Would Be Murderer Juan-Carlos Cruz Might Have Grounds For Appeal

Would Be Murderer Juan-Carlos Cruz Might Have Grounds For Appeal

Food Network Host Juan-Carlos Cruz hired 3 homeless men to kill his wife – he confessed to the crime and received a 9 year sentence Monday.  Seems pretty light treatment if you ask me.
 
In any case one of the homeless would be murderers, Shane Ickenroth, claims that in August he told the prosecutor in the case Simone Shay that the 2 other co-conspirators in the attempted murder were unavailable – Big Dave had died of  cancer and Little Dave had been arrested in Califonria and extradited to Colorado where he was facing felony sexual assault charges with physical force.
 
Now Cruz’s lawyer says that since he was nto informed of this by the prosecution this might be ‘an outright obstruction of justice.’   Ickenroth claims further that Shay told him ‘don’t say anything about it, it could still mess up the case.’  If this is true, then the conviction could very well be in trouble.
 
Although Shay denies telling Ickenroth to keep quiet about the other 2 witnesses she admits that she did not tell Cruz’s lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, about the other 2 witnesses!  What the heck is wrong with these prosecutors – do they not understand the law? – do they not stick to it?- really disgusting.
 
Shay’s supervisor John Lynch says that while Shay did not have to tell Holley about the 2 witnesses he would have!  Well that does not auger well for Ms. Shay’s future as a trusted prosecutor.  Lynch says that there is plenty of evidence against Cruz and that these 2 witnesses were not needed.  Well that is not for him to decide- that is for the court to decide and for Cruz’s lawyer to be kept in the dark on such a critical matter as other witnesses to the crime is definitely going to be grounds for appeal, at least.  

Cruz’s lawyer is irate and says “If these allegations are true, then the conduct of Ms. Shay and the Santa Monica Police Department is outrageous, unethical and highly improper — if not an outright obstruction of justice.”  He adds.  “For Ms. Shay to suggest that the two primary witnesses in the case are ‘not important’ would be laughable, if it weren’t so dishonest.”

You know – Cruz did try to get his wife murdered – so that is not the question – the question for all of us is do we want a society where those hired to uphold the law – namely prosecutors and police do whatever they choose to win cases?   This time it was guilty man, Cruz, who was cheated but how can we know how many innocent people have been set up by the corruption we see before us?