Originally Posted by
Doohickie
The other claim was that the driver got "preferential treatment" to avoid jail time due to his profession. Let me tell ya: There was a similar case here in Texas last year, only the cylcist was killed. He was a VP at a large corporation, was riding on the shoulder of a freeway access road. A ~20 year old driver came off the freeway and wandered a bit, going off onto the shoulder and taking the guy out. There were conflicting storeis about whether cell phone texting was involved. This driver was not charged at all. The driver was not a prominent person making millions, just a young driver. Not sure if that somehow makes this situation better or worse, just pointing out that the defendant's prominence and income were not THE reason charges were reduced; as Inertianinja said, this happens frequently.
yea, to be clear, i never made a decision as a prosecutor to favor someone because they had money or because of their race or any of that crap. that's all hollywood stuff.
if i'm understanding the facts of this case properly, i can see how a prosecutor might not want to act in a way (charging a felony) that might actually serve to hurt the victim further (depriving him of a civil recovery). but generally, the rules are applied equally.
the media loves a villain, so they'll make sure a story sounds outrageous. outrage sells newspapers, understanding doesn't.