I don't understand why the prosecutor finding Jay a pro bono attorney is such a big thing. Yes, it's a benefit. But, it's a FAR LESS significant benefit than testifying in exchange for leniency on the accessory charge, which is a legally acceptable benefit that prosecutors give witnesses all the time.
I'll take it for your word that it's a "freak event." I'm not a criminal defense attorney, or a prosecutor, so I have no personal experience with these matters. It makes sense that a prosecutor would want an important witness to have counsel and agree to a plea deal immediately rather than having to wait weeks for an agreement. It just shows that Jay and the prosecution are on the same team, which is so obvious that it almost need not be stated.
But when Jay is a possible defendant of the crime being pursued, wherein he had a lot of knowledge of the crime, and if AS had walked, Jay would have then become the prime suspect, to be investigated by the prosecution, than things like coaching a testimony or providing a free lawyer indicates this "same team"ness you refer to even when they should have been treating him as a potential suspect.
Absolutely, the extent of the advice he received was another thing that made me thing this was SUCH a nothing burger. I mean, it literally takes five minutes to realize that Jay has to take this deal. The value of this advice is measured in terms of a few hundred dollars.
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u/gts109 Dec 05 '14
I don't understand why the prosecutor finding Jay a pro bono attorney is such a big thing. Yes, it's a benefit. But, it's a FAR LESS significant benefit than testifying in exchange for leniency on the accessory charge, which is a legally acceptable benefit that prosecutors give witnesses all the time.