I woke up this morning and got myself a beer. I turned on some music to start my day. I was greeted with the headline:
Megan Williams to recant Logan County sex-torture testimony
My first thoughts were, “People were convicted of this ‘crime,’ now she says she made it up.”
It is a sensational story. Accusations of hate crimes and torture. Media stories citing Tawana Brawley; high profile community ‘leaders’ demanding justice; groups marching for “justice“: and, race tensions exaserbated.
All this, maybe for nothing.
Back in 2007, I commented that I didn’t think what happend to Ms. Williams added up to a “hate crime.” She apparently knew her assailants and seemed to have an on/off/repeat relationship with them. I also touched on the larger issue of domestic vilolence.
Now it appears that much of the outrage may have been in vain. Ms. Williams is recanting her story. The prosecutor claims the convictions were legit based on evidence which did not include her testimony.
“Each of them made statements incriminating themselves and others. When you sat back and looked at it in its entirety, there was a pretty clear picture of what had taken place,” Abraham said.
But, were they really trying to tell the truth, or find a way to get the least amount of punishment out of the mob mentality. Let’s face it, when someone (primarily a male) is accused of a sex crime his is immediately considered guilty by society. Forget what the Constituion says, in practice, an accused sex offender must prove he didn’t do it.
If that person is aquitted of the accusations (found not guilty in other words) he will forever be followed by “Yes, but did you know he was on trial for a sex crime?” “I wouldn’t let my child around him. He was charged with molesting someone.” (Leaving out the crucial part about not being convicted.)
Then there is the ever popular “He got lucky. His lawyer found a loop-hole.”
Now, in the Williams case, there was obviously something wrong in the relationship. I don’t doubt there was some physical fight, and perhaps emotional abuse. But this entire region was near riot because of what may be a fabrication. People donated money to a family to help with medical and legal fees based on a lie.
Will Malik Shabazz and his Black Lawyers for Justice group stand up and appologize for the incendiary remarks they made while in the area? I doubt it. Ms. Williams exaggerations will be cloaked in a Dan Rather like paraphrase “hate crimes are real even if this case isn’t.”
I”m not saying Ms. Williams wasn’t abused. There is definately something wrong with this picture. I am trying to show that it is easy to sling sex crime accusations and make them stick, even if there is little to no evidence anything happened. People’s lives, and those of family and friends, are destroyed by false accusations of sex crimes.





