What a nice guy!
Hours after detectives arrested Vincent Smothers in a suburban Detroit alley in the spring of 2008, they say, he came out with a stunning confession: “I don’t have a profession,” he allegedly told an investigator. “I kill people for money.”
Then, police say, he laid out details of how each of eight hired hits happened. He stalked his victims before shooting them at close range. He killed some while talking on his cell phone and fired on others even when they appeared to lay lifeless on the ground.
Even in Detroit, which had more than 300 slayings last year, Smothers’ case is notable: Rarely is one person charged in so many deaths.
Police say Smothers confessed to murders on Detroit’s impoverished east side from 2006 until the end of 2007, with the last alleged hit coming on Dec. 26, 2007.
Now, his lawyers want these shocking confessions thrown out, planning on Friday to ask a judge to have them tossed on the grounds that Smothers was worn down while in custody.
Police deny it.
“He’d been accused of doing so many, he just wanted to get it over (with),” said Detective Sgt. Ken Ducker of the Michigan State Police.
Police say the work paid $60,000 over two years, although Smothers did one job for as little as $50. All but one of his victims were involved in drugs. The exception was a police officer’s wife….
I’ve heard stories about police and coercion. I’m sorry, but in this case, I don’t believe it one bit.
I understand that everyone’s entitled to a defense, but shame on those attorneys for trying to make that claim. This guy confessed in detail about his crimes! You can’t make that stuff up, even when, or IF, being coerced into a confession.
It was good that the police coerced psychos like this one. We shouldn’t blame them if they resort to dirty tactics just to catch hardcore perpetrators.
This case just shows how immoral most criminal lawyers are and why human rights advocates seem dumb.
I have to agree with you on this one. This guy is clearly guilty and I don’t care how they got him! Unfortunately, it’s cases like this one, that makes it harder on those that are actually coerced into false confessions.
Lette, this guy is a sleezeball. He needs to be behind bars for the rest of his life.
I agree CT! He is morally bankrupt and a true danger to society.
How are you Lette? I have been ove at the dung pile, reading the newset droppings. And thney call us moonbats, and brainwashed. Good grief, they practically drool all over themselves, trying to get the supreme leader of the haters club to notice them. I saw that the shooter at the Holocaust Museum had child pornagraphy found on his computer. And a note about what the Jews had done and how all the ills we are facing are their fault. Are they sure this man is not a closet Nazi??
Those nut jobs are just covering. They thought I was crazy when I warned about people like this guy. Remember my post on the Tea Party Terrorists?
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-228736
They’re all the same. You have a bunch of home grown, domestic terrorists over there.
I do remember that post and all the grief you took and the names they had the temerity to call you. Yes, they are, but they are being monitored, I am sure. You can’t continually make veiled threats and expect to be ignored. Of course, who knows maybe they like being watched!! Certain ones sure do seem to enjoy being idolized. LOL
They can enjoy being watched right into Federal Prison!
You got that right.
Boy, my fingers are sure not working very well today. My typos are atrocious.
Afternoon, ladies.
Ctlss, read your comment about the dung pile. What I find interesting is their train of illogical BS. Their hatred is pure nazism. Their counter argument is that Hitler was socialist. So, they try to divide Hitler into one piece — that of politics, forgetting that he was a racial bigot, and vindictive, evil, person just like they are. Additionally, Hitler used propoganda, just like they do.
The dung heaps have impugned their credibility, and become a laughing stock across the world, because of their extremism.
Good afternoon Auntie! They haven’t forgotten anything. It’s part of their psychotic manipulation of words!
About the subject at hand — this is one reason why prosecutors have to be sure that they have evidence besides confessions.
Confessions are generally used to get the alleged perpetrator to plea bargain. That prevents trial and saves the court system money and prosecutors’ time.
On the other hand, if the alleged perp pleads innocent and goes to trial, prosecutors must be able to prove guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt. Many times, confessions are disallowed by the court because of Fifth Amendment provisions.
The same constitutional provisions that protect the innocent also protect the guilty.
Rather than charge the perp with all the murders, the prosecutors might narrow it down to those murders or the one murder that they can prove.
Auntie, I knew that legal mind of yours would tell you that!
But what do you think about this guy?
Absolutely correct Auntie. The fact that he confessed to murder doesn’t necessarily mean he did it. There have been a lot of “confessors” that turned out to simply be people with psychological problems.
True, but I think this guy is guilty! His attorney is doing what slick defense attorneys do… using the system!
That is probably exactly what is happening, and that is the reason that the police department and Prosecuting Atorney’s office needs to make sure they have evidence to back up the confessions, otherwise he may well be found not guilty, and if that happens, he can shout his guilt from the rooftops, and they can do nothing.
That’s right! I’m hoping that they do collect evidence and don’t get overzealous to the point where it becomes tainted.
I agree that he probably is guilty and that he should be tried and if convicted put in jail for the rest of his life.
The defense attorney is doing his/her job in trying to defend him. With that confession out there there isn’t much they can do so they are trying to get it tossed out.
Maddening as it is our legal system works for the most part so lets just let it do its job.
Good morning lette!
Can you really say these cuties are trash like Glenn Beck? If you do – you keep Glenn Beck and I keep the hedgehogs!
I got these links in the email this AM – I did not know they can swim – the next one long and the people are really batty but click thru it — it is pretty funny. I don’t think a normal person would have these as pets LOL. I love these critters but I would never have one as a pet. I have a charm braclet with 9 different hedgehogs on it – that is enough for me and looking at these videos. Tell me you don’t think they are cute!
the last link was wrong, sorry – embedding is disbled – I don’t know how to place a URL here but I’ll try again
ps: Confession helps but they still need to prove he did at least one murder.
Sorry I wasn’t able to return sooner. It was a stressful week at work. I slept from about 5:30 last night until 1 this afternoon. Whew.
What do I think about this guy? Anyone who brags like he did is probably guilty.
The investigators would have done better asking that when he stalked his victims, if he saw anyone else? Then try to find those people to see if they saw him.
For this case to really be effective, those people who paid him would need to be brought up on charges. The investigators need their testimony, bank records, anything that points to them paying this guy. Without them, the perp is alleging his motive as murder for hire, without there being proof that he was hired.
Hey, Auntie and anyone else who may be lurking in the etherworld. I am watching the riots in Iran, and that is real grassroots movement and if the people manage to get the freedoms they crave, and democracy wins, then it will be much more likely to survive, than Iraq, because the people fought for, it was not thrust upon them.
Hey CT. I was writing a comment to you when my IE bombed out on me.
The problem in Iraq is an internal, civil, religious war. They are bombing their own, and the bad guys retaliate against those in the police forces by killing them, and/or members of their family.
That cannot be resolved with the presence of American military forces. It’s a problem that Iraq must resolve on their own.
What is happening in Iraq and Iran is the result of theocratic governments. Yet, there are some Obama haters who believe that America must operate under theocratic principles in government. Alan Keyes is one such person. If he was in charge, there would probably be video cameras in every bedroom in America — even that of married people. If Keyes was to think that the position used were disapproved by his God, he would condemn the people to hell — probably to Gitmo.
A simple resolve in Iran is to recount the votes. As I heard it, the votes were cast and counted in a mere 4 hours. And, that was using a manual process.
Re: the dung heap. They should appreciate constitutional freedom of speech. No one intended to deprive them of it on iReport. Rather, they deliberately tried depriving others of exercising that freedom by using bully tactics. Remember how they accused anyone reporting the truth about Sarah Palin as being “obsessed” with her to justify their attacks on those reporters?
What they intended to do was bully people into silence — scare them away — antagonize to have them banned from iReport. That backfired on them.
Their mind-control practicing leader alleges to being a “former iReporter,” not being honest enough to admit that he was BANISHED in March.
It takes no talent, and very little effort to turn out multiple posts of propaganda. Like writing a comic book, you pick a villian and a hero, put on a baiting title to make people think they are purchasing a new edition, when the script is nothing more than a regurgitation of the same phrases and plots.
So, when are the dung heap followers going to learn that comic book writers do not destroy their villians? Without the made-up villians, the script writers have no followers.
And as we can see, the script writer choses Democratic villians, but he lacks heros in his series. There is no hero — not one — just the same regurgitations about the villian to appeal to those sensitive to fear mongering.
I heard the same Auntie, and the people are sick of Ahmadenijad. They are tired of the absolute religious control. Hopefully they will plant the seeds of democracy.
I doubt that it will make a difference. The President of Iran is not the issue. It will be whatever the Supreme Leader desires!
Lette, you will probably love the following:
http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/123887/