and complete definition of Freedom."
Indeed, Ammon Bundy reminds us of how Orwellian many among us have become, raising some among us who hold law enforcement positions to the position of being 'more equal than others' like the totalitarian elite in George Orwell's "Animal Farm".
In the months ahead, the civil suit by LaVoy Finicum's family members against federal, state and local officials and law enforcement is expected to move forward towards a trial date.
Links below......
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