Terrence Truitt is being released from custody. After he was portrayed as presumed-guilty by the police, and after the public lynch-mobbed him in social media. All those "70 leads"

I wrote on this blog about the fire in Oneonta, NY at the end of December, 2018 where a former firefighter died.

See my 4 articles about the case:

Part I here - called "Racial profiling and framing people of color by the all-white police force and the all-white prosecution in Otsego County continues? People v Terrence Truitt, Otsego County";
Part II here - called "The quality of the jury pool and lynch-mobbing a presumed-innocent person of color as a legitimate way to grieve in Oneonta, New York"

Part III here - called "On the value of reputation", and

Part IV here - called "People v Terrence Truitt: an interesting timeline of deaths/murders and fires in the area, as well as visits of high officials. Is Terrence Truitt a fall guy for the cover up of some local official's involvement in a global child pornography ring? "

I wrote in these articles about a black guy, Terrence Truitt, who was charged, in a predominantly white town notorious for discrimination against immigrants and minorities, for the supposed arson and death - exactly at the time of the funeral of the firefighter where the local law enforcement came in droves.

I wrote about the improper publicity by the police and the local prosecutors where the police press-conference, indicating "70 leads" supposedly leading to Truitt, and allowed without sanctions by the judge, determined, out of court, that it was an arson and that Truitt was supposedly responsible, igniting the public.

I wrote how these "70 leads" riled up the local public who, as a matter of mourning, presumed guilt of Terrence Truitt and, when I pointed out just that he is presumed innocent - bashed me with vile personal attacks, pointing out that, with 70 leads that the police was talking about, there is no chance that Truitt is not guilty.

And, remember, Truitt's assigned counsel who allowed him to be held for the action of the grand jury on hearsay statements of the prosecution's witness, conveniently allowing the judge to illegally adjourn the felony hearing when the prosecution's witness could not produce competent evidence at the felony hearing.

And, remember that Truitt's brother was trying to get crowdfunding for a private criminal defense attorney, but the fundraising campaign was shot by complaining local residents demanding that Truitt, as already presumed guilty, should not be able to have an opportunity to have better legal defense than that assigned to him by the biased court.

Well.

Now the DA who have been an active participant in this whole orchestration, announced that, in view of "new evidence", he will ask the court to release Truitt from jail because he is now not a suspect in the fire during which the firefighter died.

DA Muehl also stated that there is evidence indicating that Truitt was not responsible for the fire - but Muehl modestly omits that the release of Truitt means that no criminal charges are pending against him any more, because Muehl is not going to turn his charges into the grand jury.

In other words, DA Muehl has evidence based on which, he knows, the grand jury that is totally under his control as a "legal adviser" and that can "indict a ham sandwich" (according to the former Chief Judge of the State of New York Sol Wachtler) - cannot indict Terrence Truitt, that bad.

And, DA Muehl now says that he is "ETHICALLY REQUIRED" to ask for release of Terrence Truitt.

Muehl and ethics.  Right.

Ethics did not prompt Muehl to direct the police to use the word ALLEGED and PRESUMED INNOCENT in their press-release.

Or, come to the Facebook page where the public was crucifying Truitt in comments and bashing me for mentioning his presumption of innocence and say - yes, people, he is, indeed, presumed innocent, our charge is only an allegation, slow down with your presumption of guilt.

He did not do that.

Even though THAT he was ethically required to do - not to engage and not to allow his witnesses, the police, to engage in pretrial publicity that may undermine the integrity of the case.

So, the police look like idiots.

The fire "experts" look like idiots.

The DA Muehl looks like an idiot.

The Chief Assistant DA Michael Getman who held Truitt in jail and prosecuted him at the felony hearing (held on the same day as the ormer firefighter's funeral) looks like an idiot.

Judge Lucy Dernier looks like an idiot.

The assigned defense attorney James Hartmann who sold his client out looks like an idiot.

And, certainly, members of the public who were demanding torturous death of Terrence Truitt, claiming that he is presumed guilty because of the 70 leads, and bashing anybody who would invoke his presumption of innocence, including 4-letter-language and vile personal attacks - also look like idiots.

Maybe, that will be a lesson to the public not to believe press-conferences of the local police?

Prosecutors?

Not to presume guilt?

Respect presumption of innocence of all accused?

And not interfere with fundraising for legal defense of indigent criminal defendants?

I wish Terrence Truitt luck.

I wish him to get as far away as possible from Oneonta NY, since they will pin something on him if he doesn't leave the area.

And, I wish Terrence Truitt to sue the hell out of the City of Oneonta, its glorious police, the Sheriff's Department, James Hartmann for malpractice and the DA for false imprisonment and defamation and violation of civil rights.

As well as commentators who presumed his guilt in comments - for defamation, too.

He can get rich, after all, without any fundraisers.

Simply because of people's stupidity.

Maybe, if people pay a couple hundred thousand dollars in a judgment for defamation, they will then learn what presumption of innocence is?

And, by the way, it remains to be investigated (which I doubt that that will be diligently done) whether we have a Hero's Death here



or whether John D. Heller was murdered, knocked out unconscious while he already saved everybody from the fire, and then left to die of smoke inhalation.

Could John D. Heller be a witness in the child porn ring investigation ongoing in the area by the FBI?

So, next time, ladies and gentlemen of Otsego County, NY, when the local police tells you about "70 leads" and their supposed "quick and efficient" work, think "Terrence Truitt".