Mullet's sect is made up primarily of his relatives living on and around an acre compound in a remote valley outside Bergholz, according to Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla. Prosecutors have said Mullet "exerted control over the Bergholz community by taking the wives of other men into his home, and by overseeing various means of disciplining community members, including corporal punishment.
Those accusations could play a key part in the trial against Mullet and his co-defendants. Last week, a federal judge ruled that witnesses can testify about Mullet's alleged sexual activities at his compound in Bergholz, according to The Plain Dealer. When reports of the beard-cutting attacks first surfaced last fall, they uncovered an ongoing split between Mullet's sect and the larger Amish community in and around Bergholz, many of whom believe that Mullet is creating rules and punishments that do not fit with the broader Amish belief system.
More Videos Group allegedly tied to Amish attacks Crime wave in Amish country Amish sect leader must pay for attorney Aden Troyer said he was once part of the Mullet family compound. Prosecutors argue that they were motivated by religious disputes, Reuters reported.
Though Mullet was not present during the attacks, prosecutors allege he organized the effort, it said. Previous story: Hate crime trial under way in Amish beard-cutting trial. He didn't get any blood or hair on himself, but none of the terror would have happened without him," Reuters quoted U. Attorney Kristy Parker as saying.
Attorneys for the defendants acknowledge the crimes did happen but say it may be going too far to call them hate crimes, the AP reported. The whole situation is so sad and by taking this into the court system, who is going to do the defining? There are some different groups of Amish, so will some legislators be defining or will they turn to the Amish themselves?
And suppose some aspect is overlooked in writing this definition, then some lawyer or prosecutor will jump on that omission at some future date?
Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Amish » Everything Amish » Amish in the News » Beard Cutting "Amish" Trial Begins Part of me is really interested in the whole beard-cutting trial which began yesterday in Cleveland, part of me is bored with it.
He stated that the group committed the hair and beard cutting attacks out of anger and revenge. Mullet stated that it was his idea to cut off the head and beard hair of two of the victims. And although his father, Bishop Mullet, provided the men with the addresses of the victims and knew of their plans, Bishop Mullet did not send them to commit the crimes. His response, according to Lester, was to laugh and say that they were nuts. And while he told authorities that he did not think that Bishop Mullet told them to do it, he did concede that his father usually gives the order to The Bergholz Clan because he is the leader.
But the Government is not without some strong evidence that Bishop Mullet was intimately involved. Both of which ring of an arrogance and superiority, two traits normally frowned upon by American jurisprudence. In an October 7, news story, wkyc. I just let them run over me? If every family would do just as they pleased what kind of church would we have?
We will have to wait and see, but there is an important saying that bears repeating in this case:. They have called numerous witnesses in an attempt to give the jury insight into the values and lifestyle of this very insular community.
After all that, the defense called — no one. They declined to put on a case and asked that closing arguments begin the next day. This unusual defense strategy would only ever be deployed if an acquittal was a sure thing. Now, to be clear, only the prosecution has an affirmative obligation to put on a case. The prosecution carries the sole burden of proving all the charges.
The defense need not put on a defense, particularly if the prosecution has not adequately proven its case. Part of the problem might be that the federal prosecutors did not file the appropriate charges.
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