Per The Ticket: Josh Brent sentenced to 10 years Probation and 180 days in jail.

[The Quest for Six]

No sympathy for Brent. This is the same clown that was setting off his alcohol sensor and failing drug tests when he had ONE THING TO DO IN HIS LIFE and that was not drink alcohol or use drugs.

Prison is going to do this man a world of good.

and the longer he spends in Prison, the better for all!!

 

[the_h0wey]

and the longer he spends in Prison, the better for all!!

Him getting caught smoking pot helped him. When he is convicted he can now get into the drug program and get out of prison sooner by completing the program and with good behavior. Vick did the same thing.

 

[Nightman]

i will (and am) teach my kids that driving under the influence is wrong and there is NO GREY AREA there

personal responsibility is getting lost amidst all the excuse making about "not passing judgement"

people in this very thread blamed the victim, already....... crazy but true

people like you will always find excuses

even jeffrey dahmer got fan mail so i should not be surprised

You are sending mixed signals. You say personal responsibility, but you assign no blame to Brown for getting in the car. Will you teach your kids about peer pressure as well, because that is what it looks like to me. Without knowing the details, it seems Brown deferred to Brent because he was with the team longer and the bigger name. Maybe he didn't think Brent was that intoxicated but it has been reported Brown had no alcohol in his system and should have made better choices. Why he didn't we will never know, but I don't see him as a victim in the same way I would someone in another car that was struck by Brent. And before you go off, no one is saying Brent isn't responsible for what he did. He is and should pay whatever price the courts and the jury decides.

 

[CooterBrown]

Would you rather have women on the jury or men? I noticed he has quite a few more women and I would think they would show more compassion especially when he has Mrs. Brown's support.

There are no hard and fast rules as to gender preferences in this kind of case. I would look for women who are not mothers, and younger men who are more likely to say to themselves, "that could be me on trial here." Also, people who work in rehab and other kinds of social workers. And religious preference is a big indicator as to potential jurors.

 

[jobberone]

I have stayed out of this thread up until this point, because we are all just spectators anyway, but after reading some of these posts I would like to give you a defense attorney's legal view of the case.
1. Josh Brent is charged with Intoxication Manslaughter. You all know that, but in order to be found guilty of that, not only must he be found to have driven while he was intoxicated, but the jury has to find that Brent's intoxication caused the death. If the defense can make the jury believe that Brent always drove over 100 miles per hour and that the accident and Brown's death would have occurred without the intoxication, then he is not guilty of intoxication manslaughter.
2. BAC is not an absolute guarantee of intoxication at the time of driving. A person's body absorbs alcohol, and eliminates alcohol at different rates depending on many factors, such as food, exercise, water, body weight, and time. On the average a person will eliminate alcohol at about .02 per hour through sweat and the lungs. If you turn up a bottle of whiskey and drink it down, you can walk out, get in your car and drive a mile without being DWI, but 10 minutes later, you will be very intoxicated. It takes time for the body to feel the effects. What type of drink he had, and when he had his last in relation to when he drove, compared to when the blood is drawn are factors the jury must consider.
3. Not even a blood test is absolute for the same reason given above.
4. The criticism of the defense attorney is absolutely off-base. In our system of justice, a person is entitled to a vigorous defense and most defense attorneys do their best to provide that. What kind of system would we have if our defense attorneys said, "oh, well, he is guilty so I won't insult your intelligence by mounting a defense"?
5. Brent's attorney does not have to prove he is not guilty. All he has to do is create a "reasonable doubt" in the minds of the jury.
6. Last January, I represented a young lady in a DWI trial. Her BAC, by blood test was .19. The jury found her "not guilty." Reasonable doubt can be found many ways.
7. Most jury trials are a crap shoot. Because you aren't privy to their thought processes and discussions, you never can predict what a jury will do. There is no way a casual observer, much less an slightly informed internet poster can say, whether Brent is guilty or not.
8. And lastly, just for informational purposes, in Texas we use a bifurcated trial system. What that means is that the trial is separated into two parts. First is the guilt-innocence phase where the jury decides only that, guilt or innocence. If they say, "not guilty" the trial is over. If they say "guilty" then the second part of the trial starts and that is when any mitigating or aggravating circumstances are presented. Sentence can be done by the judge or the jury, and the defendant has to choose which, before the trial even begins. I haven't followed this trial, so I do not know what election Brent made in that regard. I would expect that his attorney would choose the jury simply because our judges are elected and he could use this as a political stage to proclaim himself tough on crime. So, if the jury in this case says, "guilty" they will then hear more evidence, including any previous DWI that Brent may have had (they aren't allowed to consider that, or even hear about that, during guilt-innocence) Then they will retire to deliberate about the proper punishment. (and, even though I never predict a jury's decision, the fact that they have not yet reached a decision on guilt-innocence means there is a disagreement among them. When that happens, they will often make compromise decisions and agree to find him guilty but not to send him to prison. They are all instructed not to do that, but experience says they do it anyway.)
9. It is easy to sit behind a computer, read a newspaper or internet account of the evidence and consider this a slam-dunk for the prosecution. It is not that easy.

Nice post. Also all should be aware that some will still swab the arm with alcohol before drawing. They should know better but the alcohol on the skin can influence the test even when its 'dry'.

 

[OhSnap]

Anyone willing to admit they want him to be found not guilty OR a guilty sentence that would allow him to do community service and rehab Then be at camp this summer getting in shape to take up his spot on the D-line?

 

[speedkilz88]

You are sending mixed signals. You say personal responsibility, but you assign no blame to Brown for getting in the car. Will you teach your kids about peer pressure as well, because that is what it looks like to me. Without knowing the details, it seems Brown deferred to Brent because he was with the team longer and the bigger name. Maybe he didn't think Brent was that intoxicated but it has been reported Brown had no alcohol in his system and should have made better choices. Why he didn't we will never know, but I don't see him as a victim in the same way I would someone in another car that was struck by Brent. And before you go off, no one is saying Brent isn't responsible for what he did. He is and should pay whatever price the courts and the jury decides.

The most recent report was that Brown was just under the limit. Neither had their seat belts on which was probably the difference between injured and dead. The reports also say that Brown's body actually cushioned Brent's which allowed Brent to survive the accident.

 

[Kaiser]

Anyone willing to admit they want him to be found not guilty OR a guilty sentence that would allow him to do community service and rehab Then be at camp this summer getting in shape to take up his spot on the D-line?

I wouldn't say I'm rooting for it, the whole thing is a tragedy from start to finish. But if Brent is acquitted or ends up with a sentence that lets him join the team this year, I'm completely in favor of giving him the chance to go to training camp.

 

[Hoofbite]

Anyone willing to admit they want him to be found not guilty OR a guilty sentence that would allow him to do community service and rehab Then be at camp this summer getting in shape to take up his spot on the D-line?

Doubtful many will admit but that's likely the case for a good number of posters.

 

[BlueStar22]

Anyone willing to admit they want him to be found not guilty OR a guilty sentence that would allow him to do community service and rehab Then be at camp this summer getting in shape to take up his spot on the D-line?

We do need help on the D-Line. Look, there is a reason the organization has not distanced from Josh Brent. I heard a couple times today that Jerry was doing a interview in Mobile and stopped to take a call thinking the it could be the verdict coming in.

 

[Idgit]

Anyone willing to admit they want him to be found not guilty OR a guilty sentence that would allow him to do community service and rehab Then be at camp this summer getting in shape to take up his spot on the D-line?

I don't believe he's innocent, so I can't say I want that, but I think the very best outcome for all parties is for him to be able to continue his NFL career, if he's in shape to do so, and for there to be a civil settlement with Jerry Brown's family. Ultimately, I'd like him to turn his life around, to make restitution, and to meet whatever criminal obligation he deserves. I hope he's also an object lesson to other players who are vulnerable to the same bad decisions.

And, if he's playing in the NFL at a high level, I'd much prefer that be in Dallas than in another city.

 

[Kaiser]

Brent was just found guilty. That answers that.

 

[Zordon]

 

[DWhite Fan]

And that's that...

 

[TheCoolFan]

See ya Brent

 

[DWhite Fan]

 

[Zordon]

Sean Lee’s show of support in the trial of Josh Brent is an example of his leadership, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said.

“Certainly doesn’t surprise me. That’s Sean – the leader of our football team,” he said.

A jury deliberated for a second day Wednesday in Brent’s intoxication manslaughter trial. Brent played defensive tackle three seasons for the Cowboys until retiring last July, having missed the last four games of 2012 following his arrest after the one-car accident in which a teammate, linebacker Jerry Brown, died.

“Sean Lee’s just a class act, a leader, supportive of his teammates,” Jones said. “Not unlike Troy did with Michael many, many years ago. Leaders lead, and he’s showing Josh – they were teammates together – that he supports him.”

Read more here: http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.co...-of-support-at-brent-trial.html#storylink=cpy

 

[peplaw06]

And during the punishment phase the jury will hear about all of his priors.

 

[TwoCentPlain]

Sometimes in life there is no right answer going forward and there is no path going back to correct a wrong.

Putting Brent in jail serves little purpose other than to make an example (a poor example imo) for young kids. I don't think sending Brent to jail will make him any more remorseful and sorry for what he has done. The grieving family doesn't want him to go to jail and if his best friend could talk, I'm sure he would say 'all is forgiven and make me proud good friend.'

 

[Zimmy Lives]

I avoided this thread for obvious reasons. Now that Brent has been tried and convicted, I hope everyone can move on and learn from this tragedy. Most importantly, I hope Brent finally understands and accepts the consequences of his actions.