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Please? And thank you.
The defense has nothing. They objected over the credibility of the two convicts who testified for the prosecution yet they turn around and put a disgraced former police officer (accused & convicted of giving misinformation to law enforcement-awaiting appeal) and a jailbird on the stand. Can we all laugh about credibility now?
Dustin should have taken Harper's advice in the beginning and pled guilty. Now he also has to contend with the fact that he has bankrupted his parents too because of his crimes. This kid has no soul, no moral compass and certainy no remorse.
GUILTY AS CHARGED!
Now we can all play the "how long will the jury deliberate" game. Once closing arguments are over- they are sequestered and cannot leave until a verdict is reached. I'm thinking 2-3 hours. Because of the weight and sheer volume of circumstantial evidence and the defense was sorely lacking I would think ths is a slam dunk guilty verdict.
BUT- what if Vouga just set up grounds for appeal based on his less than stellar performance in defending his client? He knows his client is guilty and he is going to lose. Either way- I hope Dustin enjoys his new home for the rest of his pathetic life and then faces the Devil himself when his time on Earth in a box is over.
JUSTICE FOR AMANDA BACH
Also- thinking as a juror- the orange tshirt that was found near Amanda's body had been freshly laundered according to one of the detectives. But it wasn't checked for DNA. Dustin could have used that tshirt to wrap around the wound to stop the bleeding.
Also- thinking like a juror- why did Dustin have Amanda's cell phone? She was never without her phone...EVER. No teenager is ever without their phone. And why did he throw it into the abandoned shack/house if he did nothing wrong? Then SURPRISE!!!! DADDY went and found the missing cell phone. This is too pathetic for words.
1. Why was there absolutely NO DNA found in Amanda's car? Think about everything you touch on and in your car on a daily basis. Since the car belonged to Amanda- her DNA should have been all over it since it was AMANDA'S CAR.
QUESTION: who wiped down the car? Who would know just how to wipe down a car?
2. Allison Bolde: we seem to have all forgotten about her. The testimony given by Brooke said Bolde kept repeating 'I can't believe this is happening.' The same statement the neighbor heard being repeated AFTER the other neighbor testified to hearing gunshots.
QUESTION: is Allison Bolde 'the voice' we have all heard so much about??? We know she was with Dustin in the wee hours of the morning.
3. The detective who testified about the cell phone pings not only show Dustin was lying about where he was but something else is bothering me. This road trip to Bloomington. The cell phone pings are in a straight line down 65 (as they should) until the car turned onto Highway 52.
QUESTION: why would someone get off the interstate that provides a straight shot to Indy then to Bloomington? Opinion- that gun is somewhere on 52 - in a ditch, in a pond, buried off in a cornfield. No wonder the McCowan's are not worried about the gun.
4. The detective who testified to the cell phone pings showed exactly what was provided to him by Verizon. He didn't need to be an expert to show a map and locate where the cell phone pings were located. While I believe the prosecution should have used a GPS expert and really narrowed down the location of the phone- there is nothing wrong with the testimony provided by the detective. It proved Dustin was lying about where he was & what he was doing the night Amanda died. All the defense did was throw a bunch of questions at the detective regarding accuracy of the pings and they certainly did not offer the source of their questions as coming from an expert in cell phone tower reception- just smoke and mirrors used to confuse the jury
5. The convicts who testified, by all intelligent thought, were credible. The prosecution made sure the jury understood that NO DEALS had been offered to the prisoners. They were testifying because it was the right thing to do- some convicts are capable of discerning right from wrong- they make bad choices and do bad things but their mental state was not called into question. Dustin had to come across as a bad a$$ in jail to keep his tail clear (if you know what I mean).
6. I hope the jury has paid attention to Dustin's demeanor during the trial. Not looking at the autopsy photos and crying when the testimony was given as to what happened to Amanda that night. He had not shed one tear up until then- good coaching Vouga. But at all other times Dustin sits at that table looking so smug- laughing and joking with his counsel. Clapping them on the back when he felt things were going his way. He is arrogant and downright disrespectful in the courtroom. As a juror- I would be paying attention to that. Body language says a lot about a person
The defense is going to get ugly in the days to come. As if they haven't been already. I hope we are ready for the disgusting ways Vouga intends to try to show proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Dustin didn't kill Amanda. I've seen him firsthand interrogating witnesses and he is as slimy as they come. He will be confusing. He will lead the witnesses as much as the judge will allow. He will call into question facts not relevant to the case just to throw off the jury.
I truly hope those 12 people can see through this smoke and mirrors act by the defense or I may lose faith in our entire justice system.
I was also in the courtroom today and I will tell you this- the only reporting this paper has is based on 2 witnesses that testified this morning. There is no mention of the 4 other people who testified this afternoon. 4 people who shed a lot of light on the timeline of events, the workings of McCowan's mind as to how he felt about Amanda (quote from a key witness "he said he hated Amanda"), his demeanor during the wee hours of the morning directly after Amanda failed to get home, as well as his lack of concern so much so that he went to IU to party it up (quote- "he sounded like a tape recorder" when calling friends to see if they had seen Amanda). He shed no tears. He was is usual 'calm' and 'laid back self.'
And speaking of demeanor- if I were on trial for my life- I would not be smiling and laughing with my attorneys and smirking at every objection (of which there were numerous) but then hide my head and cover my ears as the most heartbreaking pictures are shown.
I will say the Porter County detectives testified fantastically. There was a moment when the entire courtroom laughed because of such a convoluted question the detective asked three times for clarification and it took the Judge reading through it to make sense of the question attempting to be asked. That lightened the mood just a bit and just for a moment.
Please- if you are relying solely on these papers for your information you are sorely ill-informed as to what is actually happening in the courtroom.
How many 'coincidences' have to occur before people will see the light? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck, it's a freaking DUCK! Please just open your eyes. Many cases are won primarily based on circumstantial evidence. At this point, there is enough circumstantial evidence to convict McCowan of murder. And we haven't even heard the rest of the State's case. Too many 'coincidences' on that one night, on that one street, between the General Store and McCowan's house- Then to know the bullet that was pulled from Amanda just happened to be the same used in a .38 which was determined to be the type of gun that just happened to be missing from McCowan's dad's arsenal of which McCowan had access that shot the bullet that was pulled from Amanda's body. HUGE PROBLEM WITH THAT.
Even the testimony of McCowan's friends- they don't paint a pretty picture in my mind - even the tears he shed in front of the jury make me want to throw up. He went to IU to 'party in Amanda's honor'? She broke up with him people!!! Why would he want to 'honor her'? Cant you feel how morbid that sounds???? And those were the first tears shed by McCowan since he was arrested I believe- by the media accounts I've read. Good coaching Vouga.
But the smoke and mirrors of Vouga accusing practically every person of killing Amanda who took the stand really has me wondering about the defense. Is that their only defense? To deflect? Oh and the lack of physical evidence and the gun.
As I said earlier, we haven't heard the rest of the State's case. I am wanting to hear the technological evidence gathered through cell phone records and GPS. I hope the person testifying is also ready to be accused of murder because that's the only defense I'm hearing right now and it is pathetic and weak.
I can only imagine his his friends had to have felt today but I am very proud of them for telling the truth. It takes strength character to testify against their friend.
I feel so badly for the witness who helped find Amanda. Having to endure being accused of murder all because his wife is familiar with where the kids hang out. It is Wheeler so it's not like there is much more to do.
His dad should be kicked out of the CP Police Dept.
And the one last point I will make is about the blood that was confined to the hoodie that was washed. Amanda was over a foot shorter than Dustin. He would have no problem carrying her most anywhere he wanted. He may have only stopped short and dragged her a few feet to the spot where he left her. That would help explain the defense's 'where is the blood?' question. At least it would rebound any doubts.
I think so much more is going to be coming out that we may all be shocked by the time the tables are turned. And I can tell you from personal experience. Sitting on the state's side of the courtroom in a previous trial where Vouga was the defense attorney- they don't get any lower or sleazier than Vouga. He will twist and turn and manipulate questions and answers so that confusion sets in. I imagine it is going to get uglier once the defense gets their shot
Most 'facts' being repeated here are hearsay and have come from a variety of different social media outlets. Vouga, doing what he does best, is playing smoke and mirrors grasping at straws to find someone on the jury to believe McCowan didn't kill Amanda. Those of us who knew them would never even give Vouga the time of day. People like him and McCowan have a special place way down south when the time comes