JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL RICHARD E GERSTEIN JUSTICE BUILDING BLOG. THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO JUSTICE BUILDING RUMOR, HUMOR, AND A DISCUSSION ABOUT AND BETWEEN THE JUDGES, LAWYERS AND THE DEDICATED SUPPORT STAFF, CLERKS, COURT REPORTERS, AND CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS WHO LABOR IN THE WORLD OF MIAMI'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE. POST YOUR COMMENTS, OR SEND RUMPOLE A PRIVATE EMAIL AT HOWARDROARK21@GMAIL.COM. Winner of the prestigious Cushing Left Anterior Descending Artery Award.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS

VALLE EXECUTED BY STATE WEDNESDAY. Strapped on to the gurney in the death chamber (how does that phrase ring on the ears of a civilized society?) Valle had no last words.

33 years later "justice" has been carried out for the killer of Officer Louis Pena.


It tolls for thee Manuel Valle.

The State Of Florida is about a day away from killing Manuel Valle in retribution for Valle killing Coral Gables Police Office Louis Pena in 1978.

Wednesday September 28, 2011 at 4:00 PM is the date and time of execution. Valle was sent to death row when he was 28. He is now 61. Valle has been on death row for 33 years. A diet of high fat, smoking and no exercise would have accomplished the same thing a few years ago that the State will do Wednesday.

The latest round of litigation in Valle's case is whether the current combination of drugs will kill Valle in a humane manner.

Are you kidding me? Stuff a person in a 8 x 12 room for 3 decades and then worry about whether the manner of death is humane? Something is very very wrong.

This is not and should not be interpreted as minimizing the nature of Valle's crime. A police officer sworn to protect the public gave his life and the penalty for his murder should be severe. He had a daughter who lost her father. The man who killed him deserves to suffer. He possibly even deserves to die. But what ever side of the fence you are on in the death penalty debate, this case is outrageous and would be ridiculous if the events weren't so tragic for Officer Pena and his family.

Murder case dropped: Detective dates defendant's wife, forges Defendant's signature on Miranda form, state drops case. Kudos to Defense Attorney Andy Rier. The Captain had the Herald story in the comments section earlier. You can check it out here.

23 comments:

CAPTAIN JUSTICE said...

Reprinted, with permission from The Captain.

THE CAPTAIN REPORTS:

DISMISSAL OF MURDER CHARGES ...

Great work by criminal defense lawyer extraordinare Andrew Reir on a homicide case. Charges were dismissed today by the SAO as the result of the conduct by the lead detective. Kudos to KFR's office for doing the right thing in this case. Doubt we would ever see anything like that happen North of the Border.

The MH covers it here:

Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped a murder charge against a Miami-Dade man after a second handwriting expert concluded that the case’s lead detective provided key evidence in the case that was forged.


Read more:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/27/2427482/miami-dade-prosecutors-drop-murder.html?story_link=email_msg#ixzz1ZAqdYxKn


http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/27/2427482/miami-dade-prosecutors-drop-murder.html?story_link=email_msg

Cap Out ....

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 1:15:00 PM

Anonymous said...

What the fuck is a dectective doing dating the wife of the defendant and they forging his name to a miranda form? Give me a break!

Any lawyer would know about it simply because the client would tell him or her and that would fuck up the entire case for the state.

Any idiot lawyer should have won that case.

Anonymous said...

the only thing outrageous here is that the execution did not take place within ten years of the murder.

Anonymous said...

Your right Rump. It is ridiculous..............that it's taken this long. He should've been executed a long time ago. Hopefully, the family will finally obtain justice this week.

BTDT

Phil R said...

Rumpole, I sat in Judge Norman Gerstein's courtroom, it seems a lifetime ago, as a young C prosecutor and watched him pronounce a sentence of death for Manuel Valle.

For months leading up to the sentence our courtroom was frequented by Coral Gables Police Officers, just sitting and watching. The pressure on Judge Gerstein was intense, and that doesn't adequately explain it.

I vividly recall his final quotation before pronouncing the sentence of death. Ironically, it was from the same meditations of John Donne whose opening line (Perchance he for whom this bell tolls...) you paraphrased. In the middle of the meditation is this famous line that Judge Gerstein said before pronouncing sentence: "any mans death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind..."

We tend (especially you) to diminish Judges and mock their abilities and their sentences. I would not have accepted a seat on the supreme court if the requirement was to have first stood in Norman Gerstein's shoes that day. The lesson is that what we do has consequences, sometimes life and death consequences. No matter what happens to Mr. Valle, and odds are he will be executed tomorrow or soon thereafter, his case reminds me of the sanctity and fragility of life. Mr. Valle wasted his and Officer Pena lost his and his family lost him. No winners here.

Anonymous said...

We kill people to show people that killing people is wrong?????????

Is the purpose of the death penalty to remove from society someone who would cause more harm?

Is the purpose of the death penalty to deter others from committing murder?

Is the purpose of the death penalty to punish the criminal?

Is the purpose of the death penalty to take retribution on behalf of the victim?

THE TRIALMASTER said...

especially because personally, Norman was against the death penalty. But he followed the law and imposed the sentence.

Anonymous said...

answer:

the purpose of the death penalty to take retribution on behalf of the victim?

Harm one of my loved ones and you had better pray the Police find you before I do....

"retribution"

Anonymous said...

The Death Penalty is stupid and wasteful. And, it keeps bringing the victims back to court for years. Life in Prison Without Parole is what is right in ALL these cases. Why are we still insisting on this barbaric practice? We are fools.

Anonymous said...

Generallly I am against the death penalty. Put Valle deserves to be ' put to sleep' (like a sick dog)
DS

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should talk about the local head of ICE instead of Valle.
DS

Suspended top immigration official arrested on Internet child-porn charges..
Authorities arrested the suspended South Florida chief of Immigration and Customs Enforcement on charges of trafficking child-porn images over the Internet

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/27/2427824/suspended-immigration-official.html#ixzz1ZFGy3RVz

Anonymous said...

We have hundreds if not thousands of cops today actively repressing with violence peaceful protesters in New York and we going to execute a man for killing a cop 30 years ago? We justice starts being applied against cops too, then and only then will I think that what this man did deserves the death penalty.

Anonymous said...

We have the death penalty to protect our society from predators, pure and simple. Like the clan expelling the rogue from the earliest communities of man, there have always been situations where society must protect itself. Mr. Valle took a life in cold blood. He almost killed another and no amount of remorse (if he has any) can make up for that. I don't like the death penalty but it is a necessary part of our society's ability to protect itself. I won't cry at his passing, and neither should any of you.

Anonymous said...

4 pm. Marlins last game at joe robbie. by the the visitors bat is ended in the 1st inning, valle will be dead.

Anonymous said...

He was not trafficking in Child Porn.

That is called- RESEARCH.

Anonymous said...

9:18
You really think that killing Valle has helped our society "protect itself?"
From what?

Fake Susanna Nesmith said...

Rumpole scoops Herald again. Damn Rump! You everywhere.

Anonymous said...

As of right now, Herald and WSVN both cannot confirm the execution. I will now to your better knowlege Rump, but the local news clearly does not use you as a source.

Anonymous said...

What does killing Valle do to protect society?

Protects society from Valle at the very least.

Corrections officers and other inmates need have no fear of him killing again.

If you had a family member in prison for something like drug possession, or a corrections officer, wouldn't you feel a little better knowing there is one less killer for them to deal with each day?

Anonymous said...

"We have hundreds if not thousands of cops today actively repressing with violence peaceful protesters in New York..."

Are you talking about the Wall Street protest last week?

Anonymous said...

He has not been executed yet! You are wrong Rumpy!

Secret Judge said...

Valle pronounced dead at 7:14 p.m.

Anonymous said...

who was asa and pd on valle case at trial?