[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Hi, everyone, I'm dan abrams, and this is "courtcam."
- I'm ready to take the plea.
[group shouting]
- [screaming]
- I'll kill all you [bleep] [bleep]!
- I hope you die in prison as well.
- They cut up their bodies,
Severing the heads, their arms, and their legs.
♪ ♪
- First up, we're in springfield, massachusetts,
Where the last of three co-defendants
Is about to learn his fate
For his role in a gruesome triple homicide.
♪ ♪
That man is caius veiovis,
The defendant's bizarre appearance,
Including implanted devil horns
And satanic facial tattoos
Featuring the numbers 666,
Drew media attention.
Released this mug shot of the time of his arrest.
♪ ♪
Veiovis was charged with three counts
Of first-degree murder,
Kidnapping, and witness intimidation.
♪ ♪
According to the prosecution,
Veiovis helped adam hall and another accomplice,
David chalue,
Kidnap, torture, and murder three men.
One was scheduled to testify against adam hall
In an upcoming trial,
And the other two, according to police,
Just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And that wasn't all.
♪ ♪
- Each of the three men's heads, arms, and legs
Were cut off
And that the torsos
Of david glasser and ed frampton
Were cut in half, in the middle.
After they had cut david glasser's head off,
He held it up, laughed, and made jokes
About how ugly he looked.
♪ ♪
Both adam hall and david chalue
Were found guilty on all charges
And sentenced to life in prison
Without parole.
♪ ♪
Now, after a three-week trial, caius veiovis
Is also found guilty on all counts,
And the newly convicted murderer
Has a message for the jury.
- I'll see you all in hell, too.
You remember that. Every [bleep] one,
I'll see you in hell.
♪ ♪
- Three days later, veiovis is back in the courtroom
For sentencing, and, when given a chance to speak,
He proclaims his innocence.
- Caius veiovis was then sentenced to life in prison
Without the possibility of parole
For his involvement in the grisly murders
Of the three men.
A later appeal of the case was denied
By the massachusetts supreme court.
Veiovis' two co-defendants
Were also convicted
And sentenced to life without parole.
♪ ♪
Next, we head to rochester, new york,
For a probation hearing.
The defendant, judge leticia astacio,
Is usually behind the bench,
Not in front of it.
Almost a year and a half earlier,
She was charged with dwi,
A misdemeanor, while on her way to work.
She was found guilty and sentenced
To a year of probation.
She also agreed to show up for court appearances,
Abstain from using alcohol,
And use an interlock device on her car.
♪ ♪
But there was one small problem:
She missed a scheduled court appearance,
A violation of her probation,
Because she was in thailand.
She soon headed back to the u.S.
♪ ♪
When she returned, she's placed in custody
And later brought before judge stephen aronson
To explain herself.
- I was not drinking, and I was not driving,
And so I anticipated that I wouldn't be
In this position again, but here I was.
In the most respectful possible way,
I'm in jail. This court cannot punish me
Any more than it has.
My reputation cannot be any more tarnished
Than it has been.
- But tears aren't what
The judge is looking for.
- Nowhere in your presentation
Did I hear one word of remorse
Or contrition
For the acts that you were found guilty of.
- He increases astacio's probation
From one to three years.
- Her attorney argues it will be meaningless
Since astacio won't stick to the terms.
- Judge, she is not going to probation.
She will violate probation
The moment you put her on probation.
- What she wants, mr. Young,
Is irrelevant.
She will be sentenced to probation.
She will be having someone monitor her in the future.
- The judge extends astacio's probation,
But that's not all.
He also sentences her to 60 days in jail,
And this gets the attention of someone in the gallery:
Astacio's daughter, who is not pleased.
- She's quickly removed from the court.
- No, please. - [indistinct]
- He's holding my daughter. - I understand
The compassion of your family member,
And I don't agree with a word that's said.
♪ ♪
- Astacio's taken to jail,
But the story is not over.
Three months later, astacio's arrested twice:
Once for leaving the county to visit a casino,
And then for not using her alcohol monitor.
She's brought before a new judge,
Elisabeth toole,
Who's even less sympathetic than the previous judge.
- Your actions show that you do
Whatever you wanna do, whenever you wanna do it,
And it stops today, and it stops now.
Resentencing you to 180 days in jail,
Starting now,
To ponder what you've done,
And I hope you've learned your lesson.
[smacks gavel] case closed.
- As for astacio's judicial career,
She was suspended without pay for her probation violations.
And after further violations,
State judicial conduct commission
Recommends astacio be removed from the bench.
She is, by the state supreme court.
- Next, we're in denver, colorado, ♪ ♪
For a first advisement hearing.
The purpose of the proceeding is for the judge to explain
To the defendant
Why he's being held in custody
And to outline upcoming legal procedures
Even though the defendant
Has not been officially charged.
♪ ♪
Today, things are being laid out
For anthony waller.
He was taken into custody
On suspicion of multiple crimes,
Including false imprisonment and assault
On a female victim at a local motel.
♪ ♪
Judge doris burd then explains
He'll be held in custody
While the case is being investigated.
- The investigation for false imprisonment,
Assault in the third degree,
Assault as a class ii felony,
And a misdemeanor charge as well
In possession of drug paraphernalia.
- But before the judge can give waller an explanation,
A deputy gives him a nudge from behind.
- Waller, who's fully shackled in handcuffs,
Leg irons, and a belly chain,
Asked the judge for clarification.
♪ ♪
- Deputy brady lovingier,
Then places his hand on waller's back.
♪ ♪
Lovingier claimed that because the judge had brought
The hearing to a close,
He was directing waller to the clerk
To sign paperwork
And prevent him from stalling the proceeding.
- But after waller turns towards him,
The deputy grabs waller by his uniform and belly chain
And slams him, face first, into a metal window frame.
- As waller's dragged into a hallway,
He tells deputies that he's injured.
- Anthony waller suffered a head wound and broken teeth
From the deputy's takedown.
He was denied bail.
After witnessing the incident firsthand,
Judge doris burd filed an excessive force grievance
Against the deputy
To the denver department of public safety.
The agency found there was not an imminent threat
To the safety of anyone in the court
When lovingier used excessive force on waller.
♪ ♪
Following the investigation,
Deputy lovingier was suspended
For 30 days by the city of denver.
Anthony waller would later win
A $50,000 civil suit against lovingier
And the city. A federal jury determined
His constitutional rights were violated
By the excessive force used against him.
As to waller's original crime,
He was found guilty of third-degree assault
And sentenced to two years in county jail.
♪ ♪
- I hope that no other family has to endure
Anything like we have had to.
Kristopher griffey
Has completely destroyed my life.
♪ ♪
- Next, we're in idaho falls for a sentencing hearing.
♪ ♪
36-year-old kristopher griffey
Pled guilty to felony domestic battery
And attempted strangulation
For violently attacking his then-girlfriend
While high on methamphetamine.
Griffey admitted to punching, choking,
And threatening to kill the victim
In front of her seven-year-old son.
♪ ♪
Now, before learning his punishment,
The victim shares the lasting effects
Griffey's traumatic abuse had on her and her son.
- Can't express completely how mine and my son's lives
Have been adversely affected
By this incident with kristopher.
Kristopher completely broke me down
Until I didn't even know who I was anymore.
I have developed a fear of the dark that is so intense,
I have to sleep with the lights on.
When I go to sleep, I still wake up screaming
Or crying.
♪ ♪
- As the victim continues, it appears her words
Are having a profound effect on griffey.
- I could not understand
Why I was treated this way
By somebody who made me believe that he loved me.
[sniffs]
I could not understand what I could've possibly done
To have my son and I both deserve
To have these things done to us.
We trusted him. I put our safety in the hands
Of a man that I should've never been alone with.
Kristopher griffey has completely destroyed my life.
♪ ♪
- Griffey then lets the court know
He's not without remorse
For the damage he's done.
♪ ♪
- I'm not a monster.
♪ ♪
I'm more than willing to face this,
And you don't need to give me any less time.
You give me as much as you feel you need to give me
And I'll go up there, and I'll face it,
And I'll get as much help as I can get up there.
♪ ♪
- More than just addressing his crimes,
Griffey makes an emotional apology
To the victim.
- Apologies are such a sham.
I'm sorry for how everything went.
I couldn't keep my promise to...
And all this time, I've wanted to say an apology.
- And despite the horrific crimes
Perpetrated against her,
The victim interjects
And validates griffey's feelings.
- And you're my best friend, too.
- Now, with griffey facing up to 25 years in prison,
It's time for judge dane watkins, jr.,
To hand down the sentence.
- It's been an emotional sentencing,
And I want you to know, mr. Griffey,
That the court watched you very carefully.
You made some important statements
Of accountability and submissiveness
To the judgment of this court,
And I, too, feel the weight
Of this sentence.
It is a dramatic thing that we're discussing
On your shoulders.
I sense that from your comments
That it's clear to the court
That you have taken ownership.
The court pronounces
On the domestic violence felony matter
Two years fixed, followed by eight years indeterminate,
For a unified sentence of ten years,
On the attempted strangulation, three years, determinate,
With ten years of indeterminate time.
♪ ♪
- That means kristopher griffey's sentence
Will be at least 3 years and up to 13.
During that time, his parole eligibility
Will be determined by the state parole board,
Beginning in 2023.
- This is justice verda colvin.
In her courthouse today are 20 teens
Who are part of the bibb county sheriff's
Consider the consequences program.
And she's got a few words for these troubled teens,
Words they won't soon forget.
- Now, the ultimate experience.
You can be in this body bag,
And the only way someone will know you're in here
Is by this tag that'll have your name on it.
What do you wanna do?
- Judge colvin speaks directly
To the teens sitting in her court
To remind them that certain choices they make
Can bring on the consequences that may lead to trouble,
Jail, or even death.
- 'cause listen to me.
The way you're going,
You will go to jail,
Or you will get dumped in this body bag.
One of two things. What do you wanna do?
Young ladies,
Whether anyone has ever told you before,
You're special, you're uniquely made.
Stop acting like you're trash
And putting pictures of yourself
Up on the internet.
Stop being disrespectful to your parents.
Care about your future.
Be somebody. Anybody can be nothing.
It doesn't take anything to be nothing.
Be something.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
- It certainly appears the judge's words
Are being heard loud and clear.
- Care about yourselves.
The fact that you're shedding tears
Means you wanna be better and you wanna do better.
Do it.
The only person stopping you is you.
Do better than what you've been doing.
Do you understand me? Do you understand me?
I don't expect to ever see the three of you all
Back in my courtroom like this.
One day, I want you to come tell me,
"judge colvin--" when I got gray in my hair
'cause I can't even cover it anymore
'cause there's so much gray.
I want you to come tell me,
"judge colvin, I graduated from college.
"you might not remember me,
But you said something to me that made a difference."
- And the judge is just getting warmed up.
As this deputy steps out of the way of the judge,
Who's on a mission.
- Don't let me see you here again.
Anybody can do nothing.
Why would you wanna do nothing?
Anybody can do and be nothing.
♪ ♪
Who thinks they're better than that?
♪ ♪
Down slow. Okay, put your hand down.
Now, slow raising your hand,
Let me tell you folks something.
You are special,
And you are uniquely made,
And nobody else can do what you're supposed to do
In this world. Nobody can.
And if you don't do it, we won't have it.
♪ ♪
- As a member of the courtroom staff
Reaches for the tissues,
The judge closes out
An unforgettable speech
With a final thought.
- And when I see you are hurting,
It makes me hurt, too,
Because I don't even know you all personally,
But I love each and every one of you.
♪ ♪
And I don't want you to come here in my courtroom
And I have to sentence you as an adult
At the age of 17.
I don't want that.
I don't want to experience that myself,
And I don't want you all to experience that.
- Judge colvin says she can measure the success
Of the consider the consequences program
Seeing those kids who were once in the courtroom
Find community today.
- Next we go to a hearing in douglas county, georgia.
The defendant is 32-year-old sahara fakhir.
♪ ♪
She's been charged with armed robbery,
Burglary, and murder.
The victim was 66-year-old local businessman
Jerry wheeler, who was stabbed in his home
While making dinner.
Wheeler was the father
Of a douglas county sheriff's office deputy
Who discovered the body.
Fakhir didn't know the victim,
And there was no apparent motive
For the crime.
She's in court to hear charges,
And from the start,
Doesn't seem to appreciate the magnitude
Of what she's facing
- You're charged with the murder
Of jerry franklin wheeler. Do you understand that?
- In the masonic courthouse. I understand that.
I understand that this courthouse
Is a cursed courthouse. Yes, I understand.
- Okay...
♪ ♪
- The judge takes the claim in stride,
But as the topic shifts to legal representation,
That's when things get really bizarre.
- Do you have a lawyer?
- Allah is my lawyer right now.
- Are you-- - he's speaking through me.
- Are you going to get a lawyer?
♪ ♪
- Allah is my lawyer right now,
And if you do not release me,
Allah will have his vengeance on you,
Like he did in 2009, when he sent that flood.
It's only gonna get worse.
- It's unclear what flood the defendant is referring to,
So the judge carries on.
- Well, if you cannot employ a lawyer,
Then you can apply with the public defender's office
For an appointment with one at no cost to you.
- I mean what I said.
- I'm just trying to inform you of your rights.
- Now, I better be released from that masonic courthouse.
♪ ♪
- Unfazed by fakhir's demands
And divine proclamations,
The judge tries to finish up.
- Grand jury will meet, and it will determine
Whether or not to proceed with this case.
Do you understand that?
- If they disbelieve, they better not proceed.
♪ ♪
- Okay.
Bond will not be granted today.
If you want such a bond,
You can make application and have a hearing
As to that matter.
Do you understand?
- Why can't I get a bond today?
- I'm not going to grant a bond today.
- Why? - This is just
An initial appearance. - Why?
- Because it's going to have to have a hearing
To have a bond.
Anything else, miss?
♪ ♪
- Perhaps out of frustration,
Fakhir moves on from the judge
And begins criticizing a local news station
Covering the hearing.
- They're a member of the public.
They can film in the courthouse.
- They're a member of the disbelieving public.
- All right.
- Thank you, your honor.
♪ ♪
- Fakhir's case eventually goes to trial.
She's found guilty of murder and armed robbery
And burglary.
She's currently in a state prison
Serving a life sentence
With no possibility of parole.
That's it for this edition of "courtcam."
I'm dan abrams. Thanks for watching.