Ray Rice Cut by Ravens After Video of Elevator Punch of Then-Fiancee- Page 3

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 2:24pm

And, yet, our friends in Atlantic City (including the Judge and DA's office) let him off with a pre-trial diversion program. Such nonsense. Even if she would refuse to testify against him, there are plenty of other witnesses they could have presented; not to mention the elevator video and their original statements, wherein they freely admit what happened, is evidence enough for harsher punishment.

I'm all for second chances but, in this case of unjustifiable violence, he becomes a threat to not only her but to society as a whole. As Jeff Toobin eloquently put it: domestic violence is not just violence against a single person; it represents the threat of violence to the general public and the perpetrator is thus considered a danger to the entire community. Indictments and sentencing should always reflect this but did not this time around. The prosecutors have blood on their hands, as well.

Updated On: 9/10/14 at 02:24 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 3:03pm

Liza's, the Atlantic County D.A.'s office has said that the policy of offering first offender's this diversionary program was not selectively used in this instance. I'm not sure if that's correct, and I can well understand your and others' feeling that this policy is not a good one. However, there might also be problems with this prosecution that we may not be aware of. Yes, without her cooperation, the case might be tryable but it is not necessarily winnable for the prosecution. She does subject him to physical contact before he responds, the video shows that. Depending on what he offers about everything else that occurred, this case might not have been a slam dunk by the prosecution.

Another concern re: whether the program was or was not appropriate in this case is the degree of injury. I'm not sufficiently familiar with New Jersey law to offer a more thorough comment, but if Ms. Palmer was not physically injured within the legal sense of the word, then this at most might have been an attempted assault rather than a completed one.

The law is not nearly as simple as many would have it. Perhaps it should be simpler, but it's not.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 3:08pm

Good fair points, Henrik. Thanks for shedding some light on the legal aspect. Very helpful.

I do hope more details are released (or at least leaked) from the court proceedings in the future, but I doubt they ever will.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 3:20pm

Although there is obviously video footage, what if his wife says she doesn't want to press charges?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 3:22pm

She has said that. She also described feeling completely isolated thanks to all the media coverage and the pontificating.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 3:24pm

She didn't press charges Dottie. It doesn't matter, when someone commits a felony or misdemeanor (not just a violation), that person is usually charged due to the law simply being broken.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 9/10/14 at 4:20pm

Because they have the video evidence and Ray Rice's "statement of guilt," her desire to not press charges is irrelevant. They can still charge him with a crime.

[javero]

Posted: 9/11/14 at 1:13pm

"Despite the view that both Whoopi Goldberg and Sutton Ross wrongfully espouse, there is never any justification for a man to hit a woman (unless he is in genuine fear for his life)."

Liza's, No one with firsthand knowledge of my background would ever label me a blue-blood. Many years ago I frequented several nightclubs in which some women were emboldened enough to physically attack their boyfriends/husbands over alleged infidelities and whatnot. Without fail, the men always came out on top in those altercations either in the clubs before security intervened or afterward at home.

Though my earlier suggestion was not the least bit pc, I'll recount once more that during my childhood in the Old South many elderly women around me were quick to remind the young ladies in their families to avoid tickling a tiger's tail for their own protection. And in many communities and organizations to this day, the code "bro's before ho's" is still firmly entrenched.

Everyone responds to threats differently, regardless of the extent and nature.

I'm told that Nike has yanked it's sponsorship deal with Ray so there has been some fallout. I just hope that his wife comes out of this alive given his hair-trigger temper. I'd hate to see their young daughter lose her mom over Ray's bull**** or witness her mom brutalized by him during her formative years. Hopefully Janay's survival instinct will kick in and she'll seek safe haven for her daughter and herself before it's too late.

This is purely speculation on my part, but I suspect that others around her are reminding her to play the part of the good wife and do anything necessary to keep the family together.

Updated On: 9/11/14 at 01:13 PM