About that Teilhet Ad featuring the Mother of Kenneth Walker

Democratic candidate for Attorney General Rob Teilhet will go up with a new statewide ad today featuring the mother of Kenneth Walker who was slained by a Muscogee County Deputy.


Here's the AD:


Hodges was the Special Prosecutor of that Case in November 2004, in which a Muscogee County Grand Jury, which did not indict former deputy sheriff David Glisson for his role in Kenneth Walker’s death. Glisson shot Kenneth Walker during a traffic stop related to a drug investigation. He was unarmed at the time of the shooting and no drugs were found in the vehicle.


Back on July 7, 2007, here's what the Department of Justice (DOJ) & the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, (which was run by GOP candidate for Attorney General Max Wood), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said:

There was insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges against a Muscogee County Sheriff’s Deputy who shot and killed Kenneth Walker on December 10, 2003.

An independent investigation, which carefully considered all of the evidence into the shooting incident, was conducted by the Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI. During the investigation, federal officials reviewed a Georgia Bureau of Investigation investigative report; a Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office investigative report; forensic evidence reports; a videotape of the incident; and the autopsy report for Kenneth Walker. FBI agents also interviewed a number of witnesses and medical personnel who had not been interviewed by local investigators. The Walker family and local civil rights groups were also afforded the opportunity to provide information to investigators. After carefully reviewing all of the evidence, the Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI determined that the tragic incident did not constitute a prosecutable violation of the federal criminal civil rights statutes.


In order to prove a violation of the applicable federal criminal civil rights laws, prosecutors must establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a law enforcement officer willfully deprived an individual of a Constitutional right. To act “willfully,” for purposes of the federal statute, means to act with a bad purpose to disobey or disregard the law. An accident, mistake, fear or bad judgment is not sufficient to establish such a criminal violation.

Experienced civil rights prosecutors reviewed the voluminous reports generated during the investigation. Based on that review, federal officials determined that the evidence was insufficient to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the deputy who fatally shot Kenneth Walker acted willfully, that is with the specific intent to do something the law forbids. Accordingly, the Department has closed this investigation without prosecution.

The Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI devoted many hours and significant resources to a complete and careful review of the events surrounding Kenneth Walker’s tragic death. The decision not to pursue criminal charges is based on painstaking analysis of the facts developed during a lengthy and thorough investigation. The Department of Justice remains committed to investigations of this kind and stands ready to devote the resources required to ensure that all allegations of serious civil rights violations are fully and completely investigated. The Department of Justice aggressively prosecutes criminal civil rights violations whenever the evidence developed in these investigations warrants doing so.


In the Ad, Walker's mother stated: But the officer got off because the prosecutor, Ken Hodges, forgot to swear him in, tried to hide the video, and then refused to reopen the case. I could never get an answer why.”



The DOJ report stating it was properly investigated, and Ken acted gracefully.


More facts on the case:
The Facts of the Case:

· Hodges allowed police officer David Glisson to make an unsworn statement in front of a grand jury. Glisson shot Kenneth Walker after pulling him over for a standard drug investigation, yet found no evidence of drugs in his vehicle.

· The Walker case incited ill will in the state’s black community, who rallied together to state that Hodges should be “ashamed” of his actions and called for a second grand jury investigation, after the first grand jury failed to indict Glisson.

· In the 2009-2010 state legislative session, legislators filed bills that would amend grand jury procedure regarding indictments of peace officers. The legislation attacked every erring committed by Hodges during Glisson’s trial.


Now no doubt this is a strong ad, but will it be enough to propel Teilhet to the General Election? And what will be the reaction of the Hodges Campaign to this ad? Have to wait & see.