Tag: Gary Sumner

Bill Richbourg, C’mon Down!

So in the long line of people who cashed in, exploited and turned a blind eye in the Billings case, I want to welcome Bill Richbourg to the cast of characters who should be on the other side of the bars that they put their clients in. Mr. Richbourg could arguably be the most deplorable of the attorneys who rolled over and played dead in this case. Mr. Richbourg was hired by Gary Sumner to represent him. He paid Mr. Richbourg. For 6 weeks seemingly, work was done to further the defense case for Sumner.  But on April 25, 2011, the day set for the jury selection, Mr. Richbourg tells Sumner (as they approach the courtroom) that he could not win this case, Sumner had no option but to take a plea. Richbourg strong-armed a disadvantaged young black man. Then the state had the gall to sue Sumner for the time they wasted for trial.

But the best part here is that Richbourg had an agenda from the onset of representing Sumner. He represented Bud Billings in the adoption fraud suit that somehow left the “stolen” child with the captor. Richbourg organized that circa 1989-90.richbourg clip

Can you say CONFLICT???? Representing a man that is being charged with killing a past client and then tanking the representation? Cheryl Barnes, Gary Sumner’s mother, should be suing this man on Gary’s behalf. Not only unethical, but it rises to level of criminal when he forced Gary into signing away his life rather than actually representing him. Any civil rights lawyers out there should be on top of this.

But the people who failed to do their job in this case is so numerous. Richbourg is just ONE of the highly respected attorneys who dropped the ball.

Tony Henderson forced Lenny Gonzalez into his plea and signed off on the man’s legal mental competence, despite the SSI ruling that states the man has brain damage, dementia, and numerous mental health issues. Also his VAN WAS INOPERABLE. That was a defense within itself, but Henderson managed to negotiate Lenny’s fate which led to his death. Shouldn’t that be beyond malpractice as well?

What about the public defenders who handled Florence & Thornton?  There was a huge case for coerced confessions but they never represented their clients. They took the money  the state paid them and walked those boys into prison.  Now their lives are cast in stone.  Statistics say that uneducated black men imprisoned early (18-25) build “criminal capital”. They turn prison into a community that they are comfortable with, can network in, to feel a sense of inclusion into SOMETHING. It is the same psycho-social phenomenon that draws people into gangs. That is on  Joel M. Cohen (Florence’s public defender),  & Cheryl Alverson (Thornton’s public defender).

Richbourg has a great deal of company in his criminality.  I hope to see them punished just like Eddins, Geeker & Sir David.

 

 

 

 

They Were Meant to Get Caught

In looking at the elements of this “well-planned” home invasion from Patrick’s perspective would any of us do the the following things:

1. Use a mentally unstable, chemically dependent father as any part of the crime. A man that will crack under pressure and who has been willingly absent the majority of his son’s life. Highly suggestible and paranoid, he believes everyone is “after him”.

2. Use a pieced together 1979, 1982, & 1986 Dodge van without brakes or reverse, as a good “getaway” vehicle.

3.  Commit a crime with knowledge of surveillance cameras that are not deactivated.

4.  Tell a number of people about the crime prior to committing it, knowing that gossip spreads like wildfire in Pensacola/Gulf Breeze

5. Use 4 people out of 8 that were strangers  whose trustworthiness had NOT been established nor were they close friends. Gary Sumner knew Pat for 3 weeks. He introduced him to Donnie Stallworth, Rakeem Florence & Frederick Thornton. Not knowing these guys from Adam, give them guns, tell them secrets and expect the kids to be able keep from cracking.

6. Allowing a known addict, Wayne Coldiron, be involved. He is a strung-out addict. Coldiron tells everyone Patrick did this and he was with him. Right off the bat. Just a bit too easy.

7. Putting as many people as possible in a house at one time. The chaos and the number of people exponentially increases the chances of leaving evidence behind as well as having someone crack.

8. Shooting 2 people that could have been easily incapacitated without a weapon. As someone who has been trained from childhood to defend themselves with their body, who trained people to fight back against any size attacker, going in solo to “take care” of the adults would have been the way to go and then bring others in after or as needed. This would lessen the liability to the one person we can all trust above all others–ourselves.

The vehicle and 6 unpredictable people entering into this plot would be absurdly ridiculous for a well thought out plan. Unless the plan was to have the people entering the house get caught….

This is the worst devised plan ever! Especially for Patrick. He was arrogant and a big talker, but he is intelligent. When you lay this all out, who would be dumb enough to go into this? The one person he trusts–Pam Long Wiggins–is just as screwed as he is. Her hubby, Hugh blames everything on the 2 of them.