Trevor - TRIAL HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 06/07/2010

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106 04/08/2010 TRIAL HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 06/07/2010 AT 09:00
105 04/08/2010 REPORT RE: PLEA/SOUNDING SET FOR 05/26/2010 AT 09:00

Can someone 'splain this to me?

Does this mean he'll have an opportunity to change his plea and if he pleads not guilty again it goes to trial on 06/07?
 

I am by no means able to speak legal-ese, but to me it looks like he's scheduled to enter his plea on May 26 at 9:00 a.m., and that his trial is scheduled for June 7 at 9:00 a.m.
 

am I the only one who is assuming TM will never take the floor for the Gophers, but will be pleasantly surprised if he does??
 

hoffer

TheHofferette said:
am I the only one who is assuming TM will never take the floor for the Gophers, but will be pleasantly surprised if he does??
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My guess is you are not alone but I still hold at 50-50.

I do hope the truth wins, whatever it is.

:(
 



Section, you make a good point...if he is guilty, I don't really want him as a Gopher. so I guess what I meant was that I will be pleasantly surprised if he is found innocent in time for him to play basketball for the Gophers next season.
 

The only way he's sitting out next year is if he's in prison. Anything can happen if it goes to trial. That is some scary sh-t.
 

hoffer

TheHofferette said:
Section, you make a good point...if he is guilty, I don't really want him as a Gopher. so I guess what I meant was that I will be pleasantly surprised if he is found innocent in time for him to play basketball for the Gophers next season.
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At the current rate of motion I have to agree.

I hope for the best.

:)
 

One way or the other, I hope this actually goes to trial in June. It has to be horrible waiting for the victim. And if he's innocent this is really horrible for Trevor too.
 



howeda7 said:
One way or the other, I hope this actually goes to trial in June. It has to be horrible waiting for the victim. And if he's innocent this is really horrible for Trevor too.
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Based upon the assumption that this looks like it's going to trial, anyone that already was want to continue to spit on Maturi for keeping TM off the floor?
 

GopherJake said:
Based upon the assumption that this looks like it's going to trial, anyone that already was want to continue to spit on Maturi for keeping TM off the floor?
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You're innocent until proven guilty, right? I think Maturi was just playing it safe, not knowing that the trial date would keep getting pushed back. But Trevor easily could have played this year.
 

GopherJake said:
Based upon the assumption that this looks like it's going to trial, anyone that already was want to continue to spit on Maturi for keeping TM off the floor?
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I don't think I've spit on Maturi over his actual decision with Trevor or Royce. Both were tough calls. There's no doubt that at other schools they might both have played, but I'm not saying he was wrong. In Royce's case it should have been left up to Tubby. I'm not sure it was.

I do think he did Trevor a disservice by taking so long to make a decision. He knew about this situation last summer and he knew it was almost certainly not going be resolved before the season. He could have told him in August what the decision would be and let Trevor decide whether to go through with enrolling, etc. Instead he dithered around until November when he absolutely had to make a decision. If I were Trevor that would have upset me, as it took away my ability to decide what I wanted to do. The issue with Maturi isn't so much the decisions he makes. It's the stalling and inability to make them in a timely manner. (See Monson and Mason). Other coaches who got sniffed around this spring got swift contract extensions within days. We claim to want to give Tubby one. But it's now been a couple weeks and nothing. Based on what happened with Brewster, it'll be June if he gets one at all.
 

Minnie Soda said:
You're innocent until proven guilty, right? I think Maturi was just playing it safe, not knowing that the trial date would keep getting pushed back. But Trevor easily could have played this year.
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Yep. Innocent until proven guilty. In a court of law. Not necessarily for a basketball team for a D1 university. Many people, including yourself apparently, don't distinguish the two. They are different.

howeda7 said:
I do think he did Trevor a disservice by taking so long to make a decision. He knew about this situation last summer and he knew it was almost certainly not going be resolved before the season. He could have told him in August what the decision would be and let Trevor decide whether to go through with enrolling, etc. Instead he dithered around until November
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I wasn't meaning to pick on you in particular, H7. But, I just don't think you know these things you assert for a fact.
 



GopherJake said:
Yep. Innocent until proven guilty. In a court of law. Not necessarily for a basketball team for a D1 university. Many people, including yourself apparently, don't distinguish the two. They are different.
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Bingo. People throw around "innocent until proven guilty" all the time as if it has any meaning outside of a courtroom. It doesn't. It does not apply in the court of public opinion, and it certainly does not apply to the internal policies that the University sets for its programs. Minnesota has a well-established guideline that any athletes accused of a felony will not see competition until their situation is adjudicated. You can argue with the propriety of it, but the fact is that it exists and Maturi followed the University's policies to a T. He's supposed to make an exception for Trevor? Please. I am in the majority that feels Trevor is most likely innocent, but institutions set policy for a reason, and even one diversion from that is a precedent that is not easily reversed. Administrators' first priority must always be the long-term health and security of the University, and in that regard, Maturi unquestionably made the right decision here.
 

GopherJake said:
Yep. Innocent until proven guilty. In a court of law. Not necessarily for a basketball team for a D1 university. Many people, including yourself apparently, don't distinguish the two. They are different.



I wasn't meaning to pick on you in particular, H7. But, I just don't think you know these things you assert for a fact.
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No, of course not. But based on when stories about this came out, it certainly seems that Maturi knew enough to make a decision long before November. It seemed fairly obvious nothing was going to change between August-November. Maybe Maturi was waiting for something to happen that we don't know about. But I'd hardly be shocked if he was simply putting off making the decision until he absolutely had to.
 

howeda7 said:
No, of course not. But based on when stories about this came out, it certainly seems that Maturi knew enough to make a decision long before November. It seemed fairly obvious nothing was going to change between August-November. Maybe Maturi was waiting for something to happen that we don't know about. But I'd hardly be shocked if he was simply putting off making the decision until he absolutely had to.
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Fair points, but maybe, as some DA tweeted (really??? DA's tweet about cases???? why the hell would a DA tweet?? That's about as professional as Doogie getting in cat fights on a message board!!). Where was I? Oh, yeah, there were rumors that the case would be dropped. SPECULATION IN NEXT SENTENCE: Maybe they wanted to make sure that TM didn't drop out of the program in the meantime, so they said "we are hoping this gets dropped and when it does, you'll be on the court (rather than in it)."

Or maybe they didn't say that, but sure as heck thought it. Whatever the case, they were probably gathering facts and didn't want to prematurely judge. I think that is the prudent way to operate for Maturi and the U.

We can agree to disagree, if you like.
 

If nothing happens in the meanwhile and trial actually does begin in June, then we will know shortly after what his status will be. A trial like this will last a couple days at the most.
 

I'm kind of disgusted that this trial has gone so long for a few reasons. The first is obvious: I want to see Trevor play for the Gophers and I really do think that he is innocent.

The second and more alarming reason is that if this trial is taking so long, I begin to wonder if all assault trials take so long. If the charges turn out to be true, he will probably spend some time off the streets and in jail. I don't really feel safe knowing that there are a probably a bunch of people walking around waiting for assault trials when the DA thinks there is a strong case against them. I didn't realize how long people could walk around freely after potentially committing a crime.
 

What if there is a plea bargain?

I still think it is a real possibility that Trevor will take a plea bargain to something less than a felony. If he avoids jail time by doing so, would he be allowed to play, or kicked off the team?

Sound like the case against him has some legs.
 

I would be careful reading anything into the delay as far as guilt goes. It could be that the DA offered a plea and TM's atty, knowing evidence was weak, said no deal. The DA will take this to the end but not go to trial unless he has something. Not saying this is the case, but a possibility.
 

The vibe I get is Trevor knows a plea bargain does him no good. It seems like he knows admitting guilt in any way after vehemently professing his innocence means the end of his tenure as a U of M student, and hence the end of a Gopher basketball career. Seems like he's either "all in" (found not guilty or charges dropped) or booted from the U (convicted or copping to to a lesser charge).

Not a pretty situation, especially for the young lady that was violated by the culprit. I sure hope he is innocent and has been telling the truth.
 

cclaufer said:
I'm kind of disgusted that this trial has gone so long for a few reasons. The first is obvious: I want to see Trevor play for the Gophers and I really do think that he is innocent.

The second and more alarming reason is that if this trial is taking so long, I begin to wonder if all assault trials take so long. If the charges turn out to be true, he will probably spend some time off the streets and in jail. I don't really feel safe knowing that there are a probably a bunch of people walking around waiting for assault trials when the DA thinks there is a strong case against them. I didn't realize how long people could walk around freely after potentially committing a crime.
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I agree. It's kinda ridiculous if you think of it that way. It's plausible though... If all trials take this long, who's to say that we're not living our daily lives with dangerous people near us???

I agree that Trevor's probably innocent because the delays could mean that the DA is buying more time because he's still looking for some facts/evidence to try to convict TM. I don't think the movement to a trial is a bad thing because it could mean the end in which Trevor is exonerated of all charges and he can start to be the force on the inside that we desperately need.

All in all, a step in the right direction today. I think that the attorney for Trevor won't take a deal because they might have some strong evidence/testimony that he's innocent. In which case, a trial will prove that and this nonsense will end.
 

TheHofferette said:
am I the only one who is assuming TM will never take the floor for the Gophers
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No, I agree with you. It's high time to remove his scholarship and use it on someone productive. Jeez, why are the Gophers screwing around with these bad apples?
 

cclaufer said:
I'm kind of disgusted that this trial has gone so long for a few reasons.

The second and more alarming reason is that if this trial is taking so long, I begin to wonder if all assault trials take so long....I don't really feel safe knowing that there are a probably a bunch of people walking around waiting for assault trials when the DA thinks there is a strong case against them.
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There has not been a trial to date. This has been a 'matter' or 'case' in the court system for a number of months, but there certainly has not been a trial. This case "taking so long" is not unusual in the slightest - there are many people accused of commiting awful crimes walking the streets every day.

There is a chance this could be pleaded down from the felony charge, but with respect to Trevor's situation at the Univ of Minnesota, I think the result of a guilty plea to a lesser charge would have the same effect as a guilty verdict from a jury - scholarship would be pulled.

The problem is the nature of the case - a girl is in public and a stranger tries to pull her pants down, punches her in the face... if you admit any guilt to something like that, you don't belong on scholarship at the University of Minnesota. In addition, any admittance of guilt would be contrary to the "it's a case of mistaken identity, wasn't me!" assertions made.

Now, I will say there are many people who believe they are innocent and may truly be innocent, yet they agree to plea bargins - this happens all the time, for a variety of reasons. But, in this particular case if there is a plea, I don't believe there is a chance Mbakwe ever plays.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
I think the result of a guilty plea to a lesser charge would have the same effect as a guilty verdict from a jury - scholarship would be pulled.

a girl is in public and a stranger tries to pull her pants down, punches her in the face...
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+1
 

Well stated by GWarrior.

After all this, professing innocence & mistaken identity, etc., if Trevor cops to a lesser charge there's no way he'd ever play for the Gophers, nor should he. Not only would he be admitting there was some some truth to the allegations, it would prove he was willing to do anything (including lie through his teeth to his coaches) to protect his basketball career. Not exactly a sign of strong character.

Disclaimer: For those with reading comprehension issues, this is hypothetical; my thoughts IF he cops to a lesser charge. I'm not saying he did it.
 

minngg said:
I would be careful reading anything into the delay as far as guilt goes. It could be that the DA offered a plea and TM's atty, knowing evidence was weak, said no deal. The DA will take this to the end but not go to trial unless he has something. Not saying this is the case, but a possibility.
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While this isn't really that high-profile in Miami as oposed to Minneapolis, I think this has reached the point of no return for the DA. If they drop the charges after almost a year, they look like fools to some degree. They pretty much have to proceed to trial or get a plea bargain. The point at which they could drop the charges without egg on thier face probably passed about 3 months ago. I'm not saying they do or don't have a strong case. But they're going to see it through either way at this point.
 

I wonder how well he is served by his public defender? If he had some high powered law firm representing him it is possible this could have been solved a long time ago. I do admire him for staying with the team all year even though he was aware he was not going to play. If innocent, he will be a beast on the boards next year. If guilty, he should do time.
 

Keep Trevor

Royce does not belong on this team because he has had so many incidents over time. Has Trevor had other issues in the past? I haven't heard of any. For a guy that appeared to be a good citizen since the suspected incident isn't a year punishment enough. Even if it turns out he got drunk and punched someone in the face in Miami, missing all of last year should suffice.
 

Without going into much detail, I have heard alot of grumblings about the legal advice Trevor has received and not alot of people locally have a very high opinion of his current legal representation and the way they have handled this case.
 

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