There were suggestions of sexual abuse, hints pointing out an older neighbor as the accused, a father torn apart by anger- and the eventual death of the suggested child molester- but it isn't the case of Jonathon Edington. Rather it's the case of Robert Fontanez Jr and one that many might suggest Edington's lawyers pay particular attention to as they present their defense.
Edington as many will recall is the lawyer who found himself on the receiving end of a phone call that lead him to believe that his neighbor has sexually molested his young daughter.
Fontanzez also found himself in Edington's situation- with claims by his daughter that a 77-year-old neighbor (Bismark Vasquez) had molested her.
Fontanzez
plead guilty to the charges, and the court found that while he did indeed commit the crime, “The circumstances surrounding this crime were taken into consideration by the state”. He faced a maximum of 5 years in jail, however he was sentenced to just nine months.
One would think that Edington's best shot would be to follow in Fontanzez footsteps and attempt to gain the sympathy of the court- a move his defense team likely would be contemplating. In Sept, fellow crime blogger Stephen ofCrimeSceneBlog looked into the possible defense routine that Edington's lawyers might be considering, and it's well worth reading.
One possible flaw to Edington's defense that wasn’t present in Fontanzez’s case is the unreliability of the "molestation motive". Both cases of molestation have a lack of any physical evidence, both rely on the testimony of very young children- however LE have leaned towards the notion that factors in Fontanzez's case provide a reasonable belief that the molestation did occur- as the child's testimony has remained the same from the time she informed family to being questioned by investigators. Edington's defense hasn't been as strong- as law enforcement has already shown significant doubt that the allegations of sexual abuse are true, as previosly pointed out by Parent's Behaving Badly.
Edington as many will recall is the lawyer who found himself on the receiving end of a phone call that lead him to believe that his neighbor has sexually molested his young daughter.
Fontanzez also found himself in Edington's situation- with claims by his daughter that a 77-year-old neighbor (Bismark Vasquez) had molested her.
SOURCE- In April, an infuriated Fontanez punched Vasquez so hard that Vasquez went through the back door of his home. Fontanez punched him several more times as he lay bleeding on the concrete outside, police said.
Fontanzez
plead guilty to the charges, and the court found that while he did indeed commit the crime, “The circumstances surrounding this crime were taken into consideration by the state”. He faced a maximum of 5 years in jail, however he was sentenced to just nine months.
One would think that Edington's best shot would be to follow in Fontanzez footsteps and attempt to gain the sympathy of the court- a move his defense team likely would be contemplating. In Sept, fellow crime blogger Stephen ofCrimeSceneBlog looked into the possible defense routine that Edington's lawyers might be considering, and it's well worth reading.
One possible flaw to Edington's defense that wasn’t present in Fontanzez’s case is the unreliability of the "molestation motive". Both cases of molestation have a lack of any physical evidence, both rely on the testimony of very young children- however LE have leaned towards the notion that factors in Fontanzez's case provide a reasonable belief that the molestation did occur- as the child's testimony has remained the same from the time she informed family to being questioned by investigators. Edington's defense hasn't been as strong- as law enforcement has already shown significant doubt that the allegations of sexual abuse are true, as previosly pointed out by Parent's Behaving Badly.
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