Jeff Pyne murder trial begins this week
November 11, 2012
Jeffrey Pyne of Highland, age 22, goes on trial Tuesday, charged with first-degree
murder of his mother.
The trial is expected to last 2-5 weeks, and I hope to write about it daily so that
Jeff’s many supporters can keep up with the facts.
Jeffrey, a former student of mine and good friend of my son, is a well-regarded
young man who was studying biology at the University of Michigan Flint. It
shocked everyone in town when Jeff was arrested for this crime.
Since his arrest, Jeff has been in Oakland County Jail for 13 months, with many
delays in this trial.
In addition to the unconstitutional amount of time Jeff has spent in jail, information
about his case has been sheltered from the press and the public. This is mainly
because he is the first person in Oakland County to be tried under a new citizen
grand jury set up by Jessica Cooper's office.
This citizen grand jury process caused Jeffrey to lose many of his basic rights.
Both sides have admitted that all evidence is circumstantial. Jeff’s attorney, James Champion of Grand Rapids, has said that he will argue that there is no evidence linking his client to the killing.
Despite intense questioning, Jeff continues to deny that he killed his mother. He even passed a lie detector test.
Community supports Jeff Pyne
Hundreds of Jeff Pyne’s friends and family believe in his innocence. These supporters include his father, sister, friends, grandparents, and aunts and uncles on both his mother’s and father’s sides of the family. In fact, hundreds of people showed up at a bowling fundraiser for Jeffrey to help with his legal costs.
I will attend and write about the trial because I want to see justice for Jeffrey. Everyone who knows him wants to see him released. He is a friendly, caring and intelligent young man with a great future ahead of him. It would be totally out of character for him to hurt anyone.
He spoke frequently of his concern for his mother, and his career plans included learning about medicine so that he could find a cure for his mother's illness.
The prosecution has planted the seed that Jeff is guilty because he was angry that his mother was mentally ill. In the past, she was arrested and put in jail for trying to choke Jeff.
However, according to family members, Jeff was always trying to help his mother, and never became angry with her.
Also, is it fair to assume that he is guilty because his mother was ill?
How can you help Jeffrey Pyne get justice?
Jury Nullification
