Family of Pettaway leaders in anti-drug movement

It said that the event was planned before the verdict. I do agree that the timing is unfortunate though.

Guess we can always hope that the family has been "scared straight." I'm skeptical, of course, but it would be nice if they actually learned a lesson from the trial.

A few quick thoughts:

1. None of us were at the crime scene (or, for that matter, in the courtroom to hear the evidence) so we will never really know what happened when the young couple was killed. Pettaway was found not guilty because: a) he did not do the crime; b) the prosecutor screwed the proverbial pooch; or c) the jury panel was comprised of idiots and suckers. Anyway, the trial is over, and justice has been at least half-served, since one perp has been convicted.

2. That being said, I agree that Pettaway and his family are odd spokespersons for anti-drug campaigns, and I think a cooling off period would have been advisable. Of course, this family seems to be too wrapped up in their own dysfunctional world to give much of a s**t about anyone else, so I am not surprised.

3. As for Pettaway's mother whining about how Pettaway needs a "second chance," he already had that. And a third chance. And a fourth chance. And a fifth chance. How many times is the dude going to screw up before he gets it right? Pettaway may or may not have killed Lisa Straub and Johnny Clarke, but he already has a rap sheet longer than a roll of single-ply toilet paper. I am sure that if (when?) he next gets in trouble, there will be very little empathy from judges and juries.

Mr. Pettaway is not lucky - he appears to be a marked "retard".
How would you like to wake every day looking over your shoulder for Big J ? and his friends ?

The county lockup kept CP safe from Big J.
CP is not in lockup anylonger. payback can be gruesome.

I agree with everything HistoryMike said, with the possible exception of; " I am sure that if (when?) he next gets in trouble, there will be very little empathy from judges and juries."

With that much of a record, it seems he's continually getting empathy from them.
I think this is a big part of our problem.
When someone gives us no doubt that they are never going to change their criminal ways we should reward them with VERY long prison terms.

Mike said: Pettaway was found not guilty because: a) he did not do the crime; b) the prosecutor screwed the proverbial pooch; or c) the jury panel was comprised of idiots and suckers.

If those are the only three choices, I guess I'll take b. Although it almost seems more like: d) incredible luck.

I do not know that he did the crime. I believe he did. Now, that doesn't mean that I am going to do anything other than spit coffee out when this crap comes along. I will never take the law in my own hands, subvert the system or the process, or otherwise do bad acts based on my belief that Pettaway is a murderous thug. I will be critical of him and any member of his family with more than 10 similar arrests (if granting you nine isn't the benefit of the doubt) when I see abject hypocrisy and a total lack of sensitivity to the victims. I have no charity in my heart for Pettaway or his kindred kind. If that makes me a bad person, know that I am "turning my life around."

e) There simply wasn't enough evidence. In fact, the evidence was so thin that Judge Bates, a former prosecutor, would not even let the case go to the jury. Like it or not, you can't send a guy away for life just because there was some of his DNA on a cigarette butt. The standard is "beyond a reasonable doubt" and there was plenty of room for reasonable doubt here.

I should have been more clear. A lack of evidence was what I meant. It just came out as incredible luck.

I am fine thinking that he is a violent thug because he is a violent thug. Not because he participated in these particular murders.

Since the Straubs are family friends I've watched the case with intensity. Most of the evidence that convicted Williams was thrown out in the Pettaway case. I think after that the prosecutor should have dropped it but that would have been harder on the families.

If Pettaway's mom wanted him to have a "second" chance maybe she should have intervened when he was dealing and posting pics of the drugs and money on his facebook wall.

The real story is Cameo is a thug like his older brother, who was one of the masterminds on this (see the transcript of Steven talking with Williams entered into evidence). Their mother is also a multiple loser and a failed parent.

My hope is the Appeals Court rules to overturn the evidence Bates threw out and allow for a 2nd trial, OR the Feds try this case for denying Johnny and Lisa their civil rights.

Also, there is strong evidence at least 2 others were involved the night of the death. I hope Williams flips to avoid the death penalty and those two are brought to justice.

I serious hope that Mr. Pettaway finds work, as quote in the blade of 10/11/11 by his mother, "Mr. Pettaway, who did not graduate from high school, has five children with three women. He was 14 when his first child, a girl, was born, Mrs. Baker said. His youngest child is 6 months old". If anything, working to support the children will keep him out of trouble. Hope Lucas County child support does their job and collects. He is not lucky, if the government does its job, he will never be able to have anything due to child support.

Who would hire him? Can you imagine the negative publicity he'd bring to a business if it was revealed that he worked there? I'm sure there are certain individuals who would organize protests (or more) of the business.

I feel 99.99% confident in saying that his kids will be on the public dole for a long time, if not forever.

Collects what?

This man has never worked a legal job. A day. Ever.

Easy there... he is a member of a protected class.
You better at least interview him.

(Don't do it alone though.)

" if the government does its job, he will never be able to have anything due to child support."

Call me a cynic but why do I have no faith that this will EVER happen.