Post by LadyBlue on Jul 8, 2007 13:39:35 GMT -5
It was by far one of the most dramatic moments I've seen inside a courtroom. The arraignment of Bobby Cutts Jr. on double murder charges in the Jessie Davis case was filled with emotion, tension and tears.
Cutts appeared before a Canton Municipal Court judge around 3 p.m. today to hear the charges against him. He was escorted into what looked like an alley behind a big window with white brick walls in the back. The space between the glass and wall was only a few feet deep.
Minutes before deputies led in Cutts, reporters and cameramen positioned themselves inside the courtroom. I was really surprised to see how many still photographers were allowed inside. We had a "pool" camera so only one video camera would be there, and so the courtroom wouldn't be overcrowded — but the still photogs were clustered up in front of the rail in the front row, which led to what felt like a lot of chaos once the proceedings began.
Much to our surprise, Jessie Davis' mom, sister and aunt came into the courtroom to be there for the arraignment. We had been told by the attorney for Jessie's mother, Patty Porter, that they wouldn't be there. It was just too soon … too hard. Jessie's body had just been found two days ago in a shallow grave in a national forest 22 miles away from where the pregnant woman lived.
The three women came in and sat on the right side of the courtroom. Bobby Cutts Jr.'s family sat on the left side of the courtroom. The media sat in the middle section. I was in the front row along with "America's Newsroom" co-host Megyn Kelly and "On the Record" producer Steph Watts. As we all waited for the arraignment to begin, the attorney for Jessie's family asked three of the reporters in our row if they would mind trading spots with them. We knew that meant Jessie's family wanted to face Bobby Cutts Jr. head-on; they didn't want an obstructed view.
As Jessie's family members took a deep breath, Cutts was led into the little glass box wearing a red jail jumpsuit. The moment that was already thick with tension became even more intense when Patty Porter grabbed her daughter Whitney's hand and stood up in the middle of our aisle. She inched forward to the rail that separated the seats and the area where the lawyers sit — the well of the court for legal eagles. She stood up strong. She held her ground. She made sure that Bobby Cutts Jr. could see her through the thick glass window. And he looked back.
My eyes were darting back and forth between his face, and Patty's. I couldn't believe she could do what she was doing just two days after learning such devastating news. After the court proceedings, she told reporters, "I'm not sitting when I see Bobby Cutts, I wanted to make sure he knew I was there ... absolutely he saw me." Cutts family members also stood up, and in large numbers. It felt like the entire left side of the courtroom was standing. I looked back to see them all looking past Patty Porter and to Bobby behind the glass, too. Bobby was led out, then his high school friend was called in.
Porter did the same when Myisha Ferrell faced the judge. She had sat back down after the man, who is accused of killing her daughter and unborn grandchild, left the box, then, she stood once again. She stared, and didn't move. Myisha looked back too, but not for long. She is accused of obstructing justice in the investigation to find Jessie.
Court documents released today show that investigators believe she lied to them on, or about, June 15 regarding the case. That's the same day that Patty Porter made that chilling 9-1-1 call to report her daughter missing. Bond was set at $5 million for Cutts; $500,000 for Ferrell. Both will be back in court July 2nd for their next court appearance.
In taking a closer look at the court documents, the criminal complaint shows that Bobby Cutts Jr. was arrested at 4500 Atlantic Blvd. NE at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. That address is the Stark County Sheriff's Office. That's pretty interesting. That means that he was with investigators right around the same time Jessie Davis' body was found. There has been speculation that he told investigators where to find her, and that there has been some kind of deal cut. That is still unknown, but the location of his arrest certainly seems to indicate that he turned himself in.
The medical examiner in the case has said that they don't expect to release a cause of death for a week or more. Jessie's body, they say, was in an advanced state of decomposition.
I got off the phone just a while ago with Rick Pitinii, Porter's attorney. I asked again how Blake, Jessie's two-year-old son, is doing, and what would happen with him with custody. He told me that the family had been granted temporary custody of Blake today, and that they have also filed for full custodial today as well. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear Porter say that Blake has been carrying around an old cell phone, pretending that he's calling Mommy in heaven.
He's been told that she has "gone to be with Jesus." The court documents reveal also that investigators believe Bobby Cutts Jr. killed Jessie in the house. Blake has told his family, "Mommy broke the table … Mommy's in the rug." Whatever that little boy saw and heard that night is unimaginable.
A lot of people have been asking me how they can send contributions to Blake, and to Jessie's family. We have learned that the First Merit Bank in Ohio has established a "Patty Porter/Blake Davis Fund." It's not listed on the Web site, but if you call one of the local branches, they can help direct any questions. Rick Pitinii told me that people could send cards to Patty and the family to his office:
The courthouse where Bobby Cutts Jr. and his high school friend Myisha Ferrell will appear is swarming with camera crews setting up satellite feeds for today's proceedings. It is dark and cool outside, but soon the sun will be up, and lawyers and prosecutors will arrive to start the first court appearances for the two people who investigators allege, saw Jessie Davis last before she was buried in a shallow grave.
Bobby Cutts Jr. — the married Canton police officer who fathered Jessie's two-year-old little boy Blake and believed to be the father of Jessie's unborn baby girl — will be arraigned on double murder charges. His friend from high school, Myisha Ferrell was arrested yesterday for obstruction of justice and more charges could be coming.
While authorities won't reveal exactly what they think Myisha did, it is believed that she helped Bobby Cutts Jr. dispose of Jessie's body in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Jessie's body, still carrying her 9-month-old fetus, was found buried in the Hampton Hills Metro Park section of the National Park, in an area called "Top O' The World" because of it's high elevation.
On Saturday, I was reporting at the Greentown Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday, where volunteers gathered to organize the searches. It was here that they heard the grim news that the search was over, and that Jessie's body was found in an area that had not been searched.
Many of the volunteers speculated how investigators found her body. According to a friend of Cutts, who called a local news anchor, Cutts told investigators where to find Jessie's body, and that it "wasn't his doing" — that he panicked and buried the body because he was afraid no one would believe him.
The coroner positively identified the body of Jessie Marie Davis, and now the family and community is in a holding pattern of more potential bad news to come: cause of death. If what the reports say is true about Bobby and his friend burying her body, you can't help but wonder ... what were they thinking? What could have led to the decision for Cutts and Ferrell to take Davis' body out of her house, while her two-year-old son sat alone in his bedroom, and drive her into the woods and put her in the ground?
Even IF there was some kind of accident or medical problem ... how could someone let her family and her friends go through such a gut-wrenching scare and search, only to find out the worst? No one is buying this theory here in Canton, of course.
The hearings of Cutts and Ferrell are just a few hours away. I just talked to the Chief of Police for Canton, Dean McKimm, who told me that it's been hard on his department that one of his officers is accused of such a horrific crime. He says his department will be starting the process of moving Cutts from paid administrative leave to suspension without pay.
I just heard the family of Jessie Davis will NOT be coming to court today. It's understandable — I can't even imagine what her mother and family must be going through. All I can hear in my head is the sound of that 9-1-1 tape and how scared she was when she found her daughter's house ransacked, and Jessie gone with the smell of bleach all over her bedroom floor.
tinyurl.com/2qry9p
Cutts appeared before a Canton Municipal Court judge around 3 p.m. today to hear the charges against him. He was escorted into what looked like an alley behind a big window with white brick walls in the back. The space between the glass and wall was only a few feet deep.
Minutes before deputies led in Cutts, reporters and cameramen positioned themselves inside the courtroom. I was really surprised to see how many still photographers were allowed inside. We had a "pool" camera so only one video camera would be there, and so the courtroom wouldn't be overcrowded — but the still photogs were clustered up in front of the rail in the front row, which led to what felt like a lot of chaos once the proceedings began.
Much to our surprise, Jessie Davis' mom, sister and aunt came into the courtroom to be there for the arraignment. We had been told by the attorney for Jessie's mother, Patty Porter, that they wouldn't be there. It was just too soon … too hard. Jessie's body had just been found two days ago in a shallow grave in a national forest 22 miles away from where the pregnant woman lived.
The three women came in and sat on the right side of the courtroom. Bobby Cutts Jr.'s family sat on the left side of the courtroom. The media sat in the middle section. I was in the front row along with "America's Newsroom" co-host Megyn Kelly and "On the Record" producer Steph Watts. As we all waited for the arraignment to begin, the attorney for Jessie's family asked three of the reporters in our row if they would mind trading spots with them. We knew that meant Jessie's family wanted to face Bobby Cutts Jr. head-on; they didn't want an obstructed view.
As Jessie's family members took a deep breath, Cutts was led into the little glass box wearing a red jail jumpsuit. The moment that was already thick with tension became even more intense when Patty Porter grabbed her daughter Whitney's hand and stood up in the middle of our aisle. She inched forward to the rail that separated the seats and the area where the lawyers sit — the well of the court for legal eagles. She stood up strong. She held her ground. She made sure that Bobby Cutts Jr. could see her through the thick glass window. And he looked back.
My eyes were darting back and forth between his face, and Patty's. I couldn't believe she could do what she was doing just two days after learning such devastating news. After the court proceedings, she told reporters, "I'm not sitting when I see Bobby Cutts, I wanted to make sure he knew I was there ... absolutely he saw me." Cutts family members also stood up, and in large numbers. It felt like the entire left side of the courtroom was standing. I looked back to see them all looking past Patty Porter and to Bobby behind the glass, too. Bobby was led out, then his high school friend was called in.
Porter did the same when Myisha Ferrell faced the judge. She had sat back down after the man, who is accused of killing her daughter and unborn grandchild, left the box, then, she stood once again. She stared, and didn't move. Myisha looked back too, but not for long. She is accused of obstructing justice in the investigation to find Jessie.
Court documents released today show that investigators believe she lied to them on, or about, June 15 regarding the case. That's the same day that Patty Porter made that chilling 9-1-1 call to report her daughter missing. Bond was set at $5 million for Cutts; $500,000 for Ferrell. Both will be back in court July 2nd for their next court appearance.
In taking a closer look at the court documents, the criminal complaint shows that Bobby Cutts Jr. was arrested at 4500 Atlantic Blvd. NE at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. That address is the Stark County Sheriff's Office. That's pretty interesting. That means that he was with investigators right around the same time Jessie Davis' body was found. There has been speculation that he told investigators where to find her, and that there has been some kind of deal cut. That is still unknown, but the location of his arrest certainly seems to indicate that he turned himself in.
The medical examiner in the case has said that they don't expect to release a cause of death for a week or more. Jessie's body, they say, was in an advanced state of decomposition.
I got off the phone just a while ago with Rick Pitinii, Porter's attorney. I asked again how Blake, Jessie's two-year-old son, is doing, and what would happen with him with custody. He told me that the family had been granted temporary custody of Blake today, and that they have also filed for full custodial today as well. It was absolutely heartbreaking to hear Porter say that Blake has been carrying around an old cell phone, pretending that he's calling Mommy in heaven.
He's been told that she has "gone to be with Jesus." The court documents reveal also that investigators believe Bobby Cutts Jr. killed Jessie in the house. Blake has told his family, "Mommy broke the table … Mommy's in the rug." Whatever that little boy saw and heard that night is unimaginable.
A lot of people have been asking me how they can send contributions to Blake, and to Jessie's family. We have learned that the First Merit Bank in Ohio has established a "Patty Porter/Blake Davis Fund." It's not listed on the Web site, but if you call one of the local branches, they can help direct any questions. Rick Pitinii told me that people could send cards to Patty and the family to his office:
The courthouse where Bobby Cutts Jr. and his high school friend Myisha Ferrell will appear is swarming with camera crews setting up satellite feeds for today's proceedings. It is dark and cool outside, but soon the sun will be up, and lawyers and prosecutors will arrive to start the first court appearances for the two people who investigators allege, saw Jessie Davis last before she was buried in a shallow grave.
Bobby Cutts Jr. — the married Canton police officer who fathered Jessie's two-year-old little boy Blake and believed to be the father of Jessie's unborn baby girl — will be arraigned on double murder charges. His friend from high school, Myisha Ferrell was arrested yesterday for obstruction of justice and more charges could be coming.
While authorities won't reveal exactly what they think Myisha did, it is believed that she helped Bobby Cutts Jr. dispose of Jessie's body in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Jessie's body, still carrying her 9-month-old fetus, was found buried in the Hampton Hills Metro Park section of the National Park, in an area called "Top O' The World" because of it's high elevation.
On Saturday, I was reporting at the Greentown Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday, where volunteers gathered to organize the searches. It was here that they heard the grim news that the search was over, and that Jessie's body was found in an area that had not been searched.
Many of the volunteers speculated how investigators found her body. According to a friend of Cutts, who called a local news anchor, Cutts told investigators where to find Jessie's body, and that it "wasn't his doing" — that he panicked and buried the body because he was afraid no one would believe him.
The coroner positively identified the body of Jessie Marie Davis, and now the family and community is in a holding pattern of more potential bad news to come: cause of death. If what the reports say is true about Bobby and his friend burying her body, you can't help but wonder ... what were they thinking? What could have led to the decision for Cutts and Ferrell to take Davis' body out of her house, while her two-year-old son sat alone in his bedroom, and drive her into the woods and put her in the ground?
Even IF there was some kind of accident or medical problem ... how could someone let her family and her friends go through such a gut-wrenching scare and search, only to find out the worst? No one is buying this theory here in Canton, of course.
The hearings of Cutts and Ferrell are just a few hours away. I just talked to the Chief of Police for Canton, Dean McKimm, who told me that it's been hard on his department that one of his officers is accused of such a horrific crime. He says his department will be starting the process of moving Cutts from paid administrative leave to suspension without pay.
I just heard the family of Jessie Davis will NOT be coming to court today. It's understandable — I can't even imagine what her mother and family must be going through. All I can hear in my head is the sound of that 9-1-1 tape and how scared she was when she found her daughter's house ransacked, and Jessie gone with the smell of bleach all over her bedroom floor.
tinyurl.com/2qry9p
