The Female Sentencing Discount–Woman Kills Husband, Is Convicted of 1st Degree Murder, Is ‘Sentenced’ to…
Probation. Yup, probation. It makes poor Mary Winkler’s 67 day jail stint for shooting her husband in the back as he slept seem positively cruel…
10 Years Probation For Traci Rhode
December 11, 2007
KGBT TV
She was found guilty of murder but received no jail time.
On Thursday, several people reacted negatively to 37 year old Traci Rhode’s 10-year probation punishment.
Rhode (pictured) was convicted of First-Degree Murder on Monday and after two days of deliberation, the jury handed down what police and the prosecution team described as a “very” disappointing sentence.
“No amount of jail time assessed will bring back Mr. Rhode,” said Brownsville Police Chief Carlos Garcia. “She’s going to have to live her life knowing she was convicted of murder.”
Cameron County Assistant District Attorney, Chuck Mattingly held a press conference shortly after the sentence.
“(We) have serious concerns about the message that this sends to our community when a person found guilty of first degree, pre-meditated murder walks out of the courthouse after killing her husband,” he said.
Mattingly added he believes the jury took long establishing a punishment because Rhode’s two young sons took the stand and that might have affected their outlook on the case.
The full article can be seen here. Thanks to Bruce, a reader, for sending it.
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December 18th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
This case is as bad as the Scott Peterson case. Worse actually. The only reasons she MIGHT have killed him is a $100,000 insurance policy and a lover on the side. Those are motives, not evidence. Very weak Glenn.
IMHO the insurance company certainly had a hand in the verdict. Now they don’t have to pay up. Possibly a donation to the judges’s re-election? Maybe the prosecutor got a taste also. She should have been found not guilty.
If she did kill him, you have to remember, sometimes you have to let the bad guys win to keep innocent people out of jail.
I’m with you on the Female Sentence Discount, but this case should have been thrown out.
December 18th, 2007 at 9:28 pm
..This judgement should not stand!!
But chances are it will, for we have given women the sole power to complain to our courts, and they will not do it!!
..Esther Vilar..in her book “The manipulated male” states..
“Men have now put mans welfare firmly into the hands of the women, of which that was a mistake…for she is more selfish and callous…And will simply flush the welfare of men right down the toilet!!”
December 18th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Whether she did it or not, how can you convict her and then let her walk on a murder conviction? That’s ridiculous. I can’t believe this is even possible.
December 19th, 2007 at 8:03 am
lieweary, I agree on the disparity in sentencing. The sentence was a travesty. But before we can consider a sentence, there has to actually have been a case. There was no case here, just a prosecutor looking for another win and an insurance company looking to keep cash so its CEO can buy another yacht.
December 19th, 2007 at 8:20 am
How do you figure Tony? The article didn’t state WHOSE prints were on the gun. So it would not be a streach to assume that they were not HIS either – sans suicide.
This case stinks. But the verdict, FOUND GUILTY AND CONVICTED OF MURDER, and then walks? That is just the most perversion of justice ever!
The Jury seemed to think she did it, but then gives her the golden pass… once again. The only difference between this and Wiggy Winkler is that she didn’t use the tired ole “abuse” pass.
TMOTS
December 19th, 2007 at 8:47 am
This sort of jury verdicts has become a comedy lately. These jurors hear a sob story from the defendant’s lawyers and and make stupid verdicts. I think it’s about time to clear the jury pools and find come competent juries.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:49 am
You need to read the article. The guy committed suicide. It wasn’t murder.
December 19th, 2007 at 11:44 am
tonysprout
December 19th, 2007 at 11:48 am
tonysprout – No case? Actually she was convicted by a jury of 12 people who heard all the evidence and decided guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I wasn’t there when the crime was committed and neither were you, so we don’t know the actual facts, but your claim that there was no case is absurd on the face of it.
December 19th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
To all that want to pass judgment simply based on this very brief article, read on. As for the comment made regarding the DA wanting to make another win, it would have been much simpler to just write it off as suicide, but they saw the evidence that clearly told them it was MURDER. I applaud them for taking on a tough battle. As for the remarks about the insurance company playing a role in the verdict, you need to join reality and get out of your conspiracy world. The insurance company is now MORE obligated to pay on behalf of the children. If the cause of death had been deemed suicide, the insurance company would have little to no obligation. The amount at stake is far more than published in this article. Although there is much more information than what has been published by the media anywhere, a more accurate amount is available through publications at the Brownsville Herald. The crime occurred in October of 2003. Due to an election, which occurred in early 2004, there was a changing of the guards in the Cameron County, TX DA’s office, but the new DA didn’t actually take over until January 2005. In other words, the former DA’s administration didn’t want to rock the boat coming up to the election in early 2004, and as the result of losing the election they were a lame duck from March 2004 until the new DA’s administration took over in January of 2005. The backlog of cases was significant when the new DA took over, which caused the delay of the indictment until August of 2005. With all of the legal wrangling and delay tactics used by the defense causing additional delays, the trial FINALLY began in November of 2007, FOUR YEARS AFTER the death of the victim, Scott Rhode. This article is yet a drop in the bucket. The trial continued over a period of a month, and there is much more information than what could possibly be listed here. Even the local newspaper, the Brownsville Herald, would not have been able to publish every minute of testimony and every piece of evidence presented. The children were paraded in front of the jury to win over their sympathy during the sentencing. The children pleaded to let their mother come home, as would any child about to lose their second parent. The oldest kid was less than 12 years old when the crime occurred. The youngest kid probably doesn’t even remember what his dad looked like, other than seeing pictures. At that age and four years of being around their mother, guess what they now believe as truth, at least for the time being. They are smart kids. If they haven’t already questioned things, I know that one day they will. I knew Scott Rhode, I know his children and I know his wife. I know the circumstances leading to Scott’s death and I know details of the trial and the evidence presented. Scott Rhode did not take his own life. Traci Rhode was convicted of MURDER, and I stand by that verdict. However, I am appalled by the sentence. It is an insult to justice and it is disrespectful to Scott Rhode and his children. To all of you that are so quick to pass judgment, defending her or even claiming that he did it to himself, think about this if it happened to one of your best buds. He talked to you about his situation, he told you his plans, and you know he was a solid individual with dreams for the future, concern for his family’s future well being, and a plan of how to make it all happen. Scott Rhode knew what he had to do. He caught his wife cheating, he wanted a divorce, and she couldn’t handle the consequences of her infidelity.
December 19th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
“Women have no sympathy… And my experience of women is almost as large as Europe. And it is so intimate too. Women crave for being loved, not for loving. They scream at you for sympathy all day long, they are incapable of giving you any in return for they cannot remember your affairs long enough to do so.” — Florence Nightingale
“Women are the creatures of an organized tyranny of men, as the workers are the creatures of an organized tyranny of idlers.” — Eleanor Marx, The Woman Question
“Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex, the ugly ones included.” — Karl Marx
December 19th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Well folks its simple really, we just need to go back to common law. There were no Loop holes in common law and no way to get out of being punished. If you did it and the evidence and twelve jurors agree, then you hang. No whinning, no political correctness and no favoritism.
If you are guilty you get what the law prescribes for that crime, common law does not allow judges* to impose whatever sentence they like. This make it equal and affords equal protection to all, not just women and other “sacred cows”
*Most judge believe they have some kind of right to legislate from the bench, they do not. It is high time to remove judges who don’t follow the law and impose proper sentences. WE would then try these judges for violating their oath of office. And folks being convicted of that is akin to treason and the minimum sentence is 20 years. ( and yes we will see to it they do spend 20 years in prison for the crime.)