Federal Prosecutor Caught In Child Sex Sting Commits Suicide
By Logan Murphy Friday Oct 05, 2007 4:13pm
Via ABC:
A federal prosecutor accused of flying to Detroit last month to have sex with a 5-year-old girl committed suicide Friday in his cell in a Milan federal prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John D.R. Atchison was found unresponsive, taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead at 10:17 a.m., Federal Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman Felicia Ponce said.
Atchison, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., was being held in a special housing unit in the prison, about 36 miles southwest of Detroit. Read more...
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Good riddance. May he rot in hell.
You can bet the GOP had a hand in silencing this scandal.
Well, saves a bunch of money, dont it
It's the best solution all the way around. He was a sick, sick man.
How painful it must be to have to present one face to the world while feeling sick inside at what you feel you really are, and no one to turn to in an adult and co-equal sense. How sad that humans still look to fighting and vengeance rather than to ways for everyone to heal and become whole.
WTF people. This isn't a good thing. This is the 2nd attempt, so he obviously had "help" in suiciding. Here in America, that is supposed to be called "murder" even when by a cop.
If we condone this, what happens the next time YOU are wrongly accused of a heinous crime. Without the trial, we'll never know if it was a setup. Maybe you'll be hung before your trial as well. Especially if you have not-white skin. Think about it.
Judge, then punish. Punish then judge is what savages do. Go live in Iraq, if you like this philosophy so much.
Also, what could this guy have told us? What if he was part of a child sex ring? That is how these things tend to operate. Now all of the others are safe and secure from detection/prosecution. He wasn't killed to make you feel better, he was killed to protect other molesters and rapists in power.
So in as much as this seems just, it isn't. And we all lose.
This is not a good thing. How do you know that he hadn't molested other very young girls? If he did, then with him dead, no one will be able to locate them to help them deal with what he did.
I hate to be glib here but federal prosecutor in prison for child-sex was a dead end either way. Somebody was going to get to him, he just beat them to the punch. May whatever have mercy on your soul.
Wanna bet he was a repug?
I guess he wanted to beat everyone else straight to hell.
"suicide"
Quickly, Watson, the game is afoot! I smell republican shenannigans.
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 6:
I agree!
FTR we don't know yet if he was a Republican.
The man when to Detroit for a "sexual encounter" with a five year old. He "had sex" with a five year old? What kind of shabby journalism is this? Call it what it is. RAPE. And to those who argue it was not proven that the man had done it, good point. Then add "ALLEGED RAPE."
Kevin Simms @ 9:
You can bet on it.
I believe Atchison's boss was Bush appointee U.S. Attorney Gregory R. Miller.
Here is a list of 70+ GOP members...
http://www.armchairsubversive.org/
Must be something in the koolaide.
Mr Logan Murphy
I've got to say, this is one of the worst stories I've ever read.
I mean, in this crazy,f%$ked up world , THAT is still a really bad story.
I have a 2 1/2 yr. old little girl and you just shivered me right down...
I'm wondering if this story is really in the spirit of John's original website: Crooks and Liars
(Happy Birthday by the way- I remember the first week)
I don't think it is.
No thanks a lot.
Sorta' pissed,
John Tully
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/05/20020506-8.html
One thing that wasn't mentioned in the blurb, but probably should have been, is that there was no five year old girl. This arrest was the result of a sting (entrapment?) operation. Not only was there no little girl victim, there was not even any danger to a little girl.
You would have to hear the recorded conversations to understand what a monster this guy was.
CD @ 15:
True. Then the allegations would have probably involved little boys.
J.T. @ 18:
I appreciate the fact that he is a US Attorney and I appreciate the good work you're doing Mr. Murphy.
What's happening at the Justice Department right now is the Real story.
WH Announcement of Miller Appointment
WP ate the last post...
Nobody in police custody should be allowed to commit suicide like that. There is simply no excuse. On the other hand, he went to Detroit to have sex with a five year old girl! So while I fault the police Department for allowing him to off himself, I don't believe he would have even attempted suicide if he was innocent so no loss really.
Dr. Know @ 17:
I believe Atchison's boss was Bush appointee U.S. Attorney Gregory R. Miller.
Hmmm... WP is eating all posts with WH web links...
Smarmy @ 4:
The man had attempted suicide once so he should have been on suicide watch, and there should have been nothing in his cell with which he could have committed suicide. This is not the best solution because it leaves the impression now that maybe the government never wanted his case to come to trial. No tin foil hat here, I just think a trial would have been an awful embarrassment to the government. And if some people on the thread think questionable suicides in jails are a solution, we are in big, big trouble.
This is horrible all the way around, no doubt about it. My initial reaction was.."figures...a guy who would molest 5 year olds, would not have the courage to accept a fair judgment on his crimes."
This is not over by a long shot though. Whatever family he has will be saddled with this for the rest of their lives. Grant it, someone in his family may be culpable for his behavior in the first place. His committing suicide may end his pain and liability, but it will NOT end the cycle. For some of his victims, it will only make them feel worse than what they already feel, as some will view this as their fault.
To me, this is what real evil looks like in this world. What makes a person do something as horrible as trolling for children to molest, who are too young to use the internet. (even worse, what brings a parent to offer their child up for this kind of thing?) This guy was a monster, but there are other monsters still out there, who are actually worse.
I have a friend who specialized in ritual sexual assault reprecussions on adults. He had to get out of it after almost 10 years, because he was starting to have nightmares. These people are definitely out there, and they are not all Mormons or "cultists" like Koresh.
This was the actual sin in Sodom, if you want to argue with Christians, and not homosexuality. The Sodomites came to Lot, asking for a young boy that they could use sexually. The young boy in question was a guest in Lot's circle, and was under his protection, so under Jewish law, he was like a son to Lot. It was not the supposed homo-erotic aspect of the request that offended God, but the request for Lott to hand over an innocent child who was under his protectorate for the ritualized sex acts (orgy) . This was the thing that offended Lot as well. The reason that Lot offered the girls was that they were thought of as lesser beings and property, and not having full rights. Girls were often offered up for sexual favors, or as concubines, in exchange for passage through hostile lands. It would be interesting to know, for me, how into the Old Testament this guy was. There are, obviously still those out there that think that it's okay to make their young daughters concubines to powerful men.
The whole thing is sick and sad. It's hard to feel any sympathy for the perpetrators, but they didn't just come up with this particular affliction on their own. At some point, someone convinced them that it was okay, and that may be because they were a victim. It's not an excuse, in my opinion, it's just a nasty fact.
CD @ 15:
Yes we do, they already found the guy through voter registration.
Dr. Know @ 17:
Hmmm... all links that I post which contain a White House web address are being removed. Or perhaps it's just me. Nevertheless...
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 6, 2002
Nominations and Appointments
President Bush to Nominate Five and Appoint Five Individuals to Serve in His Administration
President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate five individuals and his intention to appoint five individuals to serve in his administration.
The President intends to nominate Gregory Robert Miller to be United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. He is currently serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Florida, and held the same position from 1989 to 1998. From 1998 to 2000, he was an Associate with the Tallahassee law firm of Fowler, White, Gillen, Boggs, Banker and Villareal. From 1987 to 1989, Miller was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Florida, and from 1983 to 1987, he was a State's Attorney in Florida's Sixth Judicial Circuit. A former U.S. Marine, Miller is a graduate of Drew University and Ohio Northern University Law School.
fiver @ 18:
Fiver, he admitted to the undecover cop that he had done it lots of times and never left marks. That he was gentle. He was busted with lube, and toys and jewelry for the little girl. And yes, he tried to commit suicide before and was taken off suicide watch anyways.
the only regret i have about this "suicide" is that there is more to his story...
more to THE story... more victims, and not just his...
when i first heard this story, there was a quote - i can't repeat it - that he told the undercover "mom" he is very careful not to physically hurt the child...
and i thought, "he told the MOM this?!?! ... a MOM was offering her child ???!!!"
oh, this is all so sick and repulsive...
the only downside is not being able to get this guy's help to round up more sickos...
the ONLY downside, in my opinion...
Strawberry @ 25:
link?
From The Detroit Free Press:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071006/NEWS06/71006036...
All this rush to judgement over someone who is supposed to be "innocent till proven guilty" and this should apply to everyone. When has the press come close to being truthful in the past 20 years?
The press uses "charged" or "sexy" events to make money and follow the Government/Global Corp talking points. Just who "alleges" stuff and who believes it? Bush is alleged to have had regular homosexual experiences by a prostitute who isn't getting sued for saying it, which says a lot.
Our government is "alleged" to be filled with sexual perversion and the accusers aren't being put into the main stream media because the press are told not to. He/She who has the gold rules...
CD @ 29:
Gee, too bad.
Too bad he didn't do it before raping those kids.
Wow.
Never convicted, yet so many are full of glee over the loss of an innocent man's life.
Guess rushing to judgement isn't just a GOP thing.
"I'll hire you as long as you're not a Democrat"-Gonzo
swarmofkillermonkeys @6-
Also, what could this guy have told us?
Well, geez, since it seems someone wanted to shut this guy up, maybe he knew the secrets behind the JFK assassination. Maybe he knew where to find the Fountain of Youth.
But I don't think so.
Much like Goerring, who was under constant suicide watch both before and after his conviction at Nuremberg, Atchison bided his time until he could deny public justice by his own hand.
Jim @ 34:
I believe his conversations with the undercover cop were the straw which unleashed the torrent of negative public condemnation. But you have a point... Agitprop is everywhere.
Strawberry @ 32:
But he looks like a republican.
Though it is entirely possible that this individual took his own life, Rethuglicans have a nasty habit of dispatching those whose crimes can possibly lead to them.
beckyboo @ 24-
This was the actual sin in Sodom, if you want to argue with Christians, and not homosexuality.
Uhm....yeah....
Perhaps the sins of the Sodomites were:
1). Not sharing a theology with Abraham and family, and more importantly,
2).Building a city on a fault line(or in the path of an asteroid- or choose your own natural disaster).
Sorry, I'm not takin' the word of a pre-literate society who didn't get the story down in writin' fer a few centuries after the events.
If he's guilty, good riddance. If not, there was no reason to take his own life.
Curtilingus @ 39:
Is it the horns or the tail that gave him away?
Who cares what his party registration was? You can bet it didn't matter to that 5 year old girl.
I'm glad he's dead.
Possibly the Establishment's most powerful meme:
Otherwise rational, thoughtful people turn into frightened little rabbits who are willing to give up anything (rights, due process, power...) to the Establishment so that their children are protected - even though the meme is, for the most part, bullsh$t.
How many comments are actually happy that this man died in police custody? How many are willing to accept as gospel the hearsay related by undercover police officers who spend their working hours trying to talk people into having sex with children?
Why would police spend resources trying to make criminals instead of protecting us from actual criminals? Because child molestation by strangers is actually very rare (yes, the struck by lightening comparison works), and the meme must be continually re-enforced. I'm not for a moment arguing that children aren't molested, but I am noting that the molester is almost always known to the child and its parents.
But the known molester isn't nearly as frightening as the mythical host of strangers waiting to abuse children sexually. It's why stories of actual stranger abductions receive national, if not worldwide, attention. If this were a common event, do you really think the press would have to go to Portugal to find a story to hype?
One less wretch in the world.
I thought it was the fangs.
dumbstruck @ 44:
There was no 5 year old girl, it was a sting.
J.T. @ 21:
JT, I appreciate your comments and opinions -- all of them. I can also appreciate your apprehension about a story like this, but it is news and that's what we're here for. If you look back, we've posted countless stories about Gonzo and all the bullshit going on at the DOJ and trust me, we're not going to let them slip into the memory hole. I chose not to add anything to the story because I didn't see the need. This has been a gut wrenching story from beginning to end, but in the end, it's news.
fiver @ 48:
But he nevertheless showed up at the Michigan Airport with a doll, earrings, sexual materials, and a jar of vaseline. Not to mention the previous conversation in which he claimed many previous experiences of that nature. Damning evidence of premeditated intent, to be sure.
Well, I can understand why he did it, and he gets no sympathy here, but how did he manage it in the can? On suicide watch? No doubt he had help.
Unless this embarassment to the Repugs was simply silenced?
I know the guy was a sick bastard; whether he abused children or not, the fact that he even thought about it, much less bragged to another person makes me want to stand under a boiling shower for a couple of days.
But for some reason, suicide makes me sad. This guy should have been properly watched so that he could have dropped a dime on others who abuse children for kicks.
You can bet your ass he was a Republican or Sean Hannity would have been all over this like ugly on an ape. We would have heard his familiar Barney Frank and liberal morality repertoire every night since this guy got busted. Now I don't follow Hannity around 24/7 but I don't recall hearing him mention anything about this even once and that's proof enough for me.
one down to many left to go!
"if at first you don't succeed.... kill yourself next month"
Capabilty Jones @ 51:
Most probably he timed out a shift break, or waited for a guard to take a piss break. It doesn't take much time, certainly not if his neck broke, rather than him bein' strangled to death.
But if someone did help the man along, I'd suspect a fellow prisoner. This guy was a pretty high-profile "tree jumper"- prisoners don't take kindly to these types at all. Many people who have been incarcerated(whatever their crimes) have a personal history with child abuse.
here is my prob with sting operations...we are punishing thought crimes
is this what a civilized nation should be doing?
now maybe he has molested others in real life, and for that he shoulda been punished
but the fact that someone can be convicted of the crime of crossing over state lines with the intent of committing a crime freaks me out and it scares the shit out of me
i dont like stings of any kind...even for the most heinous of crimes
so no, im not happy at his suicide
nor am i happy that we have created laws that give us the illusion that we are protecting children, when most cases of abuse and molestation occur within the home, from relatives, family friends and authority figures, and our children services depts across the board, suck ass
me_over_here @ 52:
Why be sad?
If he was guilty I would not be sad, in fact another asshole wasting less oxygen and contributing to the compost heap is a "good thing" (TM) in my book. If he was innocent, I guess he may have to give a few explanations if there is an afterlife on why he took the easy way out...
Suicide to me is the weakest action one can take, with the exception of euthanasia -- which I don't consider suicide BTW -- Why waste tears on someone so selfish?
US attorneys offices have long been known as a breeding ground for miscreants, criminals and sexual deviants. It is nice to know there is one less criminal-deviant posing as a federal prosecutor, but how many more remain?
Investigate the investigators and prosecute the prosecutors.
Dr. Know @ 50:
I'm not really sure what "premeditated intent" is. In any case, I'm not so trustful of police in general, and these type of cops specifically, that I'll take what they say as gospel. This "suicide" was not only 100% avoidable, it was very convenient for the police. There no longer is another side to the story.
Why is this even a story here? You know there was a memo that said that our government tortures people. The NYT's wrote about it the other day. We are still in Iraq killing people and getting killed for lies and oil and whatever else the criminals are getting out of it. People are locked away and forgotten in Gtmo. Is that place even legal? What else?
Oh, and the nutters are trying to start another war with Iran.
Another one gone to the astral realm where the suicides roam.
You don't want to go there.
navyswan @ 62:
But what about the children?!?!?!?!?!
It's frightening how easily manipulated many people can be.
uncle joe mccarthy @ 57:
I agree with you, since there will always be a fine line between a sting operation and entrapment.
This same erosion of our civil liberties has been done in the name of the war on drugs. And a lot of this is due to the fact that there are a bunch of lazy and stupid parents who are OK with compromising other people's liberties so that they don't have to do their jobs.
If they set sting operations to trap predators, they should also set sting operations to trap bad parents. Once those operations were enabled, you'd see how these parents would cry to high heaven to stop sting operations.
Never underestimate the selfishness of lazy suburbanite lazy asshole parents when it comes to subdue other people's freedoms.
fiver @ 61:
<blockquoteI'm not really sure what "premeditated intent" is. In any case, I'm not so trustful of police in general, and these type of cops specifically, that I'll take what they say as gospel. This "suicide" was not only 100% avoidable, it was very convenient for the police. There no longer is another side to the story.
I won't argue the "convenience" aspect, it most certainly was; for not only the jailers, but the people in power above him. OTOH, most inmates take a dim view of pedophilia, and they are equally suspect in this incident. As for the insane or suicide aspects, it is frequently used to discredit a potential witness against another more powerful entity. DAMHIKT.
fiver @ 64:
Yes it is. I was snoozing a while ago and the wife was listening to the NPR and all they talk about these days is death, war, cancer, politics.
It's no wonder this country is in a coma.
Other than noting that once again that most child molesters identify as heterosexuals, I have one other point to make:
The administration has spent the last six years telling us that the are some people that are so bad that they do not deserve the right to the due process of law. These people, namely terrorists and "unlawful enemy combatants," are so heinous as to merit indefinite detainment without counsel and torture to the point of death. All that is required is that they be classified as evildoers by the decider in the Whitehouse.
I'll save my outrage for the innocents caught up in the bogus "war or terror". This idiot fell for a scam that is widely known to anyone who has watched TV during sweeps week. He didn't mind trying to have sex with a child. He was just mortified that his intentions were discovered and made public.
fiver @ 64:
Indeed, look at the "war on drugs." We care so much about our children as to sink billions of this racket, yet our president can't justify giving them health care for a faction of the cost of the war on drugs.
It is because of "think of the children" that in some states is illegal for you to have over $10K in cash. Even though it is your own money, in legal tender, and you earned it... it is somehow illegal for you to use it unless it is monitored and controlled. Talk about giving freedom for whatever security...
Logan Murphy @ 49:
Ok
Thanks for the reply.
Regards
John Tully
Dr. Know @ 66:
It was my understanding that he was in a cell alone, after a previous attempt. He doesn't end up dead unless his jailers want him dead.
Dr. Who @ 69:
The illusion of security. It's all about the show.
fiver @ 70:
I'm unsure as to his cell arrangement. But yes, they take your sheets such away when on suicide watch, no matter how specious; generally ending up naked in the little padded room.
Kevin Simms @ 9:
No bet.
L.A. Confidential @ 67:
Not all of it is. But your point is right on. National Propaganda Radio and the rest of the corporatist media's sole job is to keep you sedated. Kinda like the folks in The Matrix.
Anybody care for a Red Pill?
Dr. Know @ 72:
The article states definitely that he had the cell to himself. I am a little disturbed by some of the people here, on C & L of all places, who seem to tacitly condone vigilante justice if that is what it was.
and what about the photos of the sexual abuse of children in abugrab , you know the ones these perverted bastards who run this country were supposed to release , and the photos of thoes iraqys forced by our gallant soldiers wanting information from them and sexually abuseing thier children to get that info, oh wait they were just iraqys sshit like that dont matter!
Damn, the blood thirsty commentards are certainly out today.
This guy has admitted to doing this before. If he was alive we would, at the very least, have a chance of discovering who else he has raped and who else has willingly given their sons and daughters to this man. Now he's dead and we can't do that.
Pat @ 76:
No, he went on-line and told the imaginary mother of an imaginary little girl that he had experience doin' this. It's very likely pure bullshit to assuage the fears of the "mother". It's nowhere near the same thing as a signed confession.
Damn
One Sicko less, good riddance
Far too many of your are presuming, without evidence either way, that he did or did not "give up" others. There was plenty of time for that to happen, between now and his initial arrest. If he was indeed ashamed of what he had done -- enough to take his own life -- then he'd talk and talk and talk. Imagine the damage that a person in his position could do, in just one hour of talking about what he knew about what others had done. And he had multiple days to do it. Maybe they stopped taking suicide watch seriously, as a "favor" to him, at his request ... but only after he'd talked on tape, for days on end? We'll know, soon enough. Watch for attempts at quiet mid- to high-level resignations, all over -- and people quietly shuffling off the stage of the political world, on questionable or unstated grounds. Or watch for sudden shifts in people's "I'll never allow you to do XYZ"; telling us that someone has something to hold them in check; and nuetralize their influence.
And note again the time frame: as soon as Gonzo was not around, to prevent arrests like this: whammo!!!
I think there are a number of people in Government that take the "Rule of Law" seriously; and are acting in a number of very "put things back in order" sorts of ways ... now that certain obstacles have been removed. It will happen swiftly: they've had a long time to wait and watch and make plans. Lots of parellel plans, all at once: "Shock and Awe," as certain failed military planners -- now tied to prostitution rings -- once called it.
fiver @ 45:
I'm backing this up. This one drives me out of my fucking mind. You cannot begin to know how many people I have heard say "Yea, I disagree with Bill O'Reilley, but he does a great thing in going after pedophiles".........I always reply "If I come out with a strong bold courageous stance against MURDER will you get my back too?" "Can you spell P-A-N-D-E-R-I-N-G?"
While on subject here the mandatory sentencing business is a bunch of shit........instead of possibly under-punishing the guilty, we now lean towards OVER punishing if not the innocent, but the perhaps petty offender.....yes, you can have this even in the world of pedophilia, such as an impetuous 18 year old HS senior getting a little "fresh" with a 15 year old date......he deserves 60 hours of community service, a year of probation, and a stern talking to from his, or the girls's father......not 20 years in jail. There actually has been a recent case like this.....
V V
A federal prosecutor accused of flying to Detroit last month to have sex with a 5-year-old girl committed suicide Friday in his cell in a Milan federal prison.
How convenient that he hangs himself. Can't you just hear the big sigh of relief from all the other governmental pedophiles he could/would have implicated.
According to some of the news reports the "mother" or whoever was concerned about injury to the "child". He told her not to worry because he's done it before and he knows how gentle to be. Maybe I'm wrong but that was enough for me. I don't feel a bit sorry for him. I do have sympathy for his family. Not only because they have lost a loved one but because THEY are left behind to deal with the whispers and stares they will get because of what HE was planning or had already done. He was screwed and he knew it.
Hey man, nice shot
Strange isn't it? You read this entire post and there is a lot of talk about killing the guy or glad he is dead. I thought there was supposed to be a compassionate, kinder group of people hanging here??
The only arguement for captial punishment is it is somehow OK to kill people for killing people. Just where does that help the tribe? Most killers say the death penalty was never on their mind. That is because they are sociopaths with no guilt. Does it make sense to reap some sort of high five "Yeah" out of killing other people "legally" who are damaged to begin with??
It does when you are steeped in the doctrine of the Religious Church State:
Numbers 21:27-35 God helped Moses destroy “…the men, the women, and the little ones.”
Numbers 31:17-18 Commands Moses to kill all the Medianite people and the virgins be saved for later raping by Moses’ soldiers.
Deuteronomy 3:3-7 God ordered Moses’ army to “utterly destroy” 60 cities, killing all the women and children within!
Holy Genocide Adolph, God's on our side!
trixr4kids @ 83:
For arguments sake-
You and I conspire to make a cocaine deal, with me supplyin' the kilo of drugs. Now let's say I found a kilo of coke in the street, but, to give myself an air of legitimacy, I brag to you that I'm a front for a narco-syndicate in Colombia.
But, unbeknownst to me, the kilo is baby powder and you are a cop. I would be guilty of conspiracy to distribute, even if the kilo was baby powder. But, even though I made a claim to be part of an on-going criminal enterprise, you are gonna have to dig up evidence independent of my little white lie if ya want to charge me under the RICO statute.
What I'm sayin' is that if ya want- at this point- to believe that Atchison was involved with other cases of pedophilia, ya do so with- again, at this point- no evidence.
Sorry for all.
My Life had stood—a Loaded Gun—
In Corners—till a Day
The Owner passed—identified—
And carried Me away—
Personally, I have big trouble fathoming that anyone, even a pervert, would be stupid enough to fall for that sting, let alone an attorney... and, yes, maybe the desperation for the orgasms from engaging in such filthy stuff could dim the wits of some enough to fall for such a thing... but a man with such a public position? With firsthand knowledge of the kind of sting operations going on in this country, and especially the internet, and especially for child predators? It doesn't make any sense to me.
I hadn't been able to wrap my mind around anyone intelligent enough to pass the bar being this stupid, even if desperately sick, and now he's dead. It seems to me at least as likely that an innocent man would kill himself under this set of "facts". It seems to me at least as likely that he was framed toward some heinous end as him actually being guilty of this.
Dunno. Maybe I just have way too much faith in the IQs of people who rise to that level in society -- even if they are molesters -- but this whole thing has not seemed credible to me from the git.... Of course, neither did the Iraq invasion or the reception Ahmadinejad got or, well, or a whole bunch of things that are actually happening.
I don't fucking believe it. He was on suicide watch for one previous attempt, and, even beign watched, he does the deed?
99 @ 88:
It's called compulsion.
And the penis can make men, illogically, surrender to that compulsion.
Child sex rings by the people in authority is nothing new and has been documented in Australia and Europe. So it should be no surprise that it happens here also. It is just covered up better. Remember Mark Foley and all the people who knew about that?
Google search it and find out.
Heh, Andy K, you'd think I'd grok that after all the compulsives chasing my ass in my youth....
Dave, I could completely understand the child sex rings thing, and you are right about that, but this guy, who would have access to that, instead chose to go on the net and fall for a sting the Justice Department has been bragging about operating? That is the part that trips me up.
Andy K @ 90:
Andy! Missed you. Remember that study years ago that showed rats would rather starve to death than to give up the stimuli to their pleasure centers?
Strawberry @ 94:
Nope, don't remember it...but I can relate to those rats.
99 @ 93:
It wasn't the Feds who set up this bust, it was Macomb County Sherrif's Dept., so it was probably off of his radar screen.
Me too, honey. Chocolate or sex?.....Um...What time of the month is it?
casper46 @ 1:
Exactly.
Dave @ 91:
Child sex rings are even scarier when they are Satanic. Those devil-worshiping child molesters were well documented as setting up shop in day-care centers across the U.S. in the early eighties. The only problem was that it was bullsh&t - every single accusation was concocted by law enforcement who tricked, cajoled and bullied children into making false accusations. Google search McMartin Pre-school and find out.
"Atchison had the decency to kill himself. We paid him the courtesy of turning our back while he did it?" _Detroit Police
The world is finally free of another church-going Christian hypocrite.
Andy K @ 96:
Okay! Thank you. Now it finally makes sense to me. He would have been thinking if it were a sting he'd know about it. It's now a much more believable stupidity than it was before you told me that.
Just awful... from start to finish.
Best thing for him really. Prosecutor and child molester, he would've been so fucked in the can, literally and figuratively.
mrogi @ 100:
Yer a fuckin' genius, pal.
1). The arrest was made by the Macomb County Sherriff's Department. Detroit is in Wayne County.
2). His first suicide attempt was in the Sanilac County Jail.
3). He ended up dead in the Federal prison in Milan, 36 miles from Detroit. Milan is split between Washtenaw and Monroe Counties.
Detroit has its own problems, most of which you know little-to-nothin' about. So feel free to apologize fer yer crack at any time.
when we say things like "good riddance", we confuse death with justice. death is never justice, it's just the opposite of birth. we've been indoctrinated to see death, somehow, as a fitting punishment for crimes. but what remains are plenty of lives - those of his potential other victims (who will never see justice), and those of his family who will forever be changed. when we celebrate death as justice, we forfeit justice for hatred.
Hmm. Anyone say Omaha/Decamp/Lawrence King and the Franklin cover up.
Will the revelations of the travesty of this administration's DOJ never end?
Can you imagine the headlines to come?
"'Suicide' a Cover-Up for 'Murder By Shoelace', Committed By Blackwater Assassin-For-Hire Employed by Temporary Attorney General".
"Ex-General Now Bosses 'BERTO'S Barrio Baby Brothel in Miami'".
"Entire DOJ Resigns, Building and Facilities Sold to Blackwater as 'Urban Insurgency Training Headquarters, East'".
'Blackwater Revealed as Al Qaeda Front'.
Did he strangle on his own handcuffs?
swarmofkillermonkeys @ 6:
I have to agree. Even though half of me says; "good riddance." We cannot allow our lesser selves to control our sense of "justice." My perspective, though, is a bit different towards Punishment then I often hear expressed. Basically I see three parts of what Punishment is for;
1) is the old fashioned notion of "correcting" people -- originally, a "Penitentiary" was a place for people to be penitent. Not a place where the worst guy abuses the wimp. Not a place where we joke about "the fresh meat getting raped." We seem to have grown immune to the fact that warehousing people in 8x4 concrete and subjecting them to the worst of humanity is much better than torture.
2) I think the idea that many Indian tribes had is a better way to express the idea of "Revenge" that seems to drive so many "law and order types." It is that we can see some types of criminal activity as a "cancer on society" that we should cut out. So, not only should these people be removed, but the John Wayne Gacies should be "cut out" of society. That would mean that they would be killed, and we wouldn't mention them accept for in text books studying the criminally insane. No movies, no book deals, no weekly news magazines with prurient interests.
3) Corrective action towards abuse of power. Basically, this supports the idea of "hate crimes" which I'm seeing more logic in. People who are hurting one person, to intimidate a group, are really doing a form of propaganda. I'd also add to this, people in authority. Some regard as to the position a person has to the victims should be considered. For instance, I have less sympathy for White Collar Criminals who've been given every opportunity in life, and are just greedy pathetic bastards. Ken Lay, had a lot more power and fortune in his life, and hurt a lot more people than somebody robbing a convenience store. He should get life in prison (if he hadn't already faked his own death *wink* ). This is where Child Molesters come in. They not only hurt someone else -- they've abused a position of authority. So they should be "removed" from society as a Cancer, and also as an abuser of power.
>> The problem I have now with Capital punishment, and the storm trooper-like nature our police are gradually heading towards is that it debases the person and the society that uses it. When a criminal murders, that is wrong. When YOU murder the criminal -- you have killed someone. Are you sure you have the right person? Hopefully. But a system that allows such a think may inevitably become corrupt. It's like the "reasonable" seizure laws these days. At first it seems like an idea to fund the police barbecue with the proceeds of selling some criminals boat that was used in the crime. The problem starts when people start getting busted more often because they are driving a nice car. Maybe eventually planted evidence -- then you start getting really corrupt police like in Mexico. Want a blanket for your son in prison? Send money.
Andy K @ 77:
No doubt, it was not a documented confession, but that's not the point. It was a sign that he may have had a history of molesting children. You have no way of knowing whether or not he was simply saying that to quell fears. People like this usually have a history. It's pretty damn rare for weirdoes to wait until they're in their 50's to start molesting children.
We have prison suicide watches for a reason, and that reason is not to simply protect our nation's douche bags. Suicide watches also exists so we can try to learn the extent of criminal behavior.
[Dem Underground blog posting]
As pointed out in that thread, the original DR Atchison is the fellow some say was U.S. President for one day, so they say (because of the Sabbath, Zach Taylor refused to be sworn in on Sunday. Then again, Atchison's term ended on Saturday night, so he wasn't actually ever President or anything like that). He was, btw, a Democrat (when Dems were pro-slavery).
via http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2007_09_01_archive.html
And yes, he was a Rapepublican.
The commandment is clear: Forbidden relationships are an abomination to G-d.
He has sinned and ended his life so that he may not hurt others.
Justice must be served.
Suicide is God's gift of atonement for child predators.
super.
ll6, I think he was a coward and ended his life or someone has killed him prior to the trial. There may be more federal prosecutors with this disease.
He was trying to have sex with a child. Good riddance.
No one will know his history of abuse, I doubt anyone let him do this but the facts are he probably was watched over by someone who didnt know how to prevent suicides and he was able to pull it off. He wanted to be dead than to face what he was facing. His life was going to be miserable and he made his choice. I do believe it was his choice, and since no actual contact occurred, its hard to say how long he would have been confined. There is no doubt his intent was sex with a 5 year old. Like Dateline stings, its all based on intent and their perverted internet discussions.
His case was likely egregious enough to warrant a stiff sentence. As a Federal prosecutor he knew what awaited him.
This was the actual sin in Sodom, if you want to argue with Christians, and not homosexuality.
Uhm….yeah….
Perhaps the sins of the Sodomites were:
1). Not sharing a theology with Abraham and family, and more importantly,
2).Building a city on a fault line(or in the path of an asteroid- or choose your own natural disaster).
Sorry, I’m not takin’ the word of a pre-literate society who didn’t get the story down in writin’ fer a few centuries after the events.
I'm speaking about the Bible strictly from a literary perspective, not a historical or a geographic, or geologic perspective. When arguing with the really out there believers, you do have to kind of go to where they are.
First of all, it's all just a bunch of stories to begin with, but for those that believe, it is real. They like to tell you what the book says, but they don't actually read it much. I think that the Open thread from last night kind of proves that point.
I'm almost certain that this guy was a religious whack job. There is an element in religious communities that think that kids are the property of their parents. It occurred to me that this would be one of the mind sets for people to offer up their kids for the consumption of a guy like this.
I know that there was no child in the case that got him nabbed, but he did state that he had done this before, and would be gentle. I read somewhere that he offered the entrapping police officer reference from other people he'd "dealt with".
Very snarky of you to seize on the one element that you could take issue with, as if it were the point of the whole point. Thanks.
It annoys me when people pass judgment on things that they personally have a problem with, whether it is a person's sexuality, or a person's philosophical beliefs. Particularly when they think they are being cute. One is not nobler than the other, and there are some discussions where the only sensible tack to take is the "I don't know and neither do you" approach.
Snark leads the discussion to a grinding halt. The world is a big place. Thinking you know everything is no way to change the things that are wrong. Listening and persuasion are the only things that really work. Otherwise, you are no better than George W and his posse.
"A federal prosecutor accused of flying to Detroit last month to have sex with a 5-year-old girl committed suicide Friday in his cell in a Milan federal prison."
meh.
LanceThruster @ 41:
He did work on tax and financial crime cases, however in this DOJ, Republicans were given a pass on crime. It would still be interesting to know what he was working on.
Yecchhh! Just fucking yech! I don't care what he did with the rest of his life when he wasn't destroying the lives of small children, the world is better off with him not in it.
eric @ 2:
And true to form, Assistant U.S. Attorney John D.R. Atchison is truly a coward! Preys on children; when caught, performs the ultimate cowardly act rather than acknowledge and admit what he's done. Disgusting... if there is a hell, he's got a front row seat.
UltraWeird! The article never says he was found hanged! Just "tried to hang himself before...committed suicide...found unresponsive."
Maybe he just stopped breathing.
Dr. Who @ 65:
I'm not sure I agree with you here. Entrapment is inducement or persuasion by law enforcement to commit a crime that someone is not otherwise predisposed to commit. It is VERY hard to prove in court, and is therefore a rarely used defense. Someone who finds out how to make contact with a five year old girl is probably predisposed to commit the crime. Normal people just don't seek out children on the internet as a matter of course, much less get in an airplane to go 'visit' them. These crimes are not 'thought' crimes, because people take actions to carry them out. I'm no huge fan of the government either, but when someone crosses a state line to do something like this, I only wonder what would have happened if it hadn't been a cop on the other side of the state instead of the child?
I have a huge problem with sting operations. Are police this lazy that they can't investigate REAL CRIMES. People, you have to admit this was a STAGED setup and there NEVER was a crime committed against a REAL person. Even though this sounds like a horrible incident, did this man ever have any accusers or victims previously?
You can say all you want about this man, and I have some very serious issues with him even planning to attempt this sick thought, but NO CRIME against a REAL victim occurred.
Everyone has to THINK of when STINGS became legal in this country. WHY are they legal? Are the police that incompetent that they can't find or SOLVE the REAL CRIMES? Do police have a quota to meet for number of arrests? This really doesn't deter the criminal. Does it get the criminal of the streets? I guess in some instances it does. But you have to look at the big picture of the POLICE STATE that the United FASCIST States of America has become. People, don't cherry pick your issues. Open you minds and think. Is this what you want from your country?
I hope replies from the C&L site readers will have some real insight into this issue of stings not just the typical one line bumper sticker mentality that we've come to expect from the NEO-CON REPUBCHICKEN BUSHIES (see I can even make my own bumper sticker).
I have to wonder if this person as a Federal Prosecutor wasn't known to the Bush administration, and might have been offed because he might know others.
I know this is a whole cloth "conspiracy theory" but look at the trend; Like Mark Foley, they find compromised individuals and promote them. Then they can control them. This man is more driven by his next "fix" than by any thought of jurisprudence. "You want me to go after Democratic Voter Fraud -- sure." I'd like to see his prosecution record, and his phone records of who he calls.
Otherwise, you are left with mere coincidence that there are 20 times MORE pedophiles in high positions of power amongst Republicans than exist in the general population (OK, rough estimate -- it could be 100 times more). Are crack-smoking homosexuals BETTER at preaching, such that by mere coincidence, one becomes head honcho of the Evangelical movement? Are pedophiles better lawyers? Or is it that when BushCo finds dirt on a person, they know that is a person they can trust. It's like killing a cop in the mob -- it's creates credibility.
Adam Franklin @ 126:
>> In most cases -- I don't like Entrapment by the police. The cop in the stall who entrapped Larry Craig is over the line in my book -- and I say this as a straight guy who doesn't like Republican Senators in the least. If someone doesn't want to go down on Larry Craig -- they can ignore a toe-tap. Grow up if you can't handle a man giving you a pass -- women certainly deal with it on a regular basis.
But when it comes to Child predators, the Victim is harmed and not a "grown up" to deal with someone in power and authority taking advantage of them. They are rarely going to come forward. It's very hard to catch these predators unless you do stage something. A lot of care needs to be taken by third parties, to make sure that there was REAL intent -- and not someone who thinks they found an 18-year-old having fun.
But the conversation and taking a plane flight, shows clear intent, and a willingness to go to whatever means necessary to procure a kid. The needs of the victim's outweigh the high bar I set on privacy and police entrapment in this case.
CD @ 14:
Go to his writeup on wiki he was a repugnant Remember gonzo and the appointment scam AUSA's are part of the appointment process
fiver @ 49:
It seems half the people commenting didn't bother to read the article. Is this Crooks & Liars or Digg?
I, like the rest of you baboons, applaud the suicide death of a deeply disturbed man, with no evidence of the ACTUAL molestation of any living being. One less mentally unbalanced individual to deal with. In Road to Gitmo the mentally disturbed "Islamo Fascist" who shouted nonsensically obscenities at random got abused by the guards most often. How appropriate. All of the mentally ill should be beaten or encourage to take their own lives. Less for us to deal with.
Now, I have no idea whether the guy was mentally ill (attention seeking, confessional, fantasy life), or whether he was truly evil. But neither do you all. So hurrah for his death? In either case???? Welcome to the jungle. Whisper "child predator" and move on. Nothing to see here.
They should investigate this. People in custody should not be *able* to commit suicide.
The last time I heard of a "suicide" in detention, the man hanged himself. With his hand tied behind his back.
VitriolAndAngst @ 128:
This story seems to fall into your theory - with a twist: Two US Attorney's Witnesses Against Bush White House - NOW DEAD! http://www.insider-magazine.com/
All of you, I share your horror and disgust about the charges and damning evidence. But the death of a criminal suspect is (usually) not a good thing for the public or victims, especially if the suspect has information about other criminal behavior.
I would also add that every day in this country, little girls are physically and sexually abused in their own homes, and are often re-victimized as adult battered women. The offenders least likely to be held accountable (with stiff prison sentences) are men who are good talkers - well-spoken, persuasive, logical people, often educated professionals just like Mr. Atchison. I wish he was still alive to be convicted and sentenced for his crime.
It just makes me sad that if he had terrorized his own wife instead of young children, he would probably get a slap on the wrist - if he was ever charged at all.
[...] Shame Hangin’ [...]
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