From: Italo Zarate (Ooh, Boy!)
Editor,
When I first met Joe he was a rookie in the national Guard. A gifted young fellow destined to become famous singer from "El Valle." On the positive side, his music entertains hundreds of thousands of fans every day internationally. On the negative side, his music also triggers an image of a somber Joe looking out the windows of his prison cell. It dampens the joy, and like the Iraq war, it should never have happened.
The Lopez family says Joe's career was ruined by a troubled teenager (his niece) who accused him of sexual assault, but also by a vindictive Cameron County District Attorney. Troubled, because sources indicate she had serious problems. Being sexually active by age 14 and habitually lying, are two of her problems. The vindictive part, because the DA had a personal dispute with Joe and could have cause him to act spitefully.The adolescent's demeanor doesn't excuse anyone from committing such a crime, but Joe claims he didn't touch her. If she was already sexually active before pointing fingers at Joe, who was she having sex with? Were they not charged with sexually assaulting her? Were they DA dispute free? Does that mean they get off Scot free?
The Lopez family believes that because there was a conflict of interest between Joe and the DA, the DA should have recused himself from the case. Quite the opposite, he vigorously pursued it. They also believed that the only reason Joe's lawyers didn't strive to enforce the recuse was because they were in cahoots, or were intimidated by the DA.
When Joe's case landed on the DA's lap, he felt like the bug flew into the spider's web, with the spider looming menacingly above him and grinning like a Cheshire cat. And thus, the genesis of Joe's dilemma. If the Lopez family believes that Joe was set up, or that it was a payback, they've got reason to believe so.
As fate would have it, Joe was convicted and sentenced to 32 years.
Efforts to release him on parole have been rejected because he refuses to plead guilty. After being caged like a songbird for six years, you'd think he'd be anxious to fly away, but he won't. Like the young G.W. and the cherry tree, he refuses to tel a lie. A lesser person, or a much wiser person, depending on how you see things, would have already said it, no screamed it, "Yeah, what the hell, I'm guilty! Get me out of here!"
It seems like lying is the norm nowadays; like a contagious disease. Witness the current "Limas-Rosenthal lawyer lying contest" in our courts. If Joe decides to lie to get out of prison, we will understand and won't blame him. Besides, everybody lies to a degree. Lawyers lie to win cases, politicians lie to get elected, presidents lie to start wars, folks like Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity of Fox News lie to mislead. It's a freaking lying world out there. It's time for Joe to lie himself out of prison. It's time for him to say goodbye to his cell mates. It's time for him to join us in the world of liars. He might not like it, but it's certainly much better than a restrictive prison cell.
Seriously, if Joe can't get the newly-elected and highly respected District Attorney Luis Saenz to review his case, lying might be his only way out. Once he's out he can start anew; a "new beginning." He can call his new band, "El Grupo Genesis de Joe Lopez."
Ya basta, beautiful song bird. It's time to come home, to sing to us.
14 comments:
Being able to"sing," if that's what you call Tejano rock is no justification for a man convicted by a jury being freed. Joe Lopez is behind bars because he was found guilty of abusing a minor. the fact that other adults may have enjoyed her sexually is full-apart from Joe's conviction. He should take his medicine like a man, not a goddamned "songbird."
Let me get this straight. Joe and his family believe that the DA was out to get him; that his lawyer was in cohoots; that the jury was asleep; and that he is innocent. What a crock of shit. Be a man maricon and resign yourself to being in prison for a very long time because you are guilty.
Inocent until proven guilty, let Luis take another look into it.
Did this Guy fix tires at a small shop on Central Blvd. a long time ago?
The new Cameron County District Attorney is quickly becoming the media player and not a judicial mananger. Luis "Huicho" Saenz has dodged issues related to 8 Liners, but has quickly become a media player with support of spousal abuse and now the resurrection of the Rubio case. Luis has become a media "user" and not a prosecutor. "Huicho" has become an "entertainer" and "bullshitter", not a District Attorney. Seems to me that the judicial system in Cameron County remains more like the Cameroon justice system (a country in Africa for the ignorant here) than a fair judicial system. Perhaps Aurora de la Garza should be beatified as the Saint of the Judicial...for her miracles in getting cases to the "right" court.
Out of pure morbid curiosity I kept reading after he brought up the Iraq War. This truly is a stupid letter. As someone already mentioned, the fact this teen was sexually active and troubled has no bearing on this situation. In addition, her sexual partners may or may not have been adults. Again, this is irrelevant. If the family has some sort of issue with how the DA handled the case or how the case was tried, there are avenues they can take to address this. Making wild accusations with no proof is unproductive. Further, saying that because one person didn’t get charged with wrongdoing so therefore, Joe shouldn’t have been charged is just sophistry.
I remember your "cool aeros" letter to the editor many years ago. You might be reaching on this one. Free Joe Mazz!
Our former DA was and is a vindictive person! Lopez should be afforded the right to have his case reviewed. We had a DA selling justice to the highest bidder and its rumored he withheld evidence in this case.
DA'sshould be subjected to the penalties of whatever crimes they withhold evidence in. This happens everywhere because its a score keeping game wins vs losses instead of doing the right thing DAs only care about convictions not the assumed innocence of defendants
AGREE!
Dags Barrera
villalobos is a scumbag, weasel, liar, bribetaker, and he really belongs in jail for about a good 10-20 year period, Not these one year deals that are being passed around like ome of these other maricone lawyers are getting. Federal guidleines judge, follow the federal guidelines like you do with everyone else. PERIOD.
I am pleased by the majority of rebuttals countering the thinking and effort to make Joe's case on the victim's behavior, because she was a child. The family should be further ashamed of themselves for such and it really speaks volumes about that branch of the family's mentality. Instead of helping the victim with her issues they claim she had, they rebuke her and defame her character in public once again assaulting the victim. How pathetic. If thier stance is Joe got an unfair trial because of crooked and spiteful DA...then base your request on that. Not attacking the victim. Also, with all his money and fame, Joe could hire any lawyer, one not intimidated by the local cronies here in town and that former DA. Is his family really that stupid? It sures sounds like self-imposed ignorance.
The problem here is people have only bits of Information.
Free Joe.tour in Houston
Joe lopez. Inocente o culpable .I grew up with songs and fell in �
Post a Comment