THE DANGERS OF REWARDING EVIDENCE FROM A JAILHOUSE SNITCH

Two articles below

After posting bond, March trial witness Farris re-arrested

Russell Farris, the convicted felon who was influential in convicting Perry March of the murder of his wife, was arrested Friday morning on an aggravated assault charge. His arrest came exactly two weeks after prosecutors dropped two of Farris' three outstanding charges for attempted homicide and especially aggravated robbery, and Farris was able to post bond and walk out of jail.

But his freedom was short lived, as Metro Police arrested Farris - without incident - Friday morning after his girlfriend took herself to the hospital seeking treatment for injuries she claimed were the result of an Oct. 3 domestic dispute with Farris.

South Precinct Patrol Officer Brad Turner responded Friday to a call at Southern Hills Hospital concerning an alleged domestic assault that occurred on Oct. 3. The victim, Kimberly O'Dell, 37, said that she and her boyfriend Farris, got into an altercation after she told Farris, who she claims had been drinking and taking prescription anti-depressants, not to drive. "She said he became angry. She said he hit her in the face, causing scratches under her eyes and on her forehead. She said that he took a knife from her and held it to her throat and said that if she called the police he would kill her," Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said Friday. Aaron said O'Dell drove herself to hospital this morning. Officers accompanied her to her home, where they observed holes in the wall she claims were made by Farris.

Officers then went to Farris' Whispering Hills Drive residence where they placed him under arrest. His bond has been set at $10,000.

It was while Farris was in jail on the attempted murder charge that he was able to befriend March, and eventually agreed to work with prosecutors - in hopes of a reduced sentence - to record March planning to kill his in-laws. March was convicted of murder on Aug. 17. Prosecutors and March's defense attorneys both said that the conversations Farris was able to record of March were the most damaging piece of evidence the state had.

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Comment on the above:

Testimony for freedom should be re-examined

We have all seen enough cop shows on television to know that when criminals are put back on the streets in exchange for information in high-profile cases, something bad always happens after a commercial break. Suspects walk. Cops fume. Crimes get committed. New victims have to suffer. Fortunately, TV is not reality, right?

Perry March is behind bars after a 10-year investigation and almost no one disputes his incarceration is a good thing. But anyone who relies on the criminal justice system to keep murderers behind bars and everybody safe should at least question whether it is appropriate to rely on convicted criminals to testify against defendants, or worse, trade their testimony for consideration in prosecuting their cases and recommending sentences. The present danger in the current system, where prosecutors offer no real promises - other than the promise of consideration - is that others worthy of prosecution will be allowed to walk.

Many convicted felons do indeed gather damaging information on suspected criminals. But many of those same felons are dangerous individuals. And in the current environment, one has to wonder how many more victims are created by releasing some of the baddest of our apples. Consider the case of Russell Farris, the felon who was instrumental in getting March convicted. He secured the tapes of March discussing the detailed plot to kill Carolyn and Lawrence Levine, so they [the parents] would be unable to testify against him at his trial for the murder of Janet.

March sought out Farris, who was in jail on charges of attempted homicide, to carry out the hits. But Farris had other plans, which included turning March in. With Farris' testimony, prosecutors were able to convict March of conspiring to commit murder, and then convict him of the original 1996 murder. Two months later, Farris got a thank-you note when two of his charges, including attempted homicide, were dropped, and he was out on bond.

His excitement at being a free man lasted all of two weeks, when it was alleged that he had assaulted his girlfriend. Now Farris is back behind bars, and probable cause has been found to conclude that another victim was created in the process of chasing justice. At least she isn't in a body bag. The system is nowhere near perfect. But how long do we allow prosecutors to use felons - as opposed to good old-fashioned police work - to secure convictions? When it comes to public safety, are we really safer when March is in jail and Farris is on the street?

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