Zahra Clare Baker #8 11/15/10 - 11/27/10

[klaasend]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/11/17/1843651/da-questions-choice-of-defender.html

D.A. questions choice of defender in Zahra Baker case
Death-penalty specialist appointed without murder charges, prosecutor says.
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
cwootson@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010

The prosecutor in the Zahra Baker case will meet with the N.C. Attorney General's office today to determine if a defense attorney for Elisa Baker was inappropriately appointed at taxpayer expense.

Elisa Baker is in Catawba County jail, charged with felony obstruction of justice in a case that has garnered international attention. Hickory police say she confessed to writing a phony ransom note after her 10-year-old stepdaughter, Zahra, was reported missing Oct. 9. Police later ruled the case a homicide and say Baker is a person of interest.

On Oct. 18, Bob Hurley, the N.C. Capital Defender, provisionally appointed Lisa Dubs of Hickory to represent Elisa Baker.

Dubs specializes in murder cases in which the state is seeking the death penalty, according to her website. In 2006 and 2007, Dubs represented Lisa Greene, a Cabarrus County woman sentenced to death after she was convicted of setting a fire that killed two of her children.

The capital defender's office appoints attorneys for indigent defendants accused of first-degree murder. The attorneys are often more experienced and expensive than normal public defenders, and the state pays the cost.

The dispute over Dubs' appointment is only the latest twist in the disappearance and death of Zahra Baker. The search across three counties started with a bizarre 911 call in which Adam Baker, Zahra's father, claimed fires had been set in his backyard and someone had left a ransom note. Later, Elisa Baker led investigators to several locations in Caldwell County where parts of Zahra's dismembered body were found.

But no one has been charged with murder.

It's unclear how much Dubs has worked on Elisa Baker's behalf in the past month, and the Capital Defender's Office says she hasn't submitted a bill. Dubs couldn't be reached Tuesday.

When asked about her costs, Hurley said: "The expense incurred by provisional counsel is a small price to pay for preservation of someone's constitutional rights."

Elisa Baker also has a public defender, Scott Reilly, who was appointed shortly after she was charged with obstruction of justice. Both attorneys' names are on a motion filed Monday asking a judge to decrease Elisa Baker's bond, and both have met with her in jail.

But District Attorney Jay Gaither, who represents Catawba County, says N.C. law only grants the capital defender's office the authority to appoint a provisional attorney like Dubs if a person has been charged with first-degree murder.

Gaither said Tuesday that a murder charge "is the threshold for the appointment of legal counsel on a provisional basis in a capital cases. My main argument is that the rules have to be followed.

"They appear fairly objective ... and if you read them, it's not very hard to understand what's required."

Hurley, the capital defender, says his reading of the statute allowed him to appoint Dubs.

"At some point, the lead detective announced that this has been turned into a homicide investigation and it was clear that Elisa was a prime suspect," Hurley said. "I didn't want her to be without counsel."

The Indigent Defense Services Act of 2001 allows the capital defender to appoint a lawyer on a provisional basis "upon learning that a defendant has been charged with a capital offense."

It's unclear what will happen after Gaither meets with the attorney general's office.

He said he could request a hearing with a judge to have Dubs removed, or the capital defender's office could nullify her appointment.

Still, Dubs could work for free or work out an arrangement with Zahra Baker.

Zahra moved from Australia to Hickory with her father, Adam, after he married Elisa in 2009. The couple met on the Internet.

[Curly]

He didn't atend the vigil because he was scared of what might happen to him. There's no other reason.
I  thought I'd read he's staying in an apartment in Hudson (where that is, I have no idea). Hope he's being stalked.

[Monkey King]

OK, it's been a while since I posted a video!

Can someone fix this please?  I know what I did wrong.  

thank you!!

There's no link to the video MK.

Ok, I'll just redo it.

http://www.youtube.com/v/iISyPz5XRyI?fs=1

Look about 30-35 seconds.  The guy looks like AB.


Please do not embed non related videos

[luvmyboys]

Hey everyone I am working on the pics now. My dad's iv did not work well this morning so I got behind. Just fix him and my mom there breakfast. And pics will be up soon

[Northern Rose]

Anyone see any real tears?  Wiping and then seconds later.

[Tolerance]

Adding my thanks to the faithful Monkeys who did so much work on Zahra's Thread.
God bless you.
Tol

Tolerance       So good to see you back!  I have a question if you do not mind answering.  The motion to reduce bail says that Gothmonster brought LE to where the gel liner for the prosthetic was.  Is this something that comes out of a prosthetic or is it all attached normally and not meant to come out?

Brian had a gel PACK.  It went between the stump sock and the prosthetic to cushion the stump.  It was a separate part.  Things may be different for a prosthetic leg vs. arm...........I will do some checking.
(and glad to be back, NR, thank you for all your hard work and faithfulness here)
Tol

[klaasend]

MK - We have asked for non MP related videos NOT TO BE EMBEDED.  Some people have a older computers and it makes it nearly impossible for them to navigate the thread.  Didn't you see my post when you originally tried to post the video?

[Tolerance]

Here is a good description of gel liners for prosthetics from the Livestrong (Lance Armstrong) site. 
http://www.livestrong.com/article/38182-types-sleeves-prosthetic-legs/

[Monkey King]

Seems to me he's had Zahra the last 9 years despite a court order issued in 2001 and this is the final result of his parenting.

I'd like to know what the evidence EB's attorneys brought to the police to show she was credible-.

They went to a crime scene and disturbed it then took evidence. Who knows that they turned everything over if it pointed to their client.

Right.

Whatever it was, it was brought to the police in good faith.

WHY did they not just contact the police and have the police process the evidence?

This woman KNOWS the complications of removing and handling/contaminating  evidence from a scene. 

Who knows how their handling of this evidence has affected this case?

[Monkey King]

MK - We have asked for non MP related videos NOT TO BE EMBEDED.  Some people have a older computers and it makes it nearly impossible for them to navigate the thread.  Didn't you see my post when you originally tried to post the video?

No, I didn't. 

I sent you an email after I read your post since I had already reposted it.

Sorry again!  

[no rose colored glasses]

Hey everyone I am working on the pics now. My dad's iv did not work well this morning so I got behind. Just fix him and my mom there breakfast. And pics will be up soon

Bless your heart, whenever you have the time we will look forward to your pictures 

[no rose colored glasses]

Here is a good description of gel liners for prosthetics from the Livestrong (Lance Armstrong) site. 
http://www.livestrong.com/article/38182-types-sleeves-prosthetic-legs/

Thank-you 

[Wyks]

Signs hang from the stair railing of the Baker house on 21st Avenue,NW, calling for justice for Zahra Baker on November 15,2010.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/15/10/bond-reduction-filing-baker-shows-her-help-case-ar-540284/

Thanks for posting this, Northern Rose. 

Seems to me, that this house of horrors needs to be demolished, and the property turned into a permanent memorial for Zahra.  The signs need to remain.  Perhaps the community can be involved in destroying that house.  Might help them feel vindicated in some measure for Zahra. 

DSS needs to be brought up on charges as well.  IMO.  If I lived in that area, I'd never EVER let that dept forget the mistakes they've made, and how horribly they failed this precious little one.  Again, IMO. 

[Northern Rose]

Here is a good description of gel liners for prosthetics from the Livestrong (Lance Armstrong) site. 
http://www.livestrong.com/article/38182-types-sleeves-prosthetic-legs/

Thank you!

<snipped>

Gel Sleeves
Gel sleeves are liners designed in a variety of thicknesses and sizes for comfort and to prevent friction or rubbing between the limb stump and the prosthetic socket. Gels contained in the lining offer nutrients such as mineral and vitamin oils to soothe and protect skin. Washing by hand or machine with air-drying is recommended, with drying to be complete before wear.

Gel Sheath
The gel sheath is a prosthetic accessory that slides over an above-the-knee or below-the-knee amputation and is made of washable synthetic nylon fabric bonded with gels. A gel sheath can be worn as a liner over the limb stump or as a nylon sheath inside the prosthetic device. Gel sheaths cost between $30 and $120, depending on style, fabric and need and size. Hand washing or machine washing is recommended, ensuring the sleeve is perfectly dry (air-dried preferred) before wearing.

Durability
Most types of laminated prosthetic sleeves are washable both by hand and by machine. Made from nylon, spandex, Lycra and other synthetic fibers, the sleeves are priced very reasonably (most averaging around $30 to $50 depending on size, prosthetic and design. Prosthetic sleeves can last up to 6 months or years, depending on use, activity levels and care.

[no rose colored glasses]

Hi Wyks, I agree about ripping down that evil house  if not I'm afraid it may turn into a place that people go just to see the house and talk about what happened there 

[no rose colored glasses]

I'm sorry if I missed this, I was under the assumption Zahra's leg was found, was it the gel liner that was found and not the leg?

[Northern Rose]

Ma Baker

[no rose colored glasses]

The both of them make me ill, and if they think their acting job is good, they better think again 

[sassifrass]

Signs hang from the stair railing of the Baker house on 21st Avenue,NW, calling for justice for Zahra Baker on November 15,2010.

http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2010/nov/15/10/bond-reduction-filing-baker-shows-her-help-case-ar-540284/

Thanks for posting this, Northern Rose. 

Seems to me, that this house of horrors needs to be demolished, and the property turned into a permanent memorial for Zahra.  The signs need to remain.  Perhaps the community can be involved in destroying that house.  Might help them feel vindicated in some measure for Zahra. 

DSS needs to be brought up on charges as well.  IMO.  If I lived in that area, I'd never EVER let that dept forget the mistakes they've made, and how horribly they failed this precious little one.  Again, IMO. 

Wyks! 


The owner did that when Miranda and Amanda were murdered by Ward Weaver and they put up a permanently memorial for them there.

[Northern Rose]

I'm sorry if I missed this, I was under the assumption Zahra's leg was found, was it the gel liner that was found and not the leg?

This is what the motion says:
http://www.wsoctv.com/download/2010/1116/25803730.pdf