Down By The River
Fabens, Texas, is a small town a few miles southeast of the El Paso - Ciudad Juárez borderplex. The center of town is about three miles from the Rio Grande.
In February 2005, just west of Fabens, Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean shot and wounded a drug smuggler. On that all agree.
Beyond that, it's another border Rashomon. Ramos and Compean were charged with assault and other crimes in federal court. The case went to jury trial, and both men testified. They were convicted and sentenced to over ten years in federal prison.
The case is on appeal, but Ramos and Compean are scheduled to begin serving their sentences soon.
A handful of House members, led by Ted Poe (R-TX) are asking Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to allow Ramos and Compean to remain free on bond during the appeal. Ramos has spoken to the press.
For his part, U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton is unapologetic: "The simple truth of this case is that Agents Compean and Ramos shot 15 times at an unarmed man who was running away from them and posed no threat. They lied about what happened, covered up the shooting, conspired to destroy the evidence and then proceeded to write up and file a false report. Agent Compean and Ramos were not railroaded by some over-zealous prosecutor, they were unanimously found guilty by a jury in a United States Federal District Court after a trial that lasted more than two and a half weeks. The two agents were represented by experienced and aggressive trial attorneys, both of whom vigorously challenged the Government’s evidence through cross examination. Both agents told their stories from the witness stand and had full opportunities to explain their version of events and to offer their own evidence. The jury heard everything including the defendant’s claims of self defense. The problem for Mr. Compean and Mr. Ramos is that the jury did not believe their stories because they were not true."
Blogospheric backlash led Mr. Sutton to amplify his comments, here.
The truth, if it's out there, is down by the river.