The U.S. justice system is known for having one policy for the rich and one for the poor. A recent incident in Ft. Lauderdale seems to be another one of the many situations heading in that direction. Early Thursday morning, an out-of-control Porsche driven by 22 year old Alyza Russell plowed through the bushes and mowed down two homeless men who were sleeping behind the bushes. To make matters worse, witnesses said that Ms. Russell tried to escape by driving away with one of the men lodged underneath the car!! Since her tires blew out when she crashed through the bushes, the car was on its rims and was unable to drive away with the man beneath it. A number of eyewitnesses came forward and made statements to the police on the crash and the attempts of Ms. Russell to flee. Furthermore, even though the police themselves indicated that Ms. Russell seemed to be under the influence, no efforts were made on their part to arrest her. So, after killing two men, Ms. Russell was allowed to go home! (Hmmh! that reminds me of the Trayvan Martin's case) Certainly, it is important to obtain the toxicology report. However, even before getting the report, this is a clear case that a crime was committed. Did the Ft. Lauderdale police think nothing of the homeless men since this woman drives a Porsche and lives in an upscale condominium? Did her attractive appearance also blind the Ft. Lauderdale police from believing that there was no need for them to arrest her? After initially thinking that that this case may be swept under the rug, it was a relief to see that one of the victims has a brother since he spoke to a TV news reporter today. The brother could not have summed the situation up any better by stating that if he was in Ms. Russell's position, the police would not have hesitated to arrest him immediately. His statement is absolutely correct, and it is such a shame that the two systems of justice clearly exists - one for the rich and one for the poor. Incidentally, a report in the Miami Herald shows that Ms. Russell has court records that indicate she was previously charged for driving another Porsche without a license and without headlights! She pleaded no contest to the charge and judgment was withheld. I wonder why? Hopefully, the brother of the victim and other relates of both victims should come forward and seek legal counseling so that the matter will not be swept under the rug as some would like. It is important to get Ms. Russell behind bars before she harms or kills anyone else on the road.
Thursday, July 4th, 2013 - Update!
Ms. Russell was finally arrested! The picture above shows that she became distraught when she found out that she would not be able to bond out of jail immediately. The problem is that the judge was made aware that Ms. Russell, who has dual citizenship, had renewed her British passport after her car hit and killed the two men. Further, a co-worker notified the court that Ms. Russell bragged of her intentions to run off to Ireland to escape the charges. In response, Russell's attorney defended the passport renewal by stating that Russell was only planning on taking a vacation!!?? Really?? Seriously?? As a result of Russell's flight risk status, the judge increased her bond to a hefty amount that made her unable to readily secure the funds to bail out. Further, she will have to wear an ankle monitor to ensure that she sticks around for trial. Russell's actions simply demonstrate that she is a devious person who will do anything to get her way.
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