A "Black Swan Event" is when the unexpected occurs, causing a huge mindshift and change in how the world works. People never imagined that Black Swans existed, until the discovery of the first Black Swan... (as per book "The Black Swan", by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, 2007, that sold over 3 million copies)

Is a perception change the next Black Swan Event? Consider that by changing perception we might change the world. Look at everyday things from different angles. Find beauty in the unexpected...
Change our thinking, change our actions, change our world!

See that all people are part of God's puzzle and have something to give. Black swans do exist. The ugly duckling was actually a swan who needed to discover himself and where he fitted and be who he was meant to be. To the last, the lost and the least, you are beautiful as you are.
May all who visit this page feel God's touch and experience His blessing...

Thursday 28 March 2013

Mindsets of Guilt or Innocence: Is Evidence Allowed to Speak?

A small farming community. A murder. A 16 year old is arrested as the only suspect.

I have been following a murder trial and it worries me that the wrong suspect may be in custody. He is a 16 year old boy, accused of murdering his guardians and raping and murdering a 14 year old girl, in Griekwastad. The family was found dead inside a blood smeared farmhouse in South Africa, where farm murders are becoming so common that these seem to be targeted attacks to eliminate farmers.

The boy said he was outside in a shed when he heard gunshots and he waited there for a while until everything became silent, and then he ran to them, and he helped the girl as she lay dying and she died in his arms. And then he drove frantically to the nearest police station, taking two guns along with him which he found at the murder scene.

The boys hands were tested for gunshot residue the night of the murder, though apparently he was only arrested as a suspect a few weeks later. As far as I can tell, there were no other suspects questioned. Police were at the scene of the murder that night, until one o'clock in the morning, and then a nearby farmer was allowed into the farmhouse the very next day and he and a few kindly helpers washed away the blood from the bodies and burnt carpets and clothing soaked in blood, eliminating key evidence. The police found an abandoned bakkie (a small ute) on the road to the farm, later said to be a farmworker's vehicle, as well as a kitchen knife in the road, which they said seemed to have been lying there too long to have been from the murder scene. Two guns were said to be found lying in the dirt outside the farmhouse, as well as two cooldrink glasses. The kitchen door was damaged but there was no sign of forced entry. The young girl was raped and grass was seen on her clothing, implying she was raped outside and then brought inside, but I have yet to read that a rape swab was taken and tested for the crucial DNA clues it might reveal. Only a couple of drawers looked like they were ransacked, and many valuables were still on the scene, which is a key point as often in farm murders the house is ransacked, valuables are stolen, especially guns and cell phones, and items are strewn around the room. Of course, intruders might have been interrupted.

I have watched and waited for news articles of the trial and have read each eagerly. Not much is reported as the boy is a minor and his evidence is held in camera. But some information about the trial does get out. What strikes me in this case is how sure the public are of the child's guilt. I am not sure if the boy is guilty or not, especially as I am not familiar with all evidence held, but it worries me that he is assumed as guilty by everyone. Yesterday I read that no gunshot residue was found on his hands the night of the murder when his hands were tested. Wow, that is quite a finding! No gunshot residue means it is highly unlikely that he fired guns that night. Yet, one of the first comments I read was not that the boy might therefore be innocent, or that an accomplice might have fired the guns, it was speculation of how he could have avoided gun shot residue when he fired the guns, and was he possibly wearing gloves! People look for evidence confirming their beliefs, and will even become quite creative to ensure facts fit their picture of reality. Guilty or not? I am not sure. But evidence must be allowed to tell the story, and not mindsets of predetermined guilt or innocence.

In the movie, 12 Angry Men, a boy was accused of murdering his father and faced a death penalty. Eleven members on a jury immediately said he was guilty when they convened. Only one jury member was prepared to talk about the truth. In the end, the boy was acquitted of murder as each jury member changed his mind. The lone jury member  who took a stand for justice said, "You see, sometimes the facts that are staring at you in the face are wrong!" Read my blog article about this called: The Power Of One Voice (Part 2): 12 Angry Men

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