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Monday, April 11, 2011
Ind. Gov't. - Thoughts on the new Marion County prosecutor
The charge of murder against Bei Bei Shuai is pending. A bail hearing will resume Wednesday. This prosecution has caught many of us by surprise.
A reader has sent the ILB the following appraisal of Terry Curry's first three months as prosecutor. One may or may not agree with all, or any, of it. But it is thought provoking.
I have been surprised and overall disappointed with Terry Curry in his first three months. Granted, he's not become embroiled in any sort of ethical scandal, which was a big part of his campaign, but his decisions in the three most highly publicized cases have shown him to be exceedingly tough and, in some cases, unreasonable.
First, he filed several alcohol-related charges that Brizzi deemed unsupportable in the Bisard case. This was part of Curry's campaign, and it seems he has some legal basis (and considerable public support) for pursuing the matter, which will ultimately be resolved in the appellate courts and not take many additional resources from his office.
Next, he decided to pursue the death penalty against sixty-year-old Thomas Hardy. Hardy killed a cop and may well be deserving of death. But he's sixty and will surely die in prison of natural causes--not lethal injection. Curry will waste hundreds of thousands of dollars in this exercise in futility.
Finally, and most disappointing, he's now pursuing murder charges against a pregnant woman who tried to kill herself. Even conservative medical organizations think this is a very bad idea. His decision might earn him the endorsement of Right to Life next election, but again he will (and already has) wasted a lot of resources. This woman should be receiving psychiatric care, but instead Curry's office is opposing bail and apparently wants her to spend decades in prison.
Curry is a tough guy. He's made that point in the first three month. Let's hope he becomes reasonable in the rest of his term.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 11, 2011 10:02 AM
Posted to Indiana Government