Chris - The Legal Issues - A Prosecutor's Perspective

[Learned Hand]

I'm shocked VA maintains even that many mental hospitals, and they are places reserved for far worse off than Chris.

If Chris does get time, it will be in some kind of minimum security camp, not a hospital. Chris doesn't need constant medical attention or psychiatric care on an intensive level, he just needs someplace where he can eat, sleep, and not be bothered by others as much as possible while having no access to the internet.

 

[DeadMansHand]

Yeah, but what are the chances of Chris being kept locked up for a crime that carries a penalty of up to a year, when he presents zero flight risk?

He’ll either be released on his own recognizance, or (more likely) get bail set so low that he or someone else can pay it.

The jail record only shows what the warrant was for. When he gets back to Greene County (or Abermarle or Charlottesville) he'll be arraigned and formally charged.

BTW, they don't send four cops from another county to arrest you on JUST a misdemeanor incest charge...

 

[robobobo]

Okay, people need to bear in mind that this is not Chris's first rodeo. He is not going to represent himself and yell JUUUUULAYYYYYY on the stand, no matter how much you want him to. He's used public defenders before and will again, and they will do everything humanly possible to keep him as far from the stand as possible, ideally with lots of coaching to sit still and shut up beside them in the courtroom. Unfortunately for those wanting super fun court drama, as every lawyer in here has said, no lawyer on the planet would want this to reach a trial. They're going to bend over backwards for a plea deal, get whatever scraps of mercy for him they can, call it a day, and try to drink away any memory of him. Boring for us, but that's how the legal system works.

 

[Learned Hand]

Okay, people need to bear in mind that this is not Chris's first rodeo. He is not going to represent himself and yell JUUUUULAYYYYYY on the stand, no matter how much you want him to. He's used public defenders before and will again, and they will do everything humanly possible to keep him as far from the stand as possible, ideally with lots of coaching to sit still and shut up beside them in the courtroom. Unfortunately for those wanting super fun court drama, as every lawyer in here has said, no lawyer on the planet would want this to reach a trial. They're going to bend over backwards for a plea deal, get whatever scraps of mercy for him they can, call it a day, and try to drink away any memory of him. Boring for us, but that's how the legal system works.

Something I think a few of us have mentioned but I'd like to reiterate as well: in all likelihood the prosecution does not want this to to the trial either. Whatever the final charges might be, as long as they aren't "serious" in terms of the law, I would wager the prosecution is going to take one look at Chris and give him a favorable deal that even Chris might understand would be difficult to decline. Chris is still in an area with fairly limited court and legal resources compared to large metro areas, and with crime waves hitting this area and everywhere else, they would much rather spend their time on more serious offenders.

 

[Mariposa Electrique]

Not particularly high. Chris is interesting due to his internet fame, but as criminal offenders go he isn't anything exemplary.

I think this is a very loaded statement. Given the slippery slope nature of all of Chris' actions especially all of the lies and sympathy he was able to provoke from several prominent Christorians over the years, indicates he has psychopathic tendencies. He thinks he's smarter than everyone else and that he can manipulate others. I don't think he got this directly from Barb, I think it's been years of people letting him get away with everything, and his parents sending conflicting messages about his level of function in public and in private.

Okay, people need to bear in mind that this is not Chris's first rodeo. He is not going to represent himself and yell JUUUUULAYYYYYY on the stand, no matter how much you want him to. He's used public defenders before and will again, and they will do everything humanly possible to keep him as far from the stand as possible, ideally with lots of coaching to sit still and shut up beside them in the courtroom. Unfortunately for those wanting super fun court drama, as every lawyer in here has said, no lawyer on the planet would want this to reach a trial. They're going to bend over backwards for a plea deal, get whatever scraps of mercy for him they can, call it a day, and try to drink away any memory of him. Boring for us, but that's how the legal system works.

This is the worst case scenario and will probably only give Chris more notoriety and sympathy, which will enable him to potentially do it to someone else. His crimes will continue to escalate.

 

[Things Better Forgotten]

With the cwciki fucked I can't remember off the top of my head. In Chris' previous legal adventures (Snyder and Gamestop), he and Barb took plea deals at the advise of counsel, right? I wonder how much of that was Barb.

Chris was arguing that Michael Snyder is a thieving liar, even as he was being sentenced. Us laymen on the sidelines can see that taking the deal is the right move, but can Chris? Whatever PD he gets is going to try to encourage him as best as he is able, but part of me wonders if Chris is just too delusional to heed that advice.

 

[Unpleasant]

The jail record only shows what the warrant was for. When he gets back to Greene County (or Abermarle or Charlottesville) he'll be arraigned and formally charged.

BTW, they don't send four cops from another county to arrest you on JUST a misdemeanor incest charge...

It was a felony arrest any way you cut it. 2-3 cars isn't an unusual expectation. If they had foreknowledge- and I'm sure weens were calling the station and emergency services en masse- you always take extras for women or trannies because they will try and make PREA complaints, lewd statements, or claim officers sexually harassed them. Having more eyes on the situation is always good, even with bodycams in play.

It appears Chris was perfectly compliant, but you always take extras with you for a planned arrest if you have the manpower available.

Incidentally, someone should FOIA the bodycams. I'd be surprised if Richmond cops didn't have them.

 

[Coleslaw]

He thinks he's smarter than everyone else

Those whom the gods would destroy they first make mad.

 

[Kosher Dill]

With the cwciki fucked I can't remember off the top of my head. In Chris' previous legal adventures (Snyder and Gamestop), he and Barb took plea deals at the advise of counsel, right? I wonder how much of that was Barb.

Barb blew the entire inheritance from Bob on pointless dilatory tactics. Anything practical wasn't her idea.

Question for the legal types: do you think the publicity surrounding this case would affect things at all, or in the final reckoning is it still too small-time for that?

 

[Null]

The arraignment was at 8:30am EST today, right? What was the outcome?

 

[Things Better Forgotten]

Barb blew the entire inheritance from Bob on pointless dilatory tactics. Anything practical wasn't her idea.

Question for the legal types: do you think the publicity surrounding this case would affect things at all, or in the final reckoning is it still too small-time for that?

Yeah the first lawyer was Bell, but the second one after gamestop was a PD that got a similar result. The root of my question still stands: is Chris stupid enough to insist on a trial?

 

[DeadMansHand]

It was a felony arrest any way you cut it. 2-3 cars isn't an unusual expectation. If they had foreknowledge- and I'm sure weens were calling the station and emergency services en masse- you always take extras for women or trannies because they will try and make PREA complaints, lewd statements, or claim officers sexually harassed them. Having more eyes on the situation is always good, even with bodycams in play.

I get that. I was responding to a post that said it was just a misdemeanor charge (under a year) and Chris would be out on his own recognizance.

 

[Unpleasant]

The arraignment was at 8:30am EST today, right? What was the outcome?

Looks like he's still in Henrico. He will likely have to be transported back to Greene to Charlottesville or whatever district is charging him.

They may go run it by a grand jury first. They already have him, after all.

 

[DeadMansHand]

The arraignment was at 8:30am EST today, right? What was the outcome?

Isn't he being charged in Greene County? They only have court on Wednesday.

 

[Learned Hand]

The arraignment was at 8:30am EST today, right? What was the outcome?

As I understood it, the arraignment is tomorrow at 0830 EST. This makes more sense, too, as Chris was arrested late yesterday afternoon and the judge will want to have a complete list of charges which takes time to generate.

 

[robobobo]

BTW, they don't send four cops from another county to arrest you on JUST a misdemeanor incest charge...

Henrico does. Henrico PD believes in overwhelming force; get pulled for a brake light out and next thing you know there's 2-3 cars full of cops behind you. They don't want people getting wacky thoughts about resisting arrest in their county. Don't read too much into four cops showing up to do the arrest, it's not uncommon there.

 

[Null]

As I understood it, the arraignment is tomorrow at 0830 EST. This makes more sense, too, as Chris was arrested late yesterday afternoon and the judge will want to have a complete list of charges which takes time to generate.

If we can get a date and room that'd be nice

 

[DeadMansHand]

Henrico does. Henrico PD believes in overwhelming force; get pulled for a brake light out and next thing you know there's 2-3 cars full of cops behind you. They don't want people getting wacky thoughts about resisting arrest in their county. Don't read too much into four cops showing up to do the arrest, it's not uncommon there.

I avoid Richmond like the plague. Seems wiser and wiser all the time.

 

[Enoby Way]

Your assumption here is that CWC is aware of the lack of match-up and/or has the capacity to recognise the matchup, i.e. he made a choice to live by his definitions not the states. If mental disease/defect prevented CWC recognising that the actions were not consensual then surely it's a different question?

Disagree but I still love you. my assumption is that he is unaware, thus the word "mistake" in the term "mistake of law".

In *theory*, the law is the law, and its the law for a reason.

Part of the social contract when there is a society with laws, is that society therefore has a right to expect that the same base standard will be held to everyone for their behaviour, there will be a base level of safety guaranteed to everyone, and with their punishment within an accepted range.

If you rape someone, even if you were too dumb to realise it was rape, you have still traumatised them in an un-undoable way. Harm has still been done. That has to be taken into account.

In *practice*? This will come down to the judge's discretion and anything could fucking happen. People who are below average intelligence can and do get put in jail for breaking laws they didn't know about, all the time. They also get off, less often.

It depends on whether the individual judge focuses on society's right to safety from an opportunistic mother rapist, the need to uphold the integrity of the law, punishment in order to rectify harm, Chris's capacity to understand what he did wrong and reform, or something else.

Again IANAL and not in the US so someone please come in and let me know where I might be wrong.

 

[Sir William Rutland]

Sorry if I'm late here but so will Chris be spending the meantime being held in county jail with general pop?