"Sounds like there's no there, there", said Judge Blue regarding the post-verdict motions made by the hayes defense team this week, the first a request to delay sentencing and the second a motion for a new trial.
Mr. Dearington might not have read the second defense motion at the time of this article, but I did and I can assure that it is more of the same nonsense;: A waste of taxpayer money being spent up by an overly tenacious public defender with a bad case of sour grapes.It almost appears that Attorney Ulmann shares the same kind of hatred of perceived affluence that helped fuel his client, and accomplice, to commit and escalate these crimes as they did.. All I know is that we have heard way too much of Ullmann's by now, very tired " special treatment" accusations aimed at the victims of this case, accusations that began shortly after he was "compelled" to take on Steven Hayes as a client.
In fact, these same cries of classism and racism (I know, of all things) were at the core of a overly personalized, very unprofessional tirade made by Ullmann over a year ago in response to prosecutor Dearington's request for two simultaneous trials for The Petit murder co-accomplices, Steven Hayes and Joshua Komsisarjevsky..
These very same crimes a year later Mr Ulmann would assurre the Hayes jury, caused he and his co-counsel " a terrible sadness." On this particular occasion however, Ulmann was bitterly claiming that" it makes me sick" ie. that the courts were EVEN cconsidering, ( for a seeming nano-second ) the practical viability of trying both men simultaneously.
It "made Mr Ullmann sick. "
Let me give yall a bit of background here; The entire prospect of trying the two defendants in these murders was being considered for several good reasons; one, in an effort to give some kind of more reasonable timetable for the criminal cases for both the families and sole survivor and witness,William Petit, Petit, by that point, had been waiting over two years with little to no actual movement in the cases. No date for the first Jury selection had been set.
Secondly the state wished to spare the families and William Petit from re-living the horrors of these crimes in two seperate trials, trials likely carried out over years, This would keep he and his family in an emotional stasis, unable to heal from his trauma and grief.due As well as the practical need to retain as much information/memory about the night of the murfers in order to be the best possible witness for the State.
Petit was in the unusual psosition of being a victim, a witness and a greiving family member.
Seeing as both men had openly admitted that they'd planned and carried out the crimes together, it was undisputed that the crimes were a joint venture, This certainly could have made for an argument that two accomplices should be tried together,and many people in the state assumed that they would. It certainly wouldnt be the first time that this was done., But as criminals are want to do, the two men were trying to pin the very worst of the crimes on each other, ( you know the parts that were eligible for the death peanlty)and this meant adversarial defenses,and any notion of one trial was quickly dropped for that reason.
However, the idea of trying the two men at the same time, in different courtrooms, in order to save adjudication time, spare the family and survivor william Petitt, the considerable emotional toll that two trials spread out over years would bring, this seemed a fair consideration. Although there were some very real practical obstacles to overcome such as Cout size to accomodate the anticupated media and attendees.
No sooner was the State investigating these issues than the objections from Ullmann and his team went from grumbling to a loud roar. Hence, the" makes me sick " comment used to punctuate a by now familiar refrain. "If these victims were black or minority...the defendents would already have gotten life in prsion in a deal, its only because the father is a doctor and blah blah blah blah blah"
Needless to say, the idea of simultaneous trials was dropped prosecution pulled the plug rescinded the request,most likely concerned that it could later be used as fodder for a motion formistrial especially with Ullmann shouting from the rooftops "special treatment!!!!
Hence, the " it makes me sick comment" from Ullmann who used it to punctuate an ugly, and by now familiar, refrain;" if these victims were black or minority my client would already be serving life,via a deal etc....etc
This is absolute crap: Case in point, the tragic murders of Karen and B.J Clarke, both African Americans, for whom state vigorously pursued death sentences for; the shooter, the man who ordered the killing, as well as the person driving the get away car! The murders also resulted in new state legislation for better protection for state witnesses, it is named The " BJ and Karen Clarke law"'
This kind of hate- mongering and attempts to make racial issues where none exist, is truly grotesque.
I've wondered if Thomas Ullmann some kind of issues of his own with what he considers "class," money, or "affluence"Not that the Petits were,or are exactly the picture of affluence, power or privilege" as he has tried so tirelessly to project; They lived a modest lifestyle, in a town that is decidedly middle class lived simply church and civic minded they put on no airs.
But perhaps this persistant notion of the haves and the have nots is the only way that Ullmann can transform killers, rapists and other predators into pitiful underdogs.
.Then again, maybe it's all hubris and theatrics. .
All I know is that this man's hatefulness's of a victim of his clients crimes, a man who was beaten on the head to within an inch of his life in the middle of the night as he slept, while his client stood guard, led him bloodied and half consicous to a pole in his basement, tied him up, taking time to grab his bloody wallet, this is the ultimate in irony.
William Petit's daughters as we know, were doused in gasoline by Mr. Ullmanns client, along with the body of their mother, whom Steven Hayes admits to strangling, and raping while the girls, tied to their beds were forced to listen to the struggle that ended in silence. Ulmmanns client helped set the girls on fire, running out of the burning house, laughing, with Hayley Petit's school hat on top of his head.
And now...?
Within a recent post -verdict motion, Attorney Ullmann and Co..complained among other things, that the victim's families were given two whole rows to sit in at the trial.. They also strongly resented and formally objected to, the victims families being given a room in the courthouse to gather,where they might be able to digest painful testimony and evidence which seemed incessent at times. pray ad cry unmolested..A small space away from the eyes of the media,who had gathered due to no fault of their own.
Clearly a private people, it was obvious to anyone watching, that this family would have preferred not to have to deal with any of the fan-fare that accompanied this trial. But unlike Mr Ullmann, they managed to remain humble and gracious throughout the ordeal, (and it was a horrible ordeal) despite the substantial pain and daily indignities that the process visited upon them.
