Below a statment DA Bill Cox made to the Chatt. Times Free Press. It shows his thought process and his view about himself and his office staff.
The D.A in the first trial put John Liens on the stand. Liens testified that he had seen Casteels jeep at the command post on Monday. This was impossible and Detective Sneed proved him a liar. John Liens was put back on the stand in the second trial and changed his story to seeing Casteels jeep on Tuesday
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This kind of thing happened numerous times. Wittiness after wittiness went on the stand and committed perjury by changing what they had said in early statements.
How do we know this to be true? Simple the statements, when in July of 1988 someone said Casteel did not point the gun at them. Then about 12 years later states that he did. They are lying, end of story!
Bill Cox was the lead prosecutor, he had full control of the state’s case and he allowed this to occur time and time again. Case Closed!
The state even got in on changing their story. In closing arguments the state changed its story from the ATVs being hauled from the gate to the dumpsite, to being ridden to the dumpsite. During the trial the state asserted the atv’s were hauled to the dump.
When the state changed this in closing arguments this goes against their own witness evidence. Such as Mildred Hines who did not testify at the second trial. She testified at first trial she saw a jeep with ATV’s in the back. Another is Janice Hall who testified about hearing tire sounds going back and forth through the night, like a big truck.
Also in a staged photo op, the state presented a video of the smaller ATV was depicted in the back of Casteel’s jeep. Not obvious in this video is the fact the back tires were flattened to allow strong men to force it into the back of the jeep. Also the state claims this was easily done, but they did not film the part of them putting the ATV in the back of the jeep.
To hold the pretense of a fair trial when prosecutors embrace fabrication, exaggeration and misstatement of facts is unconscionable. The 14th amendment of the United States Constitution cannot tolerate a criminal conviction on false evidence.
D.A Bill Cox