PLAXICO BURRESS TO TESTIFY BEFORE GRAND JURY TODAY IN HIS OWN CASE

Plaxico Burress (AP)

Plaxico's attorney says the decision for Plaxico to tesitfy before the Grand Jury is a result of the prosecutor speaking to the press about the case.

This is silliness. What a prosecutor says to the press cannot be used against Plaxico in a court of law. Statements could be used to argue "change of venue" if Plaxico seeks a jury trial but otherwise, KEEP YOUR CLIENT OUT OF THE GRAND JURY.

Everything Plaxico says today will be on the record, may be incriminating and may be used against him at trial. We know Plaxico possessed a gun and shot himself in the leg. There is no reason Plaxico should testify at this initial stage of the criminal process!

The grand jury is NOT the proper place to tell your side of the story, if you are the person being charged. I strongly disagree with Plaxico's lawyer's decision to put him on the stand. NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM HIS TESTIMONY! It's the prosecutor's burden to put forward enough evidence for an true bill of indictment from the grand jury.

Plaxico needs to keep his mouth shut!

Here are my other blogs on Plaxico:

The Gun-Toting Plaxico Burress: Professional Athletes Continue to "Shoot Themselves in theFoot"

UPDATE: "STATUS" DATE FOR NFL PLAYER PLAXICO BURRESS ON GUNCHARGE

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

EX-ILLINOIS GOVERNOR BLAGOJEVICH INDICTMENT TODAY?

Ex-Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich could be indicted as early as today. The EXTENDED deadline given to prosecutors is April 7th, next Tuesday, but the grand jury only meets on Thursdays; thus, today is the final day of Grand Jury proceedings.

Don't worry, friends.  Blagojevich is at Disney with the family.  Maybe he thinks he is still in fairy tale land?  Fact of the matter is this: Blagojevich will be indicted.  Disney - Blagojevich's vacation spot as he awaits indictment

As you know, I think whatever charges hand-up will be trumped-up. His arrest for attempting to sell then-Senator Obama's Senate seat was a preemptive move; as a consequence, he did not commit any illegal act (as far as the Senate seat goes) because he only discussed a desire to sell the seat.  Ok, so maybe they'll charge him with a conspiracy...but who are the other conspiring parties? I do not think there are any.  

This case excites me. Let's see what the U.S. Attorney can come up with since they arrested him before having anything substantial on Blagojevich.

I've followed this case with great complexity.  Here's the link to all the blogs I posted since Blagojevich's arrest: Blagojevich blogs. 

www.tamaraholder.com and www.xpunged.com

Drew Peterson's Girlfriend Moves Back In - His Mind-Games Prevail

Drew Peterson's fiancée or girlfriend or housemate or whatever you want to call her, Christina Raines, apparently moved back in with Drew earlier this week. Article here. She had moved out of his house a few weeks ago after her father, Ernie Raines, and the father of her children, Mike, "saved her" from Drew. Christina Raines - Interviewed by the Today Show

My Conversation with Christina
As you know, I spoke to Christina in-depth the day she moved out of the house (she was already back at work.) Her stories of Drew depicted a man who is controlling and flat-out creepy. (I previously shared some of my conversation with Prime News here.)  Some of the things she said are so creepy that, out of courtesy, I do not want to share them with you. One thing she did say that has really stuck with me (that I do not mind sharing) is that she felt, after spending many hours alone in the house, there was no way Stacy could have just up-and-left her kids. The way the kids' rooms were decorated and other parts of the house...she believed it was the home of loving mother who would not willingly abandon her little children. She also stated Stacy's clothes remained in the closet. How weird! I mean, is she now supposed to "share" closet space with Stacy? The idea is bizarre but not a far stretch of the imagination.

Best Interests of Children Now Even A Bigger Issue
On January 13, 2009, Christina moved into Drew's home for the first time. She also moved in with her children. On this day, I wrote a blog discussing the best interests of the children. Blog here. I said: Should DCFS get involved in the case and should the father attempt to have the children removed from the home? Well, cases like this do not require the same burden as in a criminal case: beyond a reasonable doubt. Instead, DCFS will look at “the best interests of the children” and determine if that allows them to remain in the Peterson home.

The "best interests of the children" issue is now of even greater importance, not because of Drew and his alleged violent, criminal behavior but because of Christina.  She is clearly unstable.  In less than one month, she has moved into the Peterson home, moved out and moved back in.  Granted, many parents act in this manner during contentious separations but this situation is terrible for Christina and Mike's minor children. 

DCFS now must get involved.  We have two kids moving in-and-out of a suspected murderer's home at the whim of their unstable mother.  Like I said before, if a woman wants to date Drew, fine.  But children should not become the victims of Drew's mind games played on their mother. 

Will County State's Attorney Must Hurry Up and Indict Drew
Last week, Christina Raines apparently testified before the Grand Jury.  Article here.  Smart move on the part of the Will County State's Attorney's office.  They probably figured it was only a matter of time before Drew won Christina over and so they needed to hurry and get her testimony on the record.  But now that she's back together with Drew, I think they need to move more quickly to indict him.  Here's why: a) we don't want Christina to end up missing or dead, b) we don't want the children to potentially be injured or killed, and c) we don't want her to recant her previous testimony to the Grand Jury at Drew's trial because Drew had this opportunity to brainwash her into doing so.

Caution!
Many bloggers and those with an opinion (all of us!) have stated that Christina is "stupid."  I would ask you to not call her such a derogatory name.  Maybe she's making a stupid decision but she's not stupid.  I spoke to her at length.  She is soft-spoken and kind.  I really feel this young woman is the victim of an old pro's mind games.  And while many of you may think, "I would never date Drew Peterson", you probably weren't raised by very controlling father -- as she clearly was (Ernie is obviously a control freak - didn't you see his behavior in front of the cameras?), and you probably don't have self-esteem and confidence issues.  So instead of calling her "stupid" you should probably try to understand the reasons for her decision to date him in the first place.

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com

DREW PETERSON UPDATE - INSIDE THE GRAND JURY & A MEETING WITH DREW'S FIANCEE

MY CONVERSATION WITH DREW'S EX-Fiancée - CHRISTINA RAINES

Last Friday night, January 30, I met Drew's now ex-fiancée and spoke with her for a bit.  She shared with me a lot about the relationship she & Drew shared.  Out of respect for her, I will not disclose the content of our conversation; however, I want to share a couple of my observations: Christina came across as a really nice girl who got in over her head.  I don't think she got involved with Drew because of any desire to get some media attention.  In fact, she mentioned that one TV show offered her money for the interview, which I have been told is not ethical.  She, like most 24-year olds, appeared quite naive still and somewhat shy.  Also, I think she felt bad about everything that happened.  While we spoke, her boyfriend, Mike (with whom she has moved back), stood by her side with smoke coming from his ears.  He spoke with such energy about how he feels he saved Christina from a possible death sentence.  But at the same time, he was happy to have his girlfriend back with him, by his side.  I'll share more about this conversation after her first public interview.

MY VISIT INSIDE THE PETERSON GRAND JURY

Many people have been asking me about my involvement in the Drew Peterson case since it was reported that I accompanied Kathleen Savio's nephew, Charlie Doman, into the Grand Jury. Article here and below. Charlie Doman - nephew to Kathleen Savio Of course, I cannot and will not discuss any part of the Grand Jury proceeding.  What I can say, however, is that being a part of the GJ was the most memorable experience of my career.  Charlie previously spoke with Greta Van Susteren here and shared his feelings about how he and the Savio family felt that IL State Police ignored investigating the posibility that Kathleen was murdered.  Remember, her death was orginally ruled an accidental death.  It was not re-classified until AFTER Stacy disappeared and Kitty's body was exhumed by Dr. Michael Baden who then ruled her death a homicide.

January 23, 2009
By Joe Hosey, Sun-Times News Group

The Will County grand jury investigating th e murder of Drew Peterson's third wife and the disappearance of his fourth reconvened Thursday, with his former divorce lawyer and a former employee summoned to testify.

The grand jury was impaneled more than a year ago and last met in November. Appearing before it Thursday were attorney Alexander Beck, who represented Peterson in his divorce from third wife Kathleen Savio, and Charlie Doman, Savio's nephew, who worked in a Montgomery bar Peterson owned as a maintenance man and disc jockey.

Doman and his attorney, Tamara Holder, declined to comment on what transpired during his grand jury appearance. Beck referred questions to his attorney, Matthew Bertani.

"Mr. Beck respects the sanctity of the grand jury and the gravity of these proceedings," Bertani said. "He will not comment on them publicly."

Beck apparently could not say much to the grand jury either.

"He will not and cannot, according to the (Illinois) Supreme Court rules, reveal a ny confidence s arising out of his representation of Mr. Peterson many years ago," Bertani said.

Peterson and Savio were in the midst of a contentious divorce when she was found dead in her bathtub in March 2004. Illinois State Police found no sign of foul play during their investigation of Savio's death, which originally was ruled accidental.

But when Peterson's next wife, Stacy, vanished in October 2007, the investigation into Savio's death was reopened and reclassified as a homicide. It remains under investigation.

State police also are trying to determine what happened to Stacy Peterson. They have labeled her disappearance a "potential homicide" and named Drew Peterson as the sole suspect.

Peterson, 54, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant who's now living with a 24-year-old mother of two in his Bolingbrook house, has denied involvement in either incident. He said Thursday that he has nothing to worry about regarding Beck or Doman testifying "unless they're making something up, which is always my big fear."

Charles Pelkie, spokesman for the state's attorney's office, said the grand jury's hiatus "by no means indicates a lack of activity" in the investigations.

"Things are moving forward. Things are full steam right now, and they have been for several months," he said.

www.xpunged.com and www.tamaraholder.com