Baltimore County District Court Judge Darrell Russell Jr. is under intense criticism this week after he stopped a non-jury trial to perform a wedding ceremony in his chambers for defendant Frederick Wood and his girlfriend. They then promptly invoked spousal immunity in the domestic violence case to prevent the state from calling the wife to testify against her newly minted husband. Russell has been reassigned to reviewing motions in civil cases in chambers pending investigation.
At the end of the trial (which effectively ended when the couple were married), the judge added “I found you not guilty, so I can’t sentence you as a defendant in any crimes, but earlier today, I sentenced you to life married to her.”
For the audio recording of the hearing, click here.
Some people are going to start blaming the judge, but it’s not his fault, there’s just no helping stupid people.
WOW, if life is not complicated enough. This is surreal. I am having a hard time understanding that a Judge would do this. What is the Prosecutors (and I say defense) duty to ask the Disciplinary authority to ask for an investigation in Judicial Witness Tampering.
All to often some claims of DA are mere attention getters. But in this case it seemed that after reading the article the second one it went beyond a few temper flairs.
This must of taken some real balls on the Judges parts. Ouch.
The Senate began proceedings Wednesday that could lead to the removal from office of New Orleans federal Judge Thomas Porteous.
I had to read this twice just to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
Then Rod Serling popped out of my closet and I knew it was going to be one of those days.
Buddha,
If you read the second “Here” in the thread it gives details of the DA. I think that the Judges Qualified Immunity could be struck and be charged with Witness Tampering. He procured a result that made the otherwise duly obligated Witness to seek the Privileged.
Some Jurisdictions as I write now, are charging the reluctant recanting spouse with filing a false police report. Generally a 5 year felony although I have heard of 90 day misdemeanors.
Wow. Just, wow.