From today’s News & Messenger:
As investigators wrangle with how a 17-year-old with a record of small crimes turned into an alleged cold-blooded killer, police say they’re investigating whether accused killer Xavier Pinckney had gang ties in his Dale City neighborhood.
. . .
When police checked Pinckney’s record they learned he had a prior conviction for grand larceny from a burglary. He had also been arrested for committing daytime burglaries in houses with doors or windows left open around his neighborhood, said court documents.
Take note, they only refer to ONE conviction, but state that he was arrested for MULTIPLE other crimes. What about those other arrests? Was he not tried? Was he not convicted? Is this yet ANOTHER instance where Paul Ebert’s Commonwealth’s Attorney office botched prosecutions or else let things slide because they couldn’t be bothered?
As Timothy Watson pointed out in a prior comment:
It’s damn sad that Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park only have 31.52% of persons charged with felonies actually being sentenced on felonies.
The rest either had their charges dropped (nolle prossed) or reduced to misdemeanors.
Ebert’s office barely ranks above those offices that have part-time Commonwealth’s Attorneys.
The more one reads about Pinckney’s criminal history, the more one realizes that Jean and Jim Smith did not have to die. Had someone, ANYONE – a prosecutor, a judge or someone involved in the juvenile justice system – been doing their job, Pinckney would not have been out on the streets and free to murder.
We will continue raising these questions until the community gets answers, no matter how uncomfortable it makes any public official who may be involved in this travesty. I have already corresponded with Delegates Jeff Frederick and Bob Marshall and contacted Scott Lingamfelter as well to see what they might be able to do in the upcoming General Assembly session to start getting us the answer that we need and enact any necessary reforms that they might see fit. No family should ever have to go through what the Smiths have had to endure. The justice system failed them. We cannot allow it to fail another family.
On a final note, I have an answer to this:
investigators wrangle with how a 17-year-old with a record of small crimes turned into an alleged cold-blooded killer
Simple. He was allowed to get away with relative slaps on the wrist for his prior crimes, so of course his crime spree would progress to more major things. No one should be surprised by that. We as a society need to come to the conclusion that once a juvenile commits a second offense, we should stop treating them as an “at risk” youth and start treating THEM as a “risk” to the community’s public safety. Only then can we truly begin to fix our broken juvenile justice system.
Filed under: Crime, Prince William County Politics
Keep this up, this is good blogging.
Thank you. I have no intention of letting this go until all questions are resolved and any problems with the system are fixed.
Mr. Riley – Thank you for the great job you are doing in getting to the bottom of this horrifying tragedy. Although juvenile records are normally sealed, I do hope that they will come out as the trial unfolds – arraignment on 1/12. I am disappointed that people are blaming ‘judges’ ‘ebert’ and ‘liberals who are soft on crime’ when they dont know a damn thing about it. I think it is likely – given Ebert’s and the Judges excellent records – that they did in fact have this kid brought to justice …..and he was likely released because the system doesnt have enough beds…..and yes, this is a function of our right-wingers bitching about taxes to pay for all of this – both at the county level and the state level. I just dont think that Ebert and the Judges made the mistakes here!!! Thank you again…………..
Ken, are you high?
Or do you work for Ebert?
As Riley detailed above, Pinckney was convicted a single time (of a grand larceny charge) despite being arrested multiple times for burglaries. How many of those charges were dropped (nolle prossed) by people in Ebert’s office?
As I pointed out (and Riley quoted), this seems to be par for the course. Only 31.52% of persons charged with felonies in Prince William County, Manassas, and Manassas Park are actually being sentenced on felonies.
The rest either had their charges dropped (nolle prossed) or reduced to misdemeanors.
That number places Prince William County at the 108th lowest of 120 jurisdictions.
The part-time Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Offices of Cumberland County (65.35%), Charles City County (50.00%), Buckingham County (48.79%), Bath County (45.83%), and Bland County (36.14%) all rank higher than Prince William County.
Timothy – You are very bad!!!!! I wish i was high and nope, i dont work for Ebert and never had nor any rels, etc. I am not familiar with the 31.52 percent matter that you cite and will look into that (People used to complain that PWC had the highest tax rate in Virginia….and therefore the highest TAXES in the state)……sorry for wandering on this……….but i think there is more to it than the numbers you cite. As for disposition of Pinckney’s earlier cases, I have to question how ANYONE knows for sure what his record is since this is all sealed; if someone got into his records, I would still wait for it to come out at the trial….and not make comments/conclusions on hearsay, and especially given the sickening nature of the murders. I still think that the cases were addressed and at the end of the day, were not ruled serious enough to warrant prison time……..they dont have the space in state prisons for breaking and entering…I think we need to wait for the facts before damning the wrong people!!!
One other comment – as decent as people are like Frederick, Lingamfelter and Marshall are, i contend these are the same people that block any and everything that cost any more money!!! They will lead the ‘fight’ to cut spending for schools and i suspect they were part of the coalition that blocked adequate funding of our penal system!!! sorry!!!!
Ken,
You said, “As for disposition of Pinckney’s earlier cases, I have to question how ANYONE knows for sure what his record is since this is all sealed.”
It was in the article where the police stated that they checked and had found one prior conviction. The police would have had access to such records. I am only going by what they said. So, according to the police, they are giving the impression that they arrested Pinckney on multiple occasions, but he was only found guilty ONCE. THAT is why people are questioning whether Ebert’s office or the judges had anything to do with Pinckney being free on the streets.
But Riley…..i think you might be relying on a news writer’s description and reading more into it than might be accurate…….just my opinion……..
[...] until Feb. 18th. I guess we will have to wait until then possibly to hear whether he was convicted previously of only a single crime despite multiple arrests as was implied by the police in a [...]
[...] know important aspects about Pinckney’s prior criminal history — such as his arrest to conviction ratio. The case will now go to a grand jury, so we will now have to wait until at least the next [...]
[...] public from finding out important aspects about Pinckney’s prior criminal history — such as his arrest to conviction ratio, which could shed light on whether someone in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office or [...]
It amazes me that the position taken on hard crime is softer than a position taken on false accusations. Starting with the family court system all the way up and into the hands of Ebert, the greatest perpetrator.
Families suffer at the hands of DSS and the “judicial system” of Prince William County for cases that should never be before a judge. All in the name of abuse and the billions it brings in with federal money. How sickening that a family continues to suffer for the horrible losses they have to endure, but in the interest of “fair” the killer is allowed consideration by our courts.
Touch prosecutor? I think not, just a legal thug silencing innocent families and empowering thugs bent on destruction. To my mind, that makes Ebert and his legal thugs cowards and cheats.
I am ashamed for them all and even more disgusted that we are relegated to blog sites with no voice.