The
Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to throw out the jury verdict holding
Virginia Tech liable for failing to warn the campus on April 16, 2007 following
the double homicide at West Ambler Johnston Hall is so disturbing that I have
asked the Court for the document(s) the used
to base their decision on. Here is my letter to the Court:
August
26, 2014
The Honorable Cleo E. Powell
Supreme Court of Virginia
P.O. Box 1315
Richmond, Virginia
23219-1315
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST
Justice Powell,
I am requesting documents supplied to the Virginia Supreme
Court by the office of then-Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli as well as the Hall
& Sethi law firm in connection with the Court’s decision to overturn the
jury verdict in the Pryde and Peterson lawsuit against Virginia Tech.
It is my understanding that the Supreme Court justices may
only examine the documents given to them. I am only interested in the documents
stating who was in charge of the investigation following the double homicide at
Virginia Tech’s West Ambler Johnston Hall.
On page two, first paragraph, line eight of your decision
you write, “…the Blacksburg Police Department led the investigation.”
When I queried Blacksburg Police Chief Kimberley S. Crannis
she responded, “On that date [April 16, 2007], the Blacksburg Police Department
responded to a request from the Virginia Tech Police Department, pursuant to a
Mutual Aid Agreement between the Town and Virginia Tech. That agreement
provided that ‘all law enforcement personnel responding to an emergency request
as described in this agreement will report to an take direction from the Chief
of Police of the requesting agency.’”
I have enclosed that agreement as well as Chief Crannis’s response to
me.
According to Chief Crannis and the legal agreement between
the town and the university, Virginia Tech Chief Wendell Flinchum was in charge
of the investigation on the morning of April 16, 2007.
In your decision, you state the court based its decision on
facts. Therefore, I request all documents given to the Court stating who was in
charge of the investigation of the double homicide at West Ambler Johnston Hall
on the morning of April 16, 2007.
Because the decision was unanimous, I am copying all the
justices on this letter. I am also making a similar request from the Virginia
Attorney General’s office and the Hall & Sethi law firm.
Thank you in advance for helping me with my research,
Yours
sincerely,
David
Cariens
dcariens@gmail.com
(804)
435-7065
cc: The Honorable Cynthia D. Kinser
Chief Justice, Supreme Court
of Virginia
The Honorable Donald W. Lemons
Justice, Supreme Court
of Virginia
The Honorable S. Bernard
Goodwyn
Justice, Supreme Court
of Virginia
The Honorable LeRoy F.
Millette, Jr.
Justice, Supreme Court
of Virginia
The Honorable Charles S.
Russell
Senior Justice, Supreme
Court of Virginia
The Honorable Elizabeth
B. Lacy
Senior Justice, Supreme
Court of Virginia
Mark R. Herring
Attorney General of
Virginia
Robert T. Hall
Hall & Sethi, PLC
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