Logan County Prosecuting Attorney Brian Abraham, filed a motion Wednesday to put in place a guardian for Megan Williams, because he believes the 20-year-old needs someone to look out for her during the prosecutions of six people charged with torturing, raping and kidnapping her. This guy has caught some flack in the blogosphere because he has not brought hate crime charges against her attackers and now some are questioning what he is doing at this point.
I say back up off Abraham, because right now, he appears to be the person acting most responsibly with regard to Megan's case. Black Lawyers for Justice has got her speaking at marches and her lawyer has her doing interviews in the media and this is not smart. Every time she opens her mouth, she is giving the defense ammo. She makes one misstatement, gets her time line wrong or any kind of inconsistency, she could be handing the defense reasons to get reasonable doubt.
There appears to be some question about her mental capacities and/or ability to understand all of the ramifications of whats going on. Abraham criticized Black Lawyers for Justice head “.... Malik Shabazz. If he was a true defense attorney as he claims, he would know any statement that she makes would have an adverse impact on the case.”
He's got a point. Williams is going on the Montel Williams show and her attorney Barbara Harmon-Schamberger is having to enter into negotiations with the show to narrow the kinds of questions they ask or get into. I'm not sure thats smart. I thought it was a good move for her a family to release her identity and put a human face on this outrage, but the continued parading of this girl before the media does not seem smart to me. Furthermore, some people or organizations are going to offer her money or other support in return for these media appearances. I don't believe for one second that her handlers are going to be really careful about that. According to the Gazette article, the attorney representing her, Barbara Harmon-Schamberger, has stated Megan Williams has received a scholarship from a private corporation to get her GED through representatives of the Montel Williams show.
The prosecuting attorney is being criticized for stupid stuff. He's trying to protect the case. People are on him because he won't bring hate crime charges he thinks may be harder to make stick and only get you ten years when he has way better charges good for life in prison. The priorities are wrong on that. He's advising the family not to keep talking to media because it puts ammo in the hands of the defense. Thats sound advice and they don't seem to be listening to it, so much so that Abraham is asking for a guardian because he is not sure all these folk swirling around are looking out for her or looking out for their own agendas. You can't tell me the marches and media appearances with her as the star are necessary. That stuff is right out of the race hustler playbook and I predict it may ultimately harm the prosecution of Megan's case if its not kept in check.
