02-18-2015, 07:29 PM
Does the Prosecution Have a Solid Case Against Isaiah Fowler?
I'm anxious to hear the prosecutors' evidence. According to the defense attorneys, the evidence (or lack thereof) points away from Leila's brother as the killer; the defense contends that an intruder, not her brother, stabbed Leila Fowler to death.
On that premise, the Defense has filed a motion for Isaiah to be released after almost two years in custody; his trial is scheduled for May 18th.
Background:
The boy told the 911 dispatcher he was in the bathroom when he heard an unknown male's voice in the house and then heard his sister being attacked in her room across the hall, according to the motion. The boy said he opened the bathroom door and was able to gain a limited view of the intruder, who he said hit Leila very hard before fleeing, leaving her for dead. The brutal crime sparked a manhunt for the killer that spanned days and even drew the attention of the FBI. Eventually, authorities zeroed in on Leila's brother and made an arrest.
The Defense's Arguments Pointing Away from Leila's Brother:
1. The autopsy conducted in the case found that Leila died after being "stabbed and slashed by a knife-like weapon more than twenty times." Prosecutors have suggested a serrated knife found in the kitchen of the home is the murder weapon, but the motion filed by the defense says the coroner who performed the autopsy excluded the knife, as well as all knives shown to him from the home, as having been capable of being the murder weapon.
2. There was no blood on the boy or his clothing, except for a small stain on the rear of his shirt, and no blood visible on the knife believed by the prosecution to be the murder weapon, thus suggesting a clean-up took place that was far beyond the capability of the then 12-year-old boy.
3. Law enforcement collected all drains and traps from sinks, showers and tubs in the residence and found no evidence of the victim's blood or any evidence that cleaning products had recently been used on the items or the plumbing in the home.
4. An unknown male's DNA was found on a hair on the victim's body. The Defense calls this "powerful new evidence that there was an intruder in the house" and say it is therefore "fundamentally wrong to continue to detain [the boy] ... while the prosecution struggles to salvage a floundering case against him."
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, where the boy's attorney is expected to make further arguments for his release.
Story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/attorney-evi...la-fowler/
I'm anxious to hear the prosecutors' evidence. According to the defense attorneys, the evidence (or lack thereof) points away from Leila's brother as the killer; the defense contends that an intruder, not her brother, stabbed Leila Fowler to death.
On that premise, the Defense has filed a motion for Isaiah to be released after almost two years in custody; his trial is scheduled for May 18th.
Background:
The boy told the 911 dispatcher he was in the bathroom when he heard an unknown male's voice in the house and then heard his sister being attacked in her room across the hall, according to the motion. The boy said he opened the bathroom door and was able to gain a limited view of the intruder, who he said hit Leila very hard before fleeing, leaving her for dead. The brutal crime sparked a manhunt for the killer that spanned days and even drew the attention of the FBI. Eventually, authorities zeroed in on Leila's brother and made an arrest.
The Defense's Arguments Pointing Away from Leila's Brother:
1. The autopsy conducted in the case found that Leila died after being "stabbed and slashed by a knife-like weapon more than twenty times." Prosecutors have suggested a serrated knife found in the kitchen of the home is the murder weapon, but the motion filed by the defense says the coroner who performed the autopsy excluded the knife, as well as all knives shown to him from the home, as having been capable of being the murder weapon.
2. There was no blood on the boy or his clothing, except for a small stain on the rear of his shirt, and no blood visible on the knife believed by the prosecution to be the murder weapon, thus suggesting a clean-up took place that was far beyond the capability of the then 12-year-old boy.
3. Law enforcement collected all drains and traps from sinks, showers and tubs in the residence and found no evidence of the victim's blood or any evidence that cleaning products had recently been used on the items or the plumbing in the home.
4. An unknown male's DNA was found on a hair on the victim's body. The Defense calls this "powerful new evidence that there was an intruder in the house" and say it is therefore "fundamentally wrong to continue to detain [the boy] ... while the prosecution struggles to salvage a floundering case against him."
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, where the boy's attorney is expected to make further arguments for his release.
Story: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/attorney-evi...la-fowler/