Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

I didn't remember this guy so I had to Google "Judge Christopher Dupuy." His story got wild. 

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• As widely expected, the Wise County District Attorney's office will seek the death penalty in the Athena Strand case.
• Somewhat oddly, the news came from the Sheriff and not the D.A.: "Akin said the district attorney told the sheriff's office he's officially filed paperwork to seek the punishment if Horner is convicted."
• Historically, I'm pretty sure no one has ever received a death sentence out of Wise County. 
  
  
  
• Recall that the father of Strand filed a civil lawsuit shortly after the murder.  Now the mother has intervened as a Plaintiff in that same action filed in Wise County.
  
  
  
  
• Pleadings sure have changed a lot in my lifetime. Look how the Intervention starts out. And it's full of pictures and screenshots. Full petition here. 
  
  
  
• That Petition in Intervention was filed by . . . 
  
  
  
• The independent contractor which hired Tanner Horner is Big TopSpin, Inc. and represented by the firm Baker Donelson.
• Fed Ex is represented by Holm | Bambace.
• Both firms are huge, but I can't say I've ever heard of them. 
• Full list of all the lawyers listed in the newest pleadings: 
  
  
  
• The foreman of the grand jury in Atlanta -- the one which investigated Trump and others for election interference -- needs to get off TV and certainly stop doing interviews. This is a prosecutor's nightmare. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Don't forget about this story.  The legislature hasn't decided to fund it yet. 
  
  
  
• And in a comical moment before a committee yesterday, this occurred. 
  
  
  
• Politically, I don't know why Kevin McCarthy turned the footage over -- other than he had to in order to appease those who had made a deal with to become Speaker.  But if the Republicans want to keep the January 6th Insurrection front and center in the news, the Democrats certainly won't mind. 
  
  
  
• Fox News gave the crazy QAnon rep a forum last night, and Sean Hannity thought her divorce/secede idea sounded pretty good. And she actually said, "The last thing I ever want to see in America is a civil war  . . .  but it's going that direction." Incredible.
  
   
  
  
  
• Michael Irvin's lawsuit against the hotel for kicking him out for allegedly saying something offensive was stupid to begin with. Now the hotel has moved the case to federal court where it won't last long at all.
  
  
  
• The University of Alabama got shook up yesterday when it was just casually dropped in a hearing that the school's freshman star basketball player brought the gun to the guy who is currently charged with capital murder. 
  
  
  
• The Alex Murdaugh story really is nuts, and the trial has some odd moments, too. Story.
  
• And the defense is spending a ton of money in the murder trial. Yesterday they had an expert testify that a short person had to have done the shooting -- complete with 3D animation and graphics. 
  
  
  
• On The Ticket this morning, they talked about Bridgeport and Runaway Bay as being speed traps. Host George Dunham got a ticket in one of the two a while back (it sounded like Runaway Bay) and complained about the sudden change in speed zones.