7 year old girl abducted from my sisters apartment complex!( Updated 12.5.11)

TXgolfer said:
I am certain all of us have empathy for them.....including Steinhauer.
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Of course. I read Sallylou's post wrong. I thought she was saying that most of us here havent shown empathy for ADers who were victims.
 
shel90 said:
Of course. I read Sallylou's post wrong. I thought she was saying that most of us here havent shown empathy for ADers who were victims.
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No, she was not saying that at all. She was referring to the less than sensitive things that have been said about rape victims or victims of sexual assault by a very few.
 
jillio said:
No, she was not saying that at all. She was referring to the less than sensitive things that have been said about rape victims or victims of sexual assault by a very few.
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I went back and read it because I was wondering why TXGolfer emphasized that Steinhaur has empathy and realized that she was directing it to him. Ooops...
 
shel90 said:
I went back and read it because I was wondering why TXGolfer emphasized that Steinhaur has empathy and realized that she was directing it to him. Ooops...
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Yeah. Sometimes people make remarks about victims without thinking. One out of 4 adult women will have been raped or sexually assaulted in their lifetime. On a forum like this, there are several victims. It is insensitive to make some of the remarks that have been made around here. We shouldn't have to know that a rape victim is reading it. Such disregard should never be expressed period. I can understand where sallylou is coming from.
 
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. If you are looking for a harsher court system, I'd suggest Guantanamo Bay or perhaps one of our allied nations.

In the case of child sexual abuse, it's complicated by the fact that the majority of cases happen within the family unit, this is why the abuse is ignored. As much as we have gotten better at this, there is always going to be secrecy in the family unit so it is not an easy problem to solve.

As a society, we have (of late) gotten better at handling things outside the family unit which is a great step in the right direction, IMO. Although, even in those cases justice is not always done.
 
VacationGuy234 said:
Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. If you are looking for a harsher court system, I'd suggest Guantanamo Bay or perhaps one of our allied nations.

In the case of child sexual abuse, it's complicated by the fact that the majority of cases happen within the family unit, this is why the abuse is ignored. As much as we have gotten better at this, there is always going to be secrecy in the family unit so it is not an easy problem to solve.

As a society, we have (of late) gotten better at handling things outside the family unit which is a great step in the right direction, IMO. Although, even in those cases justice is not always done.
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The vast majority of cases are within the family unit, and even go unreported until the victim reaches the age of majority. By that time, the statute of limitations has generally expired and any evidence is gone other than the victim's word. It is amazing how many times other family members will turn against the victim when the victim does speak out, too.
 
jillio said:
The crime did not happen in Puerto Rico. One is tried for a crime where the crime occured.
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I am fully aware of that. I am also aware that we have an outraged community, and everyone and their brother, sister, mother and dad have heard about it. Slim pickings for jury members.

I am also aware that Jorelys' father is a citizen of Puerto Rico (and yes, I also know that means he is a US citizen). I am fairly certain he could charge the killer of his daughter from Puerto Rico.

I do know the killer will be tried by the State of Georgia as well as U.S. Government; and since Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S. with its own independent government, I do not see a conflict of interest with the father pressing charges via the Puerto Rican government.

I also strongly believe that if the killer is tried in Puerto Rico, he will not be subjected to individuals claiming he was misunderstood, had a bad childhood, etc. and be living off the tax payers dime for the rest of his life in a jail cell with free cable tv. To be clear, Jorelyns' mother wants the harshest sentence doled out to the killer. I also believe that it would give their family a better sense of closure if the killer was tried in "their territory".

That is just my opinion though. I am sure yours will be a lot different.
 
jillio said:
Yeah. Sometimes people make remarks about victims without thinking. One out of 4 adult women will have been raped or sexually assaulted in their lifetime. On a forum like this, there are several victims. It is insensitive to make some of the remarks that have been made around here. We shouldn't have to know that a rape victim is reading it. Such disregard should never be expressed period. I can understand where sallylou is coming from.
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I honestly dont remember any of the remarks. I have a hard time remembering who said what if it was more than a few months ago.
 
Steinhauer said:
I am fully aware of that. I am also aware that we have an outraged community, and everyone and their brother, sister, mother and dad have heard about it. Slim pickings for jury members.

I am also aware that Jorelys' father is a citizen of Puerto Rico (and yes, I also know that means he is a US citizen). I am fairly certain he could charge the killer of his daughter from Puerto Rico.

I do know the killer will be tried by the State of Georgia as well as U.S. Government; and since Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S. with its own independent government, I do not see a conflict of interest with the father pressing charges via the Puerto Rican government.

I also strongly believe that if the killer is tried in Puerto Rico, he will not be subjected to individuals claiming he was misunderstood, had a bad childhood, etc. and be living off the tax payers dime for the rest of his life in a jail cell with free cable tv. To be clear, Jorelyns' mother wants the harshest sentence doled out to the killer. I also believe that it would give their family a better sense of closure if the killer was tried in "their territory".

That is just my opinion though. I am sure yours will be a lot different.
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If the killer wasnt from PR, why would he be tried there? Unless you were referring to the accused? Is he from PR too?
 
Steinhauer said:
I am fully aware of that. I am also aware that we have an outraged community, and everyone and their brother, sister, mother and dad have heard about it. Slim pickings for jury members.

I am also aware that Jorelys' father is a citizen of Puerto Rico (and yes, I also know that means he is a US citizen). I am fairly certain he could charge the killer of his daughter from Puerto Rico.

I do know the killer will be tried by the State of Georgia as well as U.S. Government; and since Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S. with its own independent government, I do not see a conflict of interest with the father pressing charges via the Puerto Rican government.

I also strongly believe that if the killer is tried in Puerto Rico, he will not be subjected to individuals claiming he was misunderstood, had a bad childhood, etc. and be living off the tax payers dime for the rest of his life in a jail cell with free cable tv. To be clear, Jorelyns' mother wants the harshest sentence doled out to the killer. I also believe that it would give their family a better sense of closure if the killer was tried in "their territory".

That is just my opinion though. I am sure yours will be a lot different.
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The father cannot press charges via the Puerto Rican government. The crime did not happen there.

If a change of venue is requested, and I have no doubt it will, it will probably be to another city in the state of GA.

So, basically, what you want is to take away all the features built into the system that protect the accused from being falsely convicted or treated inhumanely.
 
shel90 said:
If the killer wasnt from PR, why would he be tried there? Unless you were referring to the accused? Is he from PR too?
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Exactly. The crime did not happen there. It happened in Georgia. Extradition only occurs when someone who committed a crime has left the area that the crime was committed in and they have to be brought back to the area.
 
Steinhauer said:
I also strongly believe that if the killer is tried in Puerto Rico, he will not be subjected to individuals claiming he was misunderstood, had a bad childhood, etc. and be living off the tax payers dime for the rest of his life in a jail cell with free cable tv. To be clear, Jorelyns' mother wants the harshest sentence doled out to the killer. I also believe that it would give their family a better sense of closure if the killer was tried in "their territory".
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The fact that any inmate lives off the taxpayers dime is justice because innocent people are in prison. The sentence given will be for the revocation of freedom which is a harsh punishment in itself. If you want to take away everything a man has and everything he will ever have, you are talking about death not punishment.

The family, unfortunately, will NEVER be GIVEN closure for something like this, it is not something that can be given so much as reasoned by the individual.

As far as stacking the jury with like minded people, in a case like this, I don't think that is an issue.
 
Steinhauer said:
I am fully aware of that. I am also aware that we have an outraged community, and everyone and their brother, sister, mother and dad have heard about it. Slim pickings for jury members.

I am also aware that Jorelys' father is a citizen of Puerto Rico (and yes, I also know that means he is a US citizen). I am fairly certain he could charge the killer of his daughter from Puerto Rico.

I do know the killer will be tried by the State of Georgia as well as U.S. Government; and since Puerto Rico is a territory of the U.S. with its own independent government, I do not see a conflict of interest with the father pressing charges via the Puerto Rican government.

I also strongly believe that if the killer is tried in Puerto Rico, he will not be subjected to individuals claiming he was misunderstood, had a bad childhood, etc. and be living off the tax payers dime for the rest of his life in a jail cell with free cable tv. To be clear, Jorelyns' mother wants the harshest sentence doled out to the killer. I also believe that it would give their family a better sense of closure if the killer was tried in "their territory".

That is just my opinion though. I am sure yours will be a lot different.
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Going back to this. The killer will never be tried in Puerto Rico if his defense team askes for a change in venue. I have never heard nor read of such thing. Maybe in a different county or city, yes but not in a different state let alone in an U.S. territory.
 
shel90 said:
Going back to this. The killer will never be tried in Puerto Rico if his defense team askes for a change in venue. I have never heard nor read of such thing. Maybe in a different county or city, yes but not in a different state let alone in an U.S. territory.
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Exactly. That is like saying that because a victim is of Italian heritage, the crime has to be tried in Italy when it occurred in the United States. That is just plain silly.
 
It's a difficult subject. I've been in therapy groups over the year, and I ask myself why are there so many survivors of child sexual assault? It's crazy. It's one in three for females. The whole Catholic church debacle involved both boys and girls. Now, all of the boy scouts and sports abuse scandals. There's got to be a better way to protect our children. I feel like we've let them down. We let this little girl down. I don't have the answer. *sigh*
 
sallylou said:
It's a difficult subject. I've been in therapy groups over the year, and I ask myself why are there so many survivors of child sexual assault? It's crazy. It's one in three for females. The whole Catholic church debacle involved both boys and girls. Now, all of the boy scouts and sports abuse scandals. There's got to be a better way to protect our children. I feel like we've let them down. We let this little girl down. I don't have the answer. *sigh*
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I have read some studies that state that it takes 3 generations to rectify the harm done through child sexual abuse and reduce the likelihood of it being repeated in some way by the victims. Female victims are less likely to continue the cycle by actually offending, but they do continue the harm by the negative impact it has on their ability to attach and form healthy relationships.

I'm glad to know that you have taken the measures to deal with your own tragedy.
 
sallylou said:
It's a difficult subject. I've been in therapy groups over the year, and I ask myself why are there so many survivors of child sexual assault? It's crazy. It's one in three for females. The whole Catholic church debacle involved both boys and girls. Now, all of the boy scouts and sports abuse scandals. There's got to be a better way to protect our children. I feel like we've let them down. We let this little girl down. I don't have the answer. *sigh*
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Something happened to my sister when we were kids that I do not feel comfortable discussing here .... Because I do not have her permission. I can say this, when my father found out about it, he took care of it immediately.
 
Thanks, Jillio. 3 generations in my family. I feel fortuante that I could get an education and learn how to build healthy relationships. There are so many that don't. Resilience is good but not everyone has it.
 
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