Crappy defense results in conviction on all counts

[TheeBadOne]

Drug suspect shocks courtroom

Stop here and read no further if you are eating breakfast. Seriously.

This isn't a pleasant story.

It is an unusual story about the depraved act of a Chicago man convicted Thursday of importing cocaine into Duluth.

"Come next February I will have been doing this work for 30 years," St. Louis County prosecutor Vern Swanum said Thursday evening. "Just about the time I think I have seen every weird, strange, bizarre situation that could come up in a courtroom -- that nothing more could surprise me - something like this occurs. You simply can't make this stuff up."

Vandale Amos Willis, 28, fired his public defender in the courtroom Thursday morning and elected to represent himself. That happens.

What happened next has never before been seen in the St. Louis County Courthouse or perhaps any courthouse.

Willis smeared his own feces across the top of the table where he and Swanum were sitting and also spread it on a chair. He threw some more on the carpeted floor before displaying even more bizarre behavior.

"He was literally smearing feces on his face and into his mouth," Swanum said. "He was putting it into his mouth. That's when he kind of advanced toward me. As I explained to one of my compatriots, that's when I decided to redeploy to a more secure position."

Swanum said Willis has no recorded history of mental illness. "I think he was trying to goad the court into declaring a mistrial," Swanum said. "I can't get into his mind, but I believe it was intentional manipulative conduct."

A St. Louis County sheriff's deputy removed Willis from the courtroom. He was brought back to court to complete the trial Thursday afternoon. The defendant had requested he be tried by a judge instead of a jury.

Sixth Judicial District Judge David Sullivan found Willis guilty of all three crimes he was charged with -- importation of controlled substance across state borders, first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to sell, and first-degree possession of cocaine. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month. He faces a guideline sentence of 86 months in prison.

Sullivan is the judicial district's chief judge. He declined comment on Willis' behavior. He could have found Willis in contempt of court, but didn't.

The defendant's alleged accomplice, Derick Carothers, 23, also of Chicago, is awaiting trial on the same charges.

Duluth police said that Carothers provided a taped statement in which he said he and Willis traveled from Chicago, each of them carrying one ounce of cocaine concealed in their buttocks.

Willis also gave police a statement in which he said he and Carothers traveled by bus from Chicago to Duluth in June and expected to make about $5,000 selling the two ounces of cocaine they transported.

The Lake Superior Drug and Gang Task Force arrested the two defendants at 702 E. Fourth St. on June 7. A search warrant was executed and cocaine was removed from Willis' buttocks.


link

[Dinosaur32]

Haven't seen that in quite a while, but stuff like that happens in NYC courts often enough to keep us on our toes and extra gloves in the courtrooms.

[Virginian]

Stop here and read no further if you are eating breakfast. Seriously.

Oh... oh God... oh no... where was the warning for those eating lunch!?!?

Disgusting!

[conalabu]

Taser.

[Virginian]

I just got the thread title. Now I'm embarrased, disgusted, and laughing

[Piggybank Cop]

Taser.

X2 or 3

[Willowdared]

Hmmm, if we're lucky, he'll come down with e-coli. Then he can sue himself, for making himself sick.

[bird1]

he was trying to act out that part in training day about the peanut butter

[JLK]

that stinks