La Mesa man finds out when free speech is no longer protected, after he is convicted of making threats against a candidate for president.
SAN DIEGO, California – Walter Edward Bagdasarian walked out of federal court Tuesday morning the same way he walked in, wearing a stoic expression on his face and clutching the hand of his wife. But, when Bagdasarian came out of the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building he was a man guilty of threatening the man running for the country’s top spot, now President Barack Obama.
"The government’s position essentially was that the defendant intended to make a threat," said Assistant United States Attorney William Cole. "Again, the law does not turn on whether he intends to carry it out but whether he intends to make a threat."
Read more…
Bagdasarian requested and was granted a bench
trial, meaning no jury decided his fate. In finding him guilty U. S.
District Judge Marilyn Huff found the two messages Bagdasarian posted
on the internet October 22, 2008, were intended as a threat. The
messages, one which read, "He will have a 50 cal in the head soon,"
were discovered after a retired air force officer saw them on a Yahoo
finance website and called the secret service.- [source]
trial, meaning no jury decided his fate. In finding him guilty U. S.
District Judge Marilyn Huff found the two messages Bagdasarian posted
on the internet October 22, 2008, were intended as a threat. The
messages, one which read, "He will have a 50 cal in the head soon,"
were discovered after a retired air force officer saw them on a Yahoo
finance website and called the secret service.- [source]
.Com Chatter