FBI investigating Taliaferro slaying
Published: April 15, 2009
Read more about the Taliaferro case
The FBI is working with the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office to investigate the slaying of high school student Tahliek Taliaferro for possible civil-rights violations, law-enforcement officials said yesterday.
Chief Deputy D.K. Giardini of the Sheriff's Office said the FBI has met with county and community leaders as well as investigators. He said the Sheriff's Office is expected to issue a statement on the case later this week.
Lawrence Barry, chief division counsel of the Richmond division of the FBI, said yesterday that the bureau was asked by the Sheriff's Office to assist them in an investigation of Taliaferro's death.
"It is a criminal civil-rights investigation," said Barry, declining to comment on whether the investigation is focused on a specific complaint or targets specific individuals. Barry also declined to say whether jurors from last month's trial have been or will be interviewed.
Barry said the investigation is in the fact-gathering stage and, when completed, will be referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Justice Department's Office of Civil Rights to determine whether any criminal statutes have been violated.
Rovenia Vaughan, president of the county's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the efforts of the FBI has prompted some to "feel our concerns are valid."
Jean Taliaferro, Tahliek's grandmother, said she is glad the FBI has stepped in. "I miss [Tahliek] every day," she said. "I cry every day."
Three weeks ago, a Powhatan Circuit Court jury convicted cousins Ethan Parrish, 25, and Joseph "Joey" Parrish, 18, of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of Taliaferro and assault and battery in the wounding of Courtney Jones, another passenger in the car. Joey Parrish also was found guilty of firearm use by a felon.
Yesterday, while about 40 protesters marched quietly around the courthouse square, sentencing dates for the Parrishes were set for June 4, and a trial date for Stephanie Reynolds was set for May 26.
Reynolds drove the car from which the shots were fired and testified for the prosecution at the trial of the Parrishes. Originally charged with first-degree murder, she is now accused of involuntary manslaughter.
The cousins had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Taliaferro and aggravated malicious wounding in the shooting of Jones. The jury's decision to impose the lesser verdicts angered the families of Taliaferro and Jones and prompted community complaints that race played a part in the jury's decision. There was only one black person on the jury. Taliaferro was black; the Parrishes are white.
Among the protesters at the courthouse yesterday was the Rev. J. Rayfield Vines Jr., president of the Virginia State NAACP Conference. "It's very transparent this is injustice," he said. "My question is, if it had been the other way around, if Tahliek had shot the white boys, what would the verdict have been? This is a question that is unanswered.
"We need to be here to say to Powhatan and to the world that justice needs to be served. Right now we are looking at injustice."
Contact Jamie C. Ruff at (434) 223-3678 or
.
Staff writer Bill McKelway contributed to this report.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
“Republician” Tea Party now the true colors are coming out here on here protecting these three.Iam white guy true as a southerner comes but has anyone notice these tea conventions where is all the black and hispanic people at.I have look and look in these crowds.Yesterday I go to the city of richmond all the time where did all these white people come from all of sudden in the city.Where were these people during the election protesting taxes.Just like this jury what all white but one to convict these three.Thinking to myself why come black and hispanic people not invited to these tea conventions.All these people buying tea bags making the demand higher wasting it making tea prices go up.Hope the FBI will investigate because something wrong when you see only white people protesting tea somebody getting rich and making money on these tea conventions.Now the tea I buy every week will go up on price.Still wondering now these people protecting these three and scared of the FBI being involve in this case and dont want the FBI to investigate.What are you hiding and fear of the FBI.
They were not offered a plea deal, except maybe the girl; the jury reduced the charges; so if anyone violated Taliaferro’s civil rights it was the jury.
Just FYI b/c I don’t want people thinking that the only charges that can be brought against the Parrish boys are civil: The FBI “can” bring criminal charges for homicide against the Parrish boys and it is “NOT” double jeopardy. Not only do I know of a case where it happened, the news media also reported the same fact when this was first announced. I am also providing a quote (and link) from the American Studies Journal (just one source— however, many legal sources concur) to validate this fact.
See http://asjournal.zusas.uni-halle.de/archive/49/76.html
which states:
“When a single act or course of conduct violates both federal and state criminal laws, it is even possible for both governments to prosecute because, under the “dual sovereignty” doctrine, the double jeopardy prohibition does not apply to separate prosecutions by separate sovereigns”.
I think the FBI should go after the prosecuters instead of the defendants. It was the prosecuters who violated the victims’ civil rights, not the defendants- they didn’t offer themsemles that plea deal. What happened with this verdict was wrong, but violating the double jeopardy law doesn’t make it right. (ok, so they found a loophole around it, but this is still double jeopardy as far as I’m concerned)
Rain.. Actually a lot of people ARE upset about all these bailout/stim packages! Did you miss the news? That’s what all the TEA parties were about! We are tired of the government wasting OUR money (it is our money.. not the governments.. they don’t earn it, we do) on things like these hokie civil right’s investigations.. or giving money to banks who aren’t going to lend it anyway!
“ramgrl… Who would they pin the civil rights violations on? I’ll go out on a limb and say the 3 convicts. They can be tried on civil rights violations in a federal trial. That does not represent double jeopardy. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, I wasn’t there. I’m just pointing out that double jeopardy would only apply to the murder charges according to my amateur legal opinion.“
Okay people. Read the constitution. The average citizen, regardless of the crime the committed cannot be charged with a civil rights violation. The document is only meant to control the government from breaking it, not the average citizen. Even at that level, a civil rights violation is not going to drag jail time. Maybe a hefty fine and someone getting fired, but no ones going to jail over it. And how can anyone possible think that the Parrish’ will be charged with violating anyones civil rights? I would have agreed with murder charges had they received them but they could not prove it was premeditated beyond a reasonable doubt.
Either way the only people that would potentially recieve harm from a civil rights violation would be the law enforcement department that arrested the Parrish’, which isn’t possible because they had no issue and no hesitation in arresting them OR the court system that tried and convicted the Parrish brothers which again is impossible because the prosecutor went for far more charges than what the Parrish’ actually received. The JURY was who actually decided the sentence. So we’ll gather together all of these people and make sure that they hang for doing their civil duty? Come on. I seriously doubt that the case was heard by an all white jury (because no judge in their right mind would allow that to happen) so how do you explain if there was even one black juror that agreed with the sentence (and the vote had to be unanimous or there would have been a hung jury). So do any of the jurors who weren’t white suffer the same “civil rights violations”?
The simple fact is this is not an issue of race, it’s an issue of stupidity gone to far on BOTH sides that ended in tragedy.
As for everyone mentioning the Binstead case, he was shot in the BACK while walking AWAY. THAT’s why the people involved got the time they did. He wasn’t chasing them down in a car looking for a fight and didn’t have a known history of discord with the people responsible for shooting him. The two cases have no similarities and anyone who thinks they do needs to read a little more about both cases before making statements about any “links”.
This whole thing is a ruse by the FBI to make it LOOK like they’re actually doing something with the billions of tax dollars they have to waste. Any one with half a mind can see that they aren’t going to actually DO anything about it because there’s nothing they CAN do. So when they come back with a “there was no violation of civil rights thing” which is exactly what will happen, everyone can rest assurred that we just blew a ton of tax payer dollars to prove something thats already known.
Why is everyone so afraid and worry about the FBI to investigate this case.That what the FBI job is to Investigate sounds like people are afraid trying to cover up details what really happen here in this case.People are not upset bailing out the housing industry,car makers using goverment money to waste.Noone concern about the Goverment stimlus package spending.Why is everyone trying to protect these three something wrong with these light sentences given and everyone knows it was wrong.Dig deep FBI and bring justice to this case.When people are afraid and trying to protect something is deeply wrong.Put all the cards on the table and stop hiding the truth.
our gov’t money will be fully wasted with this investigation. there were no civil rights violations in this case. this was not racially motivated. the jury has spoken and people should just accept it. everyone involved in this case was guilty. they were all involved with stupid actions. the outcome~~a death~~was horrible to say the least but just because a person doesnt agree with the sentences handed down doesnt mean that you protest day and night to get an outcome that you want.
I keep praying that justice will be serve in this case to help fix the unjustice in this case to this family.Hopefully the FBI and the Federal Goverment will bring charges in this case to the table to trial.I pray that they investigate why such light sentences given for this youngs man death and bring all those to justice here involve in this case.This case was so wrong,just so wrong.Bring justice FBI with God’s hand swooping down.Amen
Bob’s right.. how do we know the three binstead convicts didn’t target him because he was white and they didn’t like white people?
This is why the whole hate crime thing get’s to be too much a thought control issue. I don’t think we should punish people for their thoughts .. only for their actions.. both sets of the accused were put on trial for their actions and that should be the end of it.
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement