06.24.08
Judge Carnes Rejects Plea, Jimmy Fennell Going To Trial
This is unexpected but good news, Judge denies Fennell plea agreement.
District Judge Burt Carnes today denied a plea agreement worked out for former Georgetown police Sgt. Jimmy Fennell and set a jury trial for Sept. 8.
Under a deal reached last month between prosecutors and Fennell’s attorney, Fennell pleaded guilty to felony charges of kidnapping and sexual misconduct in connection with an Oct. 26 incident in which he was accused of raping an intoxicated woman while on duty. If Carnes had accepted the plea deal, Fennell would have received a two-year prison sentence, 10 years probation and a $5,000 fine.
[…]
He also was a suspect in the 1996 slaying of his fiance, 19-year-old Stacey Stites. The case was out of Bastrop County when Fennell was a Giddings police officer, but investigators later ruled him out as a suspect.
The man convicted of Stites’ murder was Rodney Reed, who was sentenced to death in 1998. Reed’s case was heard by an appeals court in March for the third time since his conviction, but no rulings or opinions have been issued by the Texas Third Court of Criminal Appeals.
The Williamson County DA’s will now have to prosecute Jimmy Fennell. See EOW previous reporting on this here.
WilcoVoter said,
June 25, 2008 at 10:25 am
Good! I am more than a bit disgusted with how those who are supposed to protect us get sweethweart deals when they are accused of felonies. In this case, since Fennell tried to get such a deal, I am more than a bit conviinced he is guilty.
FedUp said,
June 25, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Becuase of the plea deal the DA came up with, leads one to believe there is more to this. Reguardless of what happens, John Bradley will come out smelling like a rose for his future State endevors. This man never does anything to make himself look bad. It’s all planned out and it’s just sick. Except his little deal with Michael Moore and the Rachel Cooke confession. Michael Moore knew how to play Hoolywood John and Moore made Bradley look like a fool. Don’t make Bradley look like a fool, he will piblicaly annouce he will make a case stick. Now you tell me, what kind of a DA does that/this?
He coulf care less about justice unless it can futher his career.
FedUp said,
June 25, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Sorry. It’s “publicaly” not “piblicaly”