Does this pass the smell test? Dragon*Con founder Ed Kramer spent 13 years avoiding trial on child molestation charges, then took a plea-bargain when trial was imminent last December, but now his new attorney is trying to get that conviction thrown out so Kramer can have “a fair trial to demonstrate his innocence, which he has steadfastly maintained.”
His attorney has already succeeded in having District Attorney Danny Porter disqualified from handling Kramer’s habeas corpus petition on the state’s behalf because Porter might be called as a witness in any related hearings. A motion has also been submitted to disqualify the judge who had jurisdiction over his case. The Gwinnett (GA) Daily Post reports:
In the 21-page habeas corpus document, Reba, the ninth defense attorney Kramer has retained over the years, claims that his client’s plea was ill-gotten for a number of reasons.
Among them is the allegation that Porter, the district attorney, and Gwinnett County Superior Court Judge Karen Beyers essentially colluded to “disappear” a 2009 ruling that, due to Kramer’s numerous medical ailments, placed the ability to initial trial proceedings in the hands of Kramer and his attorneys. That came into play in 2011, when Porter fought to have Kramer extradited from Connecticut after he was allegedly caught alone in a hotel room with a teenage boy.
Further allegations claim that Beyers and Porter did not provide medical accommodations that would have allowed Kramer to stand trial. That, the recent filings claim, forced Kramer to enter his Alford plea — which is legally a guilty plea but allows the defendant to maintain innocence — on Dec. 2, 2013, the day jury selection was scheduled to begin in his trial.
Kramer is accused of sexually assaulting three teenage boys, each of whom approved Kramer’s 2013 plea deal and were awarded $100,000 restitution. Since pleading guilty in December, Kramer has been serving his time at home under house arrest.
Discover more from File 770
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
That’s a lawyer’s job. Good thing Mr. Kramer made a fortune running Dragoncons so that he could hire a GOOD one, eh? Of course, me might have had some other justice system, whereby everyone got a first rate defense and money made no difference, but if I knew what it was, congress would probably be against it anyway…
I’m betting this is all a ploy to avoid paying his victims the $300K he owes them under the terms of his plea bargain. If nothing else, it’s a massive waste of his and the taxpayer’s money, as his previous attorney (who I notice has dropped him) told the court that Kramer knew he was still under bond and that his case had not been thrown out when he was released from house arrest in 2009.
The criminal system of justice is designed to protect the innocent. I’ve heard comments that it is better that 1 innocent person not be punished even if it means that 10 guilty people avoid punishment. Unfortunately that allows people who are guilty to use it to shield themselves from punishment. Probably one of the reasons that I practiced civil law and avoided the criminal justice system. It’s not perfect but there is a cost for our system. Get used to it. I am specifically not implying that that Ed Kramer is one of the 10 guilty people since I only know what I have read on the subject and experience has taught me that information gleaned that way is not always the best evidence. I expect that this saga will continue for years to come.
If Kramer wanted a trial, he could have had one two or three times already. He pleaded guilty in December instead of availing himself of the opportunity. We’re all exericising our rights in this case — he can litigate his plea bargain, while I can observe that his actions are inconsistent with what his lawyer claims are his motives.
Will these victims who are now young men, ever get to see an end to this? I am the mother of two of the boys. I. made a terrible mistake and unknowingly and very nievely placed them in danger. These young men have gone to war in the military, have fought for our country, started their own families. I am so proud of them for following through to see justice done. But has justice been done? Over the last many years trial dates have come and gone. Kramer did not want to face trial, so he plead guilty. Now he “claims” he was forced, coerced, or whatever his sick mind came up with. Will these young men ever be able to put it behind them? I am so, so, so sorry that I ever met this monster. I am so, so, so sorry that I put my children in harm’s way. When will this nightmare end? Will there ever be an end? We are not going anywhere. We will continue to be his nightmare. He chose the wrong. family.