Notes from the David Bonds trial, Part Three
"It is hard to cross examine a teenager without looking like a jackass"--William Boggs
During his closing arguments, Boggs introduced all manner of theories, claims and distractions, in an obvious attempt to confuse the jury about what they had heard. He went on at length about how careful and respectful he had been in cross-examining the teenage witnesses. Of course, he had already accused them of being liars before they ever took the stand. But in the closing, he insisted that the female prosecutor would have been far rougher on the girls if he had been in his shoes. She would have asked things that he was far to respectful to even consider saying, because it would have made him look bad. The female prosecutor, he claimed, would have asked "why they dress the way they do. She would have asked what they were doing spending time with so many boys..." And so, he did ask those questions, but without being brave enough to own it.
Where in the world is Katrina Martin?
David Bonds didn't have an alibi for the time of the killing. In fact, the closest thing he had was vague testimony to having visited multiple girlfriends between the time of 4pm and 7pm. He had been out late dealing drugs the night before, and rose at about 3pm. But he isn't sure of the time of any of these events. He went out and delivered a bike to a fellow drug dealer, rode around a someone else's dirt bike (but he can't recall who it belonged to), and he was living, at the time, with a family friend, an "aunt", named Katrina Martin. Although he gave an Dumaine Street address to the police when he was arrested, no one was able to locate Aunt Katrina. 18 months later, this family friend, who had known him since he was a child, is still missing. He also says the Dumaine Street address is not information he provided to the police, and that he lived near that location, but not at that location. So, even by his own testimony, he was living and dealing drugs in the 6th Ward, and was well-known around the corner grocery store around the corner from where Dinerral was killed. Aunt Katrina wasn't the only one missing from the courtroom. In fact, the total absence of anyone sitting in support of David Bonds became part of the defense as well. "Don't punish him just because he is alone in this world," Boggs said. And I wondered: Isn't it possible there's a reason no one wants to sit with this guy?"
During his closing arguments, Boggs introduced all manner of theories, claims and distractions, in an obvious attempt to confuse the jury about what they had heard. He went on at length about how careful and respectful he had been in cross-examining the teenage witnesses. Of course, he had already accused them of being liars before they ever took the stand. But in the closing, he insisted that the female prosecutor would have been far rougher on the girls if he had been in his shoes. She would have asked things that he was far to respectful to even consider saying, because it would have made him look bad. The female prosecutor, he claimed, would have asked "why they dress the way they do. She would have asked what they were doing spending time with so many boys..." And so, he did ask those questions, but without being brave enough to own it.
Where in the world is Katrina Martin?
David Bonds didn't have an alibi for the time of the killing. In fact, the closest thing he had was vague testimony to having visited multiple girlfriends between the time of 4pm and 7pm. He had been out late dealing drugs the night before, and rose at about 3pm. But he isn't sure of the time of any of these events. He went out and delivered a bike to a fellow drug dealer, rode around a someone else's dirt bike (but he can't recall who it belonged to), and he was living, at the time, with a family friend, an "aunt", named Katrina Martin. Although he gave an Dumaine Street address to the police when he was arrested, no one was able to locate Aunt Katrina. 18 months later, this family friend, who had known him since he was a child, is still missing. He also says the Dumaine Street address is not information he provided to the police, and that he lived near that location, but not at that location. So, even by his own testimony, he was living and dealing drugs in the 6th Ward, and was well-known around the corner grocery store around the corner from where Dinerral was killed. Aunt Katrina wasn't the only one missing from the courtroom. In fact, the total absence of anyone sitting in support of David Bonds became part of the defense as well. "Don't punish him just because he is alone in this world," Boggs said. And I wondered: Isn't it possible there's a reason no one wants to sit with this guy?"
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