08-27-2014, 04:27 PM
I don't know that Jose Banda was a drug dealer; that only came from Barajas' friend. I'm not glad Banda is dead and his family is in pain, but I'm glad that the Barajas family has this behind them, legally.
![[Image: 622x350.jpg]](http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/31/57/52/6748861/7/622x350.jpg)
Anyway, that may be the quickest I've seen a jury reach a verdict, unsurprisingly.
The evidence really wasn't there, but the District Attorney stated if her office didn't believe he'd killed Jose Banda, they would not have taken Barajas to trial.
In any case, I doubt that LE is going to search for another killer -- they're confident Barajas did it. If they're right -- which I personally believe they are -- and it comes out later (hard for a number of people to all take the same secret to their graves), they'll not be able to retry him for murder.
Reflecting on it, IMO, this case may well have been tried now solely in response to the Banda family and to show the community that vigilante justice doesn't come with a free pass. I can't imagine that the state really believed a conviction was forthcoming given the case they presented.
Anyway, that may be the quickest I've seen a jury reach a verdict, unsurprisingly.
The evidence really wasn't there, but the District Attorney stated if her office didn't believe he'd killed Jose Banda, they would not have taken Barajas to trial.
In any case, I doubt that LE is going to search for another killer -- they're confident Barajas did it. If they're right -- which I personally believe they are -- and it comes out later (hard for a number of people to all take the same secret to their graves), they'll not be able to retry him for murder.
Reflecting on it, IMO, this case may well have been tried now solely in response to the Banda family and to show the community that vigilante justice doesn't come with a free pass. I can't imagine that the state really believed a conviction was forthcoming given the case they presented.