5 ex-cops sentenced in Katrina killings case
Last week, Judge Kurt Engelhardt sentenced five police officers for their roles in the Danziger Bridge murders of two men after Hurricane Katrina. This piece by Cain Burdeau for the AP quotes some of Judge Engelhardt’s unbelievably harsh remarks:
U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt expressed frustration that he was bound by mandatory minimum sentencing laws to imprison former Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius and former officers Anthony Villavaso and Robert Faulcon for decades when other officers who engaged in similar conduct on the Danziger Bridge — but cut deals with prosecutors — are serving no more than eight years behind bars.
“These through-the-looking-glass plea deals that tied the hands of this court … are an affront to the court and a disservice to the community,” he said.
…
During a scathing lecture that lasted roughly two hours, Engelhardt questioned the credibility of officers who cut deals and testified against the defendants during last year’s trial.
“Citing witnesses for perjury at this trial would be like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500,” Engelhardt said.
Yowza.