|
One day after Schaeffer Cox blamed a government informant for themurder conspiracy he's accused of perpetrating, federal prosecutorsspent much of the day Wednesday trying to show Cox invented theexcuse purely to help himself at trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yvonne Lamoureux wove through stacks oftranscripts, audio and video recordings and evidence gathered fromCox's iPhone to show that in all of his communications, in all ofhis dealings with members of his Alaska Peacemakers Militia, Coxnever showed any fear of informant Bill Fulton, who Cox claims waspushing him to act. He spoke openly and often about a so-calledfederal hit squad that he thought was working surreptitiously tobring him down. But in the nearly year-long span Cox was underscrutiny, he never mentioned Fulton's name as someone he worriedwould harm him. "In all of the public speeches that you've ever made, you've nevermentioned your fear that Bill Fulton was going to kill you? In morethan 100 hours of recordings you never said Bill Fulton was goingto kill you? In your seven-hour interview with (FBI) AgentSutherland you never said that Bill Fulton was going to kill you,"Lamoureux said during her cross examination of Cox. Cox stuck with his story, claiming that Fulton, an Anchorageweapons dealer who had begun to show more interest in Cox and hismuch-hyped militia, was the very person he was speaking about whenhe made statements to judges, troopers and others that there werepeople in the community he couldn't control, people who were outfor blood and who wouldn't hesitate to launch a violent conflict indefense of Cox and other militia members. Competing portraits For jurors, it was yet another day spent absorbing competingportraits of Cox. There is the man prosecutors see, ananti-government extremist who rejected the laws of Alaska and theUnited States and served as the commander in chief of a separategovernment group modeled after the U.S. government. A man thegovernment believes was plotting violence and had convinced othersto join him. Then there is the man the defense sees -- an enthusiastic,grassroots liberty activist with a penchant for provocation styledafter Glenn Beck and Howard Stern. A Christian man who believes innatural law and delights in celebrity and intellectual inquiry.Taking up arms and killing people is something that would onlyhappen in the defense of family. In exploring other violentscenarios, Cox was merely on a philosophical journey, extrapolatingcause and effect to their extremes. His bizarre paperwork thatflooded the court system and the trials his followers andacquaintances held at a Fairbanks Denny's restaurant were simplyways to get people's attention, heighten curiosity and encourageothers to delve into the rabbit-hole of legal theories Cox wantedthem to explore. Jurors will be asked to weigh Cox's words on the stand against thecircumstantial evidence prosecutors say paints a different picture.One example is a machine gun and silencer Cox is accused ofpossessing. On the stand Cox admitted he had made and still owned amachine gun and a homemade pistol silencer. Cox's attorney madesure to get Cox to reiterate that he never intended to use eitheritem to kill people, that the silencer was to quiet shots he'dtaken from his house to deal with a fox invading the chicken coop.The machine gun was only for show. Yet prosecutors, in their lastline of questioning, reminded Cox that loaded magazines for themachine gun had been found during the arrest-day raids, somethingCox owned up to. And they had lingering questions about how"homemade" the machine gun really was. A serial number on theweapon's body suggested otherwise. Cox has gotten a lot of mileage out of his story about how federalagents had been dispatched to arrest or kill him. On Wednesday, hefinally got the chance to explain how he came up with the theoryand the curious string of events he said have given him pause. I am an expert from doorknob-hardware.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Raised Floor Pedestal , Replacement Sofa Legs Manufacturer, Ball Bearing Door Hinges,and more.
Related Articles -
Raised Floor Pedestal, Replacement Sofa Legs Manufacturer,
|
