Great news from Binghamton. Jury votes life in death penalty case.

This case--US v MATTHEWS--is one in which the local US ATTY recommended against the death penalty and John Ashcroft overruled him and directed a capital prosecution. Jury selection commenced on February 2, 2003. Along the way--after 6 weeks of jury selection--the government conceded that one of the three co-D's was mentally retarded and withdrew the death notice. Today, after 4 1/2 difficult and expensive months in trial the jury returned life verdicts in the cases of the 2 capital defendants.

Big time congratulations to lawyers Carl Herman of New Jersey and Gaspar Castillo, Albany, New York, on a job magnificently done. Raspberries to Ashcroft who foolishly wasted a zillion dollars of Tom DeLay's money and the valuable time of a truly fine federal district court judge (Thomas A. McAvoy).

Terry Kindlon, Albany Criminal Defense Attorney