I have been kinda of following a trial on true TV one of the lawyers who host the show said.
"One of the FEW RIGHTS a defendant has is to testify in his own defense."

So I thought an e mail to the show would be appropriate and here is my e mail.

The statement was made that one of the few rights a defendant has is to testify in his own defense. This was said concerning the trial of Tyler Edmond's. As the mother of a murdered child I have to say that is so untrue. I found as many, many other moms have that the defendant has ALL the rights and the victim has NONE!
I was p@##$% off when I heard that had to calm down before I e mailed my response.

That's pathetic isn't it. Good for you and I hope someone reads it, and it not just get junked out with other emails. why is it so hard for people to see how much more rights they ahve then our angles who were killed? I mean our babies had no choice on a jury or a judge, or a speedy trial or not, or which atty to pick, etc. etc. etc. they had no choice whatsover in what happened, the POS did this and yet they get to hug and kiss their familes and hear their mom say "i love you". Something a lot of us didn't ever get the chance to do! Urgggghhh!!!

Shirley can you post the email address so we can email them too? What a stupid statement. Has he ever been through a trial? The defendant has a "Few rights?" What a joke. They have all the rights. After all it is the CRIMINAL JUSTICE system, not the victim's justice system. I am getting so sick of hearing about THEIR rights.

Kim
I would love it if a bunch of moms would e mail and tell them what a stupid thing that was to say.
Just go to truTV.com click on contact us then in the list of people click on Jami Floyd:Best Defense it will come up with a place you can put in your info. and a message.
Love Ya
Jim's Mom

I sent an email yesterday. I asked them to interview a mother of a Murdered child then you would find out who actually has all the rights. Even though our family did not have to go through a trial due to the Coward killing himself I have listened to you MOMS and what you all have endured and are still going through and I cry and pray for you all. We will stick together no matter what each individual has gone through because our bond is all the same our children were brutally taken from us. Let's all flood them with e-mails who knows maybe one of us will get a response and maybe they will interview a MOM. Maybe then our voices will be heard and the truth be told.

Love and Prayers to you all

Cindy Monica's Mom

Hi Cindy
Thanks you see even though you didn't go through a trial the POS still had all the rights. He took Monica away from you then had the right to run, turn himself in, or kill himself and he chose the cowards way out. Thanx for sending the e mail.
Love "N" Hugs
Jimmy's Mom
Shirley

A copy of the email I sent. I am passing this info to my fdlfd group too.

I am writing in response to your statement that "one of the few rights a defendant has is his right to testify in his own behalf." I would like to say BULL. That is wrong, wrong, wrong. The defendant has ALL the rights. My daughter was murdered on July 1, 2008 and she has NO RIGHTS at all. We have NO RIGHTS at all as her parents. He has the right to a speedy trial, he has the right to either have defense provided and if he doesn't like that one he can request another OR provide his own defense. WE get the DA assigned and that DA will tell us how busy he is (and we hear I am much to busy to care about your child) and how little money he makes. The defendant has the right to three meals a day, a bed, and visitor's. WE get to go visit a cemetery and talk to a head stone. HE gets to decide if he wants to take the plea that is offered to him even though WE are begging them to not offer him one. HE gets to have us excluded from the court room because HIS lawyer put us on the defense list to keep us out even though we had nothing to do with the night HE murdered her. As you pointed out HE does get to decide if he will testify or not and if HIS attorney stalls we have to just sit back and take it. WE have to see HIM try to blame our daughter for her own death and she is the one being put on trial. So if you want to make comments about who the "few rights" someone has you should be talking about the zero rights that the victim and the family left behind have. Call any parent of a murdered child, or any murdered person for that matter and ask them how "few rights" the defendant has. I do not believe any of the family of the victim's will see it the same way. That statement is just so offensive to the families left behind because no one cares about us or our pain. Do a segment on that. How we are TOLD that they will offer a plea and we really don't get a choice. How we get to ask questions and be treated like we don't matter. How we have to beg them to care only to have them say they can't because they can't get too involved in the case. WHAT??? They need to care. I am so disgusted with our justice system and with hearing it is the best we have. Well if this is the best that we have it isn't good enough. No one should be told that "Well, no matter what we get it won't bring her back." No one knows that better then the mother who has lost her child. It should never be said to the family. It is an insult. We know it won't but we also know that when justice is not sought it says to us that our child had no value to anyone but us. My child had value. She IS important and should get the justice she deserves. I know a lot of women in the MOMS (Mother's of Murdered Sons/Daughters) who could tell you story after story of how many rights the defendant DOES have.

What a bunch of garbage Shirley. They also have the right to not testify despite a confession at the scene of the crime as in our case. If we ever were to have a trial he could just sit there begging for the mercy of the jury. Well why doesn't he have to get up in front of the jurors with his big bad self and repeat the horrible things he said to the police. I know they will read it but he should have to tell the jury. Yes I killed her..they wouldn't change my medicine so I killed her. I waited all day I didn't even know her name...I watched her die..Is there a death penalty? I am sure the jury would like to hear that from him so they could know they true depths of our pain and what a cold blooded pathetic coward he is. But no he will have the right to remain silent. I wonder if they had lost someone to one of these animals if they would still feel this way. My hopes, and I know this is horrible, is that the murderer attacks his lawyer so she will feel the terror my daughter felt in her last moments and then she will know what kind of animal she is defending. They must be evil to defend these cowards. I do believe if they didn't have the defense lawyers it would be another deterrent but they all know they will get a defense when they kill. They also know the higher profile the better lawyer they will get. Like in Lisa's case he will get the best defense possible at our cost so some piece of crap attorney can make a name for herself defending this coward. It makes you sick. Luv ya...Laura & AV

Has anyone of you who sent an email heard anything back from them? Funny how they can never seem to respond to our emails isn't it?
Laura. I pray everyday that you will be able to get something done. They felt he was well enough to release once then they should find that he is well enough to stand trial. He can get his meds in prison just as well as in the mental hospital. He knew what he was doing. Our justice system is awful. It can't be a deterrent if it is not enforced. Lives are lost. They don't take something we can replace they take our children's lives and then they don't even care. How someone can have no remorse is beyond me. Of course I guess if they had a soul they wouldn't murder to begin with would they?

Naturally I haven't heard anything back.
I am thinking maybe we should take one of our stories and bombard everyone we can think of with it until we get a response or pick one show and keep sending the story over and over until someone takes notice. We could even vote on who's story to try to get out there that just might open the door for us to have our voices heard. I don't know just a thought this is driving me crazy I feel like NO ONE CARES about our kids.
Love all of you guys
Jim's Mom

please post if they answer. i know our children had no rights, so why is it that the people who killed them have so many?

I think Laura and AV should tell Lisa's story first. I believe all of our kid's stories need told but the fact that they are fighting not only the injustice system but the mental health system as well. They need help getting them to get his sorry rear end out of that hospital. The one they felt he was healthy enough to be released from in the first place and he can take his meds in prison. He knew what he was doing and it was premeditated. His statements proved that.

I am with Kim,I think if a story needs to be out there it should be Lisa's and the mental health farce..I also think that Kaylin's story should be heard because of the circumstance of letting someone die,leaving them in a ditch and not helping them..Jeremy,Julie's son for the minimal sentence handed down and Jeremy/Alisa's son for not taking it to trial.These are 4 stories that are injustices in themselves and if they are concentrated on with the other MOMS giving their opinions then I think that's who they should concentrate on.All of our children's murders are inexcusable however,these examples are all of our nightmares.I still have hope that Nicky's murderers will be brought to trial and convicted.I may feel quite differently next year when it goes to trial.I will just have to wait and see if there is justice for Nicky.I know some of you have emailed already with no response it looks like,any more happening with this? I will write an email but not about Nicky yet,just on those stories I mentioned,because they have more injustice at this point.Someone let me know as I hadn't been on messageboard for about a week and a half.Love and God Bless everyone of you dear MOMS

Barb
I haven't heard a thing from my e mails but I am going to keep on tryin.
Love Ya
Big Jim's Mom
Shirley