Its about time," she said. "Iknew whereI wanted it to go," she said, "but my imaginary people were more complex than I imagined them to be.. Mr. Stephens testified that the crimes were committed on the morning of May 7, 2000, as he and his wife were walking back to their motel room after breakfast. Copyright 2023 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. As reported in a 2000 article in The Guardian, a Florida teen named Brenton Butler was arrested while on his way to submit a job application to a local Blockbuster video store. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. At a hearing early Wednesday, he posted $30,000 bond and was released on the condition he was not to have any contact with the girl. On cross-examination, Mr. Stephens conceded that he had originally identified Brenton Butler as the man who shot his wife. Both stories speak to the presence of racism in the American criminal justice system. Brenton Butler was accused for murdering Maryann Stephens who was walking with her husband to their hotel room after breakfast, when he supposedly approached Ms. Stephens and demanded for her purse at gun point, then proceeded to lift his gun and shot her in the face, leaving Mr. Stephens as the eye witness to the crime. She knows, she says, how tough the job can be. By using his name, the Netflix series is recognizing a then-teenager who came close to being punished for a crime because of the shortcomings of our justice system. Brenton Butler, casually walking outside in his neighborhood was stopped by two police officers and asked to go with them for show more content Simpson, her ex-husband, was acquitted Oct. 3, 1995, of their deaths in a trial that riveted the nation and divided many along racial lines (latimes.com editors). See Morton v. State, 689 So.2d 259 (Fla.1997), receded from on other grounds by Rodriguez v. State, 753 So.2d 29 (Fla.2000). They heard from the state that Butler could not have committed the crime, because he was home with his family at the time. A statement tending to expose the declarant to criminal liability and offered to exculpate the accused is inadmissible, unless corroborating circumstances show the trustworthiness of the statement. She was also struck by its long-lasting significance. Their phone numbers were either unlisted or unpublished and they could not be reached for comment Saturday. Butler had been identified by the victim's husband and he had confessed to police officers that he shot Mrs. Stephens. All rights reserved. Seven Seconds (creator: Veena Sud) follows the many people that are affected by one crime the hit-and-run of a black teenager from Jersey City by a white police officer, as well as the subsequent coverup. At the same time, he adds, the state is under no obligation to prosecute a weak case. Other Florida courts have also concluded that the availability of the declarant does preclude the admission of a third-party confession under constitutional principles. If Rodney King pushed for more I know he would have gotten what he deserved. 1038. In the state's case in chief, the prosecutor called James Stephens, the victim's husband. Copyright 2011 by News4Jax.com. Brenton Leonard Butler) was a murder case in Jacksonville, Florida. The claim of bias which the defense sought to develop was admissible to afford a basis for an inference of undue pressure because of [the juvenile's] vulnerable status as a probationer, as well as of [the juvenile's] possible concern that he might be a suspect in the investigation. Davis, 415 U.S. at 317-318, 94 S.Ct. In just hours they had an eyewitness and the killer. Lastly and most importantly, I would have not used violence to reach the outcome that I want. But we could not say that a confession is neutralized merely because it was recanted. The defendant, Chambers, was on trial for murder. The Supreme Court concluded that McDonald's oral confessions should have been admitted in evidence, despite the fact that they were inadmissible under state law. TV dramas don't get much timelier than Seven Seconds. Johnson was facing a possible thirty-year sentence on a charge of sale of cocaine, and he had an offer from the state to plead to fifteen years as a habitual offender. From hair trends to relationship advice, our daily newsletter has everything you need to sound like a person whos on TikTok, even if you arent. And so do a surprising number of innocent people--teenagers in particular. The confession is corroborated by the fact that Mr. Stephens positively identified Butler as the assailant. Butler's confession meets that test, as well. The state originally claimed that a juvenile named Brenton Butler had committed the crimes. [3] Michael Glover retired from JSO and became a private investigator, while Dwayne Darnell was transferred from the homicide division.[1][4]. Butler subsequently confessed to the crime, and the case went to trial. Curtis' lawyer objected to the exclusion of Butler's confession to the police. His rapid acquittal spawned a grand jury probe, an Oscar-winning documentary and the conviction of two other men. Butler was identified by the victim's husband. The announcement comes less than a month after Brenton Butler's family reached a $775,000 settlement with the city of Jacksonville. The government could monitor on people religious and political institutions, which people had to think before they speak out because the government had the power to judge it without any evidence., Sexual victimization in prisons and jails for adults and juveniles have became too common for not reporting sex crimes.
Butler, un adolescent noir de 15 ans, avoue le crime, admettant qu'il lui a tir dessus aprs lui avoir demand son sac main. 1038, 35 L.Ed.2d 297 (1973), the Supreme Court concluded that the defendant should have been allowed to present evidence that someone else had confessed to the crime. If a confession by a third party is critical evidence that should have been admitted in evidence to protect the constitutional rights of the accused, the particular reason for excluding it under state law will make little difference. Florida allows litigants to impeach their own witnesses, but that does not necessarily resolve the constitutional problem identified in Chambers. Brenton is a very friendly and talented barber. Funny. Without it, the jurors could not have considered the remaining facts in a proper context.
The murder case that Brigance takes on involves two Caucasian men who were murdered by an African-American named, Carl Lee Hailey. In a 2010 story, 10 years after the crime, Times-Union courts reporter Paul Pinkham summed up the case's importance: "By the time the trial was over, Butler's public defenders had turned the system on its head and helped change police procedure in Jacksonville forever. The state argues that Butler's confession was not reliable, because some of the facts were contradicted by other evidence. By First Coast News StaffINDIANAPOLIS, IN -- Brenton Butler, 19, appeared in court in Indianapolis Wednesday. He was charged. We have no doubt that, if the defendant were the one who had confessed and then subsequently recanted his confession, the state could make a very effective argument to minimize the recantation. Later that day, Brenton Butler, a black male who was walking back from applying for ajob at blockbusters was accused and arrested for this crime. Trending Videos The do's and don'ts of. Federal courts have come to the same conclusion. Laws and rules in our justice system are in place to make trials fair for everyone. Also the media blows things way out of proportion, like in the Michael Brown case. Novel by Jacksonville author, daughter of a detective, is inspired by Brenton Butler case. Butler was wearing a pair of shoes that matched the description Mr. Stephens had previously given, and he had $91 in his pocket. This made him angry, so he demanded her wallet. Although they are running on different party ballots, the candidates for the Hall County School Board Post 1 seat have the same ultimate goal to support teachers. Later in the afternoon, Butler told the officers that he had shot the victim by accident. Published: 5/25/2004 6:45:29 PM. Un coupable idal est un documentaire ralis par Jean-Xavier de Lestrade sorti en 2003.. Ce film relate l'affaire Brenton Butler (en).Son titre international est Murder on a Sunday Morning (littralement Meurtre un dimanche matin ). McDonald's confessions therefore did not qualify under the exception. The third-party confession in Chambers was offered exclusively by the defense and was never endorsed as reliable by the state. Butler had been identified by the victim's husband and he had confessed to police officers that he shot Mrs. Stephens. Many rules, laws, and morality were broken. The final part of the test in Chambers, that the witness is available for cross-examination, is the most perplexing. "I just wanted to explore how it is that everything could go so utterly wrong," she said. It is likely that most jurors would put greater weight on the confession than the subsequent recantation. All rights reserved. According to Officer Martin, Mr. Stephens said that there was no doubt in his mind that Butler was the shooter. The case gained significant notice in the media, and became the subject of an award-winning documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning. Like the confessions in Chambers, the confession in this case was made under circumstances that provided an assurance of reliability. There can be no doubt that this statement was inculpatory. See McCormick on Evidence 253 (John W. Strong ed., 5th Ed.1999). A grand jury determined that there had been no "criminal wrongdoing" on the part of the city, but changes to the department's interrogation policy were instituted. Although it's been 18 years since the real Butler was arrested, concerns about how institutions treat marginalized populations still abound. By agreement of counsel, the jurors in Curtis' case were told that Butler was originally charged with the murder of Mary Ann Stephens, that he went to trial, and that he was acquitted. Although the jurors did not know his fate, Williams later entered a plea to the reduced charge of second-degree murder and was sentenced to ten years in the Department of Corrections. He is a 16 year old African-American on trial for the murder of a drug store owner. The prosecutor called the defendant's brother, Antoine Bryant, but was unable to get him to repeat the testimony he had previously given to the grand jury. Delegal, who's written for several publications including Folio Weekly and Jacksonville Magazine, saidshe was haunted by Butler's story. Mrs. Stephens backed away from the man, and he pulled a pistol out of his pocket and shot her in the eye. Butler faces criminal confinement, intimidation, domestic battery and battery. However, it's not at all accidental that Seven Seconds is using Butler's exact name. Later McDonald repudiated these confessions. Some police officers in "Seen" come off as flawed, fallible, even negligent. Officer Williams testified in the proffer that Butler had been advised of his rights and that, at first, he denied that he had anything to do with the murder. Best MatchPowered by Whitepages Premium Brenton G Butler Knightstown, IN AGE 20s AGE 20s Brenton G Butler Knightstown, IN Aliases Brent N Butler his clip in gaol and other unfairnesss in the probe. The case also was the subject of the Oscar-winning HBO documentary Murder on a Sunday Morning. Julie Delegal's novel, "Seen," is set in a fictional city much like Jacksonville, though somewhat smaller, which she calls Beau Rve. See Chambers, 410 U.S. at 300-301, 93 S.Ct. An attorney reviewed its long, gripping courtroom scenes, andDelegal has a background in law as well, from working as a paralegal at her husband Tad's law office. Last year, the sheriff and State Attorney Harry Shorstein apologized to Butler and his family after two other men were charged in the killing. SEVEN SECONDS Review: Episode 8-10. Confession As several courts have observed, a confession made to a police officer may be considered reliable, because it subjects the declarant to prosecution. Officer James Williams of the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was also present during the show-up identification of Brenton Butler. It tells the story of the prosecution of Brenton Butler for the murder of Mary Ann Stephens, a tourist to Jacksonville, FL. The job took its toll on him," she said. During the investigation of a shooting death outside a motel in 2000, police arrested 15-year-old Brenton Butler and charged him with the murder. ``It was a long way from being our best example of what our detectives could do. FindLaw.com Free, trusted legal information for consumers and legal professionals, SuperLawyers.com Directory of U.S. attorneys with the exclusive Super Lawyers rating, Abogado.com The #1 Spanish-language legal website for consumers, LawInfo.com Nationwide attorney directory and legal consumer resources. Juan Tirrell CURTIS, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee. In the present case, Butler testified in his deposition that he did not shoot Mrs. Stephens and that his earlier confession was false. The officer must also decide if the law is so evil that he/she has no choice but to disobey it and accept whatever punishment results from that decision., Miranda was not aware he should be given a lawyer if could not afford one and the right to not self-incriminate. [1] After the grand jury investigation, the Sheriff's office began taping interrogations of juvenile suspects, and implemented other procedural changes recommended by the jury. Learn more about FindLaws newsletters, including our terms of use and privacy policy. When 15-year-old black cyclist Brenton Butler dies in a hit-and-run accident -- with a white police officer behind the wheel of the vehicle -- Jersey City explodes with racial tension. The book includes new inside informations about the whippings. Brenton just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She said she wrote the book to honor him, in a way, and there's a character an older police officer who treats Jason with compassion who is close to what her father was like. He told the officers that he had kept the money and that he had placed the purse with the gun inside it on a truck in traffic. See Rivera, 915 F.2d at 282; United States ex rel. The state argued that Butler's confession was not admissible as a declaration against penal interest because he was available to testify. Useful 1. Brenton is the son of a middle-aged, middle-class black couple: his mother Latrice (King) works at a private school full of snotty white kids; his father Isaiah sweeps blood at a slaughterhouse. Por Fernanda Matarrita Chaves. I would have notified the parents of Brenton of his whereabouts before interrogating him. Counsel for the defendant renewed the arguments made before trial in opposition to the state's motion in limine and added a new argument that the confession should be admitted to corroborate other defense evidence. The two-hour movie recounts the trial of Brenton Butler, a 15-year-old Jacksonville, Florida, resident who had been falsely accused of murdering a tourist during a robbery. See United States v. MacDonald, 688 F.2d 224, 232 n. 13 (4th Cir.1982). Haiqa Aaqil Murder On a Sunday Morning State of Florida Vs. Brenton Lenoard Butler Initial One year ago, Butler was arrested for trespassing at Sandalwood High School when he was allegedly trying to take the same girl off campus in his car. If the declarant is available to testify, the confession does not qualify as a declaration against penal interest and it is excluded because it is hearsay. The wife was shot in the head in front of her husband and the killer fled. The email address cannot be subscribed. For these reasons, we reverse the convictions and remand the case for a new trial. During this period, there was still racial tension between whites and African-Americans in the state of Mississippi. Butler had given a deposition in which he repudiated his earlier confession and denied that he shot Mrs. Stephens. Butler confessed to police officers, knowing that they were not there to help him and with full knowledge of the consequences. He remained in the county jail until the Curtis trial. Wiki. Family, friends and soldiers from an Army Reserve company in Gainesville are preparing for the company's deployment this weekend. Brenton is an English place name and surname. The trial judge agreed with the state and excluded the evidence of Butler's confession. Netflix provided Bustle the following statement from showrunner Veena Sud: The real Butler's story became fairly well known, having become nationally recognized when it became the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary Murder On A Sunday Morning. Escuchar este artculo. Though the series revolves around a black teenager by that name and highlights similar flaws in our systems of law and order, Seven Seconds is not based on the real Butler's life. Brenton Butler, who was accused of killing a Georgia tourist when he was 15, apparently drove to Indianapolis to see a girl he considers his girlfriend. Additionally, I would have investigated and interviewed other hotel guests to see if they saw anything. Williams told the jury that he had no agreement with the state, and he denied that he had been promised a lighter sentence in return for his testimony against Curtis. This seemingly racial bias is what connects the story of the real Brenton Butler and the fictional Brenton Butler of Seven Seconds. The star was lawyer Patrick McGuinness, an assistant public defender who, in partnership with Ann Finnell, convinced a jury that Butler's murder confession had been coerced by Jacksonville . Like Butler, he is 15 when he's picked up by police after a woman from Georgia is shot at a nearby hotel. Butler's family sued the city of Jacksonville over the ordeal, alleging racial profiling and inadequate training, and the parties settled on a $775,000 payout. That day he scored 40 points in Horsholm 79ers's road loss against Aalborg Vikings, 104-101. There is no need to be in denial when it 's a widespread problem that is heard about daily. See 90.804(2), Fla. Stat. In contrast, the Supreme Court said in Chambers that a court may be required to admit a confession by another person, despite the hearsay rule, if that person is available to testify. Then the police should learn how and when to draw the line, when they are tested to their limits., Also, Patriot Act gave the FBI to increase entitled to spy on people which strip human rights. He is scheduled to be back in court June 1. 1038. Subsequently, the state accused Curtis and another man, Jermel Williams, of the robbery and murder of Mrs. Stephens. [1] The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding Butler not guilty; one juror later cited the testimony about the interrogation as one of the key factors in their decision. The events of Butler's real life are not recreated in Seven Seconds, but his is a story worth knowing. Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, "Court strikes conviction in murder case", "Brenton Butler Arrested For Misdemeanor", "Teen's book details ordeal of his arrest", "Man Gets Two Life Sentences in Ga. 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