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            Wendy mouthed this inane statement while I watched the judge set bonds for serious criminals at what I thought minimal amounts. The highest bail I saw before Patricia came up was for several accounts of assault with bail set at $15,000 cash or surety. This meant the criminal would be back on the streets with as little as $1,500 out of pocket.

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            The pre-trial staff member who met with me before the arraignment was convinced Patricia would be released that day. She discussed requiring Patricia to check in with their office twice a day and putting a GPS ankle bracelet on her.

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            I looked at this lady with something close to shock. I remembered scouring the country looking for a watch Patricia could wear without the watch creating an "allergic reaction" on Patricia's skin, at least in her mind.  I shuttered to think of Patricia's reaction to a GPS bracelet. I knew every moment she wore it; she would blame me for the 'pain' and decide she did not need a hit man to kill me – she would do it herself.

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            And then this idiot Victim's Advocate introducing herself with an observation that all of the Victim's Advocacy programs were orientated towards women. To be fair to Kari, the DA, eventually made it clear to Wendy that she was not fit for her job and Wendy either resigned or was fired. Wendy's response – she called me to bitch about how horrible her job was.

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            Patricia's bail? $50,000 cash only after she opened her mouth, despite her lawyer trying to shut her up, and telling the judge she had only ordered the hit to protect herself from my attempt on her life.

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            The DA's office functioned best when they ignored me. The DA never provided notice of hearings, copies of filings, and any information about events in the case. When they did not ignore me, the information they provided was usually inaccurate. The DA initially assigned to the case told me a story about a woman that went to her husband's place of employment and pulled a gun. She got probation. He made it clear his belief about the triviality of the crime and his belief that Patricia would be released any day.

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            I am sure Patricia heard this also and the only reason she pled guilty arose out of the belief that she would be out of jail that day.

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            If the DA's office articulated an excuse for their behavior over the next several months, I imagine it would arise out of Patricia's claim.  In their mind, it was not much of a crime, and they seemed to believe that Patricia simply got caught first.

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            Despite all of this, Judge Murdoch formed a sentence constructed to maximize protection of the family, to include Patricia. Three years of intense treatment with a hope of rehabilitation.

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            Last night, Kari Brandenburg is interviewing Judge Murdoch on her public access program "Full Disclosure". Judge Murdoch explains the process he goes through to arrive at a sentence.

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            Kari asked if he has largely made up his mind before the sentencing hearing. Judge Murdoch replies in the positive, that his opinion is largely formed by reading the pre-sentencing report, the material provided by the defense, and the victim impact statement.  On occasion, something the victim says or something the defendant says changes his mind.

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            Wait a moment, the judge gets the victim impact statement before the sentencing hearing? The DA office told me that I could speak at the sentencing and that was it. I had no opportunity to get any information before the judge until then.

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            Those bastards lied to me.

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            I guess my statement and the remarks by Patricia made a difference. They are up on the website along with a transcript of the hearing at http://www.fatheriam.com/Court%202005.htm .

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            Oh, and the careful wise rehabilitation sentence crafted by Judge Murdoch? The Department of Corrections completely ignored it. They had no obligation to follow the Judge's orders.