In what must be the singularly worst defense ever in the annals of criminal law, Richard Keenan, 65, the former mayor of Hubbard, Ohio, confessed to raping a four-year-old girl but insisted that she was a “willing participant” and initiated the sex.
Keenan was mayor from 2010-2011 and billed himself as a devout Christian. He has now confessed to three years of sexual contact with the child starting when she was only four. He can now face life imprisonment.
The interesting legal element is that the abuse came to light during group discussions at a hospital. He later checked himself into a psychiatric clinic because he was suicidal. The question will now be whether the statements are admissible in court. There is a good chance that they are admissible since this was not a police or government agent eliciting the statements and it was the basis for someone to call the police. It is also hard to maintain privilege in a group settings and there is a crime/fraud exception to privilege claims.
In addition there are accounts of Keenan discussing the issue with a minister and with family members. The minister conversion would be privileged. The assaults occurred in September 2015.
How did I know immediately that the mayor is a Democrat?
IF there are accounts of this guy discussing the issue with his minister then there’s no privilege. Third party present or the minister breached the privilege but it’s not the minister’s privilege to breach so if the minister breached he may still be ok (depending on what state law sez).
If the perp was mayor when he did the crime then the civil damage suit should include the town as defendant.
There should be a condition in the penalty phase of a justice system where, when a being is so irretrievably broken as this mutt, the mutt is placed in a room, with a gun, and given the opportunity to do the right thing. Regardless of the arguments for or against the death penalty, this would offer the diseased entity the only noble thing left to him or her. If the mutt doesn’t have the minerals then locked away for life or the death penalty depending on the flavor of the day in that state.
Professor who admits to molesting click clowns in an effort to increase enrollment will testify next week before the Committee on Ways and Means to discuss taxing clowns.
These sorts of stories are a great opportunity for louts who want to make an exhibit of themselves. So, we get a competition between mouthy people for the title of low-class Draco.
Where is Jay Wiley Hubbard? Someone needs to shoot this guy. Once in the right place and then in the forehead.
He should be executed. Because he may be mentally ill, I may be willing to forgo torturing him first.
Those he told and who did nothing, including the pastor should be punished as well.
He may have a mental illness to explain his horrific behavior. The pastor doesn’t. We shouldn’t allow a person’s job to exempt one from basic human decency
While not clearly stated, it appears that the statements made to others were made after later, not while the abuse was occurring.
Legally this man has committed a heinous crime but he might be mentally seriously sick. In that case he does not belong in a jail but-hopefully forever-in an institution.