3 OCT 08: YOU MAY CROSS-EXAMINE

There actually were two debates on Columbus television Thursday evening. But since this is isn't The Blog of Washington, I admittedly didn't pay attention to the second one. Besides, we all know what most people tuned in to see - whether Sarah Palin wore her hair up or down.

The first TV debate was a meeting between the candidates for Muscogee County District Attorney. Someone asked me Thursday if there might be any "gray area" during the presentation. I told him yes - there probably would be a Gray Conger area, and a separate Julia Slater area.

But some people may have been disappointed, because the "D.A. Q&A" ended much too soon. Each candidate only had to answer two questions, and there was no interaction between them. Isn't the Miss Georgia pageant a bit more challenging than this?

All the questions in the "debate" came from TV viewers. Incumbent Gray Conger was asked first about his recent comment that he wished three convicted murderers could be "shot on the courthouse steps." If we moved the courthouse to some mobile home parks on Farr Road, he might get his wish....

But anyway: the real focus of the question was why District Attorney Gray Conger put the three Hampton Inn murder suspects on trial together, instead of separately. Conger admitted under Georgia law, suspects CANNOT be tried in groups in death penalty cases. Of course, this proves the old adage about having safety in numbers.

But the incumbent explained some witnesses in that murder case might not have been able to wait for one capital murder trial, much less three separate ones. That's what happens when a crime takes place at Hampton Inn, instead of an extended-stay lodge.

Gray Conger's tongue was challenged in the other question he faced. It involved the case of "Collier vs. The State" from 2004 -- a case I'd never heard of, and one which baffled Conger for a moment. And you wondered what attorneys do, when they don't have any big cases to prepare....

In the Collier case, the District Attorney was accused of being reprimanded by an appeals court for some comments he made during trial. Gray Conger said he doesn't recall the appeal turning out that way. The only way to find the truth might be to conduct a "Lexus" search - something normally done by people who can afford to drive such things.

Gray Conger admitted there are times in a courtroom when it's "easy to get in the argument.... say things you sometimes wish you didn't say...." Of course, Conger's critics were hoping he'd do the very same thing right there on TV.

But the District Attorney made a surprising additional comment -- quoting an old F.B.I. agent he knew, who preferred to work with someone "with a letter of censure in his file." Didn't this kind of approach get Bill Heard Chevrolet in trouble?

Opponent Julia Slater faced two probing questions of her own. The first involved rumors that her law firm was under a federal investigation -- something legal partner Mark Shelnutt addressed here a few weeks ago [21 Aug]. About all that's missing is someone connecting Slater to the Harris County Sheriff....

Julia Slater declared the rumors of a federal investigation "not true." That's a bit different from Mark Shelnutt's comment to us that nothing had been confirmed. Perhaps the F.B.I. saw what Mayor Jim Wetherington said to Wallace Davis the other day, and decided to do the same thing.

Julia Slater insisted she's "never been accused of wrongdoing" - not as an Assistant District Attorney, and not in her private practice. This may give us a clue about which member of her household is responsible for taking out the garbage.

The other question for Julia Slater involved the "low bond" controversy for Griffin, Georgia Rotary Club President Frank Stuart Thompson. Make that FORMER President, as someone else was inducted in the office in September. The club bulletins don't explain what happened - which is a sure way to keep the weekly attendance high.

Julia Slater turned the bond obtained for Frank Stuart Thompson into a complaint against her opponent. She said over the last 12 years, the District Attorney's office has had "no consistent presence" in Recorder's Court. I have this funny feeling the bail bonding companies take a different approach....

With four questions answered, the debate suddenly ended. One other big case of recent years never came up - but when we checked our InBox Thursday night, there it was:

Our son Richard was murdered in Columbus July 2003: a trial and convictions followed but justice was not served. Before you think to yourself that it's our grief making us feel that way, here are some details: As a retired military policeman, I investigated many crimes during my career and I never saw a case handled like my son's. Basic evidence was kept out of court. Items from the scene was never tagged as evidence. Statements revealed that my son was placed in the trunk of the murderers car, yet the car was never examined. I asked the District Attorney, Gray Conger to have this done. I even offered to pay for it. It fell on deaf ears. We spent years begging for Richard's remains. Conger kept them in a cardboard box while telling us the reason was about DNA for future appeals. We told him we would agree to him keeping a small portion. He never responded. Finally in 2007, he released them for burial but only after my family launched a petition forcing the issue. The coffin was exhumed and it was discovered that a portion of his femur bone had been removed for DNA in November 2003. So his flimsy DNA excuse was never true. It was also discovered that one of his rib bones recovered from the crime scene is missing. We've asked for answers. As always, Conger doesn't respond. We don't live in Columbus, but we like the town and its citizens and thought you should know how victims are really treated. When you cast your vote for District Attorney, for your own well-being you should think about getting someone new. Pick someone who cares about justice not just fast tracking cases off the docket to give the illusion he's doing a good job.

LANNY AND REMY DAVIS

APPLE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

So with this e-mail which is also being sent to the Ledger-Enquirer, Julia Slater gains a de facto endorsement from the West Coast. At least it's from the opposite direction of Joshua Segall, with his checks from New York City.

Lanny and Remy Davis continue to oversee the Richard Davis Foundation for Peace, named after their late son. One of its latest projects is a fund-raising drive for an "Iraq War Veteran Memorial," which it wants to locate in Columbus. If anything moves those Saturday anti-war protests off Veterans Parkway, this could do it.

Now for other sights and sounds from an outstanding October day....

+ Which guitar player was caught singing contemporary Christian music on the sidewalk, outside a restaurant on Broadway? Were any customers convicted enough to avoid buying tickets to comedy night at The Loft?

+ A new government map showed Columbus has returned to a "severe drought." Now this isn't fair. September and October tend to be our driest months of the year. What are we supposed to do - drain all the swimming pools on nearly farms?

+ A registered nurse gave a presentation at Brookstone School, on the dangers of drinking and driving. Hopefully students got the message - and if Brookstone wins the Brocelli Jug over Pacelli tonight, they'll fill it only with apple cider.

+ Several former employees of Bill Heard Chevrolet revealed their final paychecks have been returned. Wow - I didn't realize the managers kept "Repo Joe" on the payroll a few extra days....

+ Instant Message to National Public Radio reporter Jim Zarroli: I see you got the word -- you weren't quite right in the 4:00 hour Thursday. Bill Heard Chevrolet was NOT "based in Atlanta." Columbus isn't quite a suburb yet. But considering the bankruptcy filing, the managers must somehow think Decatur, Alabama is a suburb of Columbus.

SCHEDULED NEXT WEEK: Sunday dinner - not along the river, but over it....

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