7/19 - Nick McGuffin guilty of manslaughter in the death of Leah Freeman/ Nicholas McGuffin sentenced to 10 years/ Judge will hear McGuffin's motion on 9/9/2011/BREAKING NEWS: JUDGE WILL NOT ALLOW A NEW TRIAL!!!!!

He sure is mouthy. Very smooth operator that one is. He makes me sick!!

10 years!!!! He may be out in about 7 or so but you know what? He was Convicted!!! Leah & Cory have reduced this pathetic POS to nothing but a low life for what he did!!! :cheering: :cheering: :cheering:

Laga, we have to print what is said. I know it sucks to read it.

I have been gone all day and thought of Cory today as I do everyday. But ESPECIALLY this day!

Dear Cory,

You don't have to pound your head against a wall anymore. If it were not for you, this scum would still be out there. You deserve a huge for all you have endured.

Please take a vacation and get some R&R!! If you have a rag top or know someone that does, get in that car and let the wind blow your hair all over the place and yell Victory at the top of your lungs!!!

You are loved and cared for here and you take all the time you need to come here and post.

A defiant Nicholas James McGuffin proclaimed his innocence on Monday and called witnesses who testified in his trial liars, just before a judge sentenced the 29-year-old to spend the next nine years of his life in prison for killing 15-year-old Leah Freeman in June 2000.

McGuffin received a 10-year sentence with credit for the time he has served since first being arrested last August.

McGuffin, who was convicted by a jury last month of first-degree manslaughter, said he would not stop fighting to prove his innocence, and then work to find whoever really killed the girl.

“I would never wish for any mother to lose her daughter,” McGuffin said as he trembled, eyes wet with tears. “But this someone, whoever they are, they took her away from me as well.”

McGuffin bemoaned what he said was the state’s dearth of forensic evidence, insisting that what evidence there was in the case pointed away from him, not to him. Freeman’s body wasn’t found until five weeks after she disappeared in 2000, which left investigators few physical clues with which to work.

“Forensics and evidence do not lie,” he said. “But I do know something that can lie, and it is people. I know many of the state’s witnesses were lying.”

Coos County Circuit Judge Richard Barron barely paused after McGuffin finished reading his statement to hand down the mandatory Measure 11 sentence: 120 months in prison. “It’s a tragedy that a young girl is dead,” Barron said. “It’s tragic that she was disposed of in the way she was, and it’s tragic that a person of your age was convicted” of killing her.

McGuffin will pay $1,738 in restitution.

His Eugene attorney, Shaun McCrea, tried in vain with several different motions to get the sentencing continued and/or reduced, raising objections related to a juror being excused on the last day of the trial and saying the punishment’s severity didn’t fit the lack of hard evidence in the crime.

Much of her argument had been raised in her client’s defense during the trial. But McCrea did raise two issues she hadn’t previously: That no defensive wounds were found on McGuffin the night Freeman disappeared, and that a woman who is now a patient at the Oregon State Hospital once said she was in a car with two other men on the night Leah Freeman disappeared and that the car struck the girl. McCrea said the woman couldn’t be a witness because of her circumstances, but she wanted it considered as part of the reason McGuffin’s punishment doesn’t fit his crime.

When Barron rejected McCrea’s motion for a continuance, she argued that second-degree manslaughter would be a fairer sentence, because Coos County’s medical examiner was never able to determine Freeman’s exact cause of death, which made any description of what McGuffin actually may have done that night pure speculation, she said.

“I’ve been betrayed, forgotten and used,” McGuffin said. “I’ve been wrongfully convicted of a crime I did not commit, and could never have committed.”

After the hearing, McCrea said she’d be filing a motion within 10 days to ask Barron to declare a new trial.

“I think there was a serious injustice done here,” McCrea said. “I want to give Judge Barron an opportunity to review it.”

Freeman’s mother, Cory Courtright, who has spent the past 11 years campaigning for justice for her daughter, did not speak at Monday’s sentencing hearing. At several points during Mc­Guffin’s statement, Courtright bucked in silent protest, her hand over her mouth, as if to keep from crying out. Barron had warned at the outset that no reaction to the proceedings would be tolerated, as he did previously, the day of the verdict, when Barron tossed McGuffin’s mother from the courtroom after spotting her glaring at the jury.

“This time, it won’t be merely sending somebody out of the courtroom,” Barron said. “You’ll be going next door,” to the Coos County jail.

Former Coquille police chief Mark Dannels, who reinvigorated the case along with Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier, attended the sentencing Monday, along with several police officers and the current chief, Janice Blue.

“All I can say is justice was served,” Dannels said afterwards. “It’s a sad deal all around. There are no winners in a murder trial.”

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I know Cory had prepared to speak. I think she may have been in shock of the things this monster said.

A new trial??? It won't fly.

BJ wrote: “Forensics and evidence do not lie,” he said. “But I do know something that can lie, and it is people. I know many of the state’s witnesses were lying.”

“I’ve been betrayed, forgotten and used,” McGuffin said. “I’ve been wrongfully convicted of a crime I did not commit, and could never have committed.”

Former Coquille police chief Mark Dannels, who reinvigorated the case along with Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier, attended the sentencing Monday, along with several police officers and the current chief, Janice Blue.

“All I can say is justice was served,” Dannels said afterwards. “It’s a sad deal all around. There are no winners in a murder trial.”

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Oh cry me a river you little sissy Nick, sure it was a conspiracy that all those witnesses got together and decided to go lie about you eleven years later. You were too much of a coward to own up to what you did to Leah eleven years ago and now you cry tears just for yourself. I wish part of your sentence was to have pictures of Leah everywhere in your cell for the next nine long years.

I'm glad that Chief Mark Dannels came back to be there for the sentencing.

Some of the testimony came from friends of Nicks that were "under oath". How many of us have friends that would lie to send us to prison for 10 years just for the hell of it? The witnesses didn't lie, Nick's just a weenie and a coward. Probably scared to death he'll end up being someone's girlfriend in the Big House.

World Photo by Benjamin Brayfield Nick McGuffin and his attorney, Shaun McCrea, glance at the McGuffin family before hearing the sentence imposed by Coos County Circuit Court Judge Richard Barron.

Nick McGuffin had three things to say Monday afternoon:
'I'm innocent, I'm innocent, I'm innocent."
It was sentencing day for his manslaughter conviction for killing Leah Freeman in June 2000.
Circuit Court Judge Richard Barron sentenced McGuffin to 10 years in prison, minus one year for time served.
'It is tragic that a 15-year-old girl is dead and her body disposed of the way hers was," Barron said to McGuffin after declaring the sentence. 'It is also tragic that someone your age is sentenced to prison."
First-degree manslaughter is a Measure 11 crime, which means it has a mandatory 10 year sentence -- plus three years of parole -- with no opportunity of early release.
A jury acquitted McGuffin of a murder charge July 19 but found him guilty of manslaughter, meaning jurors believed he recklessly caused the death of Freeman.
Freeman disappeared from the streets of Coquille the night of June 28, 2000. Her body was found 37 days later, dumped in a heavily wooded area off Lee Valley Road.
On Monday, McGuffin's lawyer Shaun McCrea argued the judge should reduce McGuffin's sentence to second-degree manslaughter because there was no evidence that he had committed any crime.
'The prosecution has done a masterful job of character assassination of Nick," McCrea said. 'But they don't have any evidence to show what was found in the verdict."
Barron said he did not believe he had the authority to change the jury's verdict. He also denied two motions McCrea filed to postpone sentencing to give the defense time to investigate two of the jurors.
Just before sentencing, McGuffin rose to give a final statement, which he read from a handwritten speech. It was the first time McGuffin spoke in court since testimony began July 7.
'People have said things that God knows, Leah knows and I know in my heart and soul, that I'd never say, not in a million years, and this is why I have chose to read from this paper, so no one can claim I've said anything different," McGuffin said in a steady voice.
He said he has been quiet throughout the trial as witnesses lied about what he said and did. There was no forensic evidence linking him to this crime, and that should have proven his innocence.
'I'd never wish any mother to lose her daughter the way Leah's mother, Cory, lost hers," McGuffin read. 'This is not justice putting an innocent person in jail while the guilty person or people are still out there walking free.
'It sickens me to think that people can even think that of me.
'This has been the hardest thing to live through in my life, and now it has become even harder with the injustice that is being served to me here today."
Freeman's family made no final statement to the court.
Over
Back in his office, after the sentencing, District Attorney R. Paul Frasier shook his head.
'I'm glad it is over," he said.
Frasier had been involved in investigating the case since shortly after Freeman went missing in the summer of 2000. He was on scene after police discovered her body off Lee Valley Road.
During the investigation, many suspects cropped up, he said.
'We must have looked at 10 or 15 people, and everybody we looked at we were able to eliminate, except Nick McGuffin," Frasier said. 'It always came back to him. There wasn't a single soul who looked at this case who didn't come back and say, 'You need to look at Nick McGuffin.'"
The case was entirely circumstantial, but that does not mean there was no proof, Frasier said. Just like a parent determining a child ate cookies by the crumbs on the child's face, the jury determined McGuffin killed Freeman by his actions that night 11 years ago.
'The thing that bothered me since the beginning was Nick never went to Cory Courtright's door," Frasier said. The night Freeman disappeared, McGuffin drove around town for hours searching for her. He also changed cars and clothing during the night, Frasier said.
McGuffin pretended to search for Freeman that night to cover up what he did, Frasier said.
'He could not run and go home and hide in his bedroom," Frasier said. 'He had to go out and be seen."
Frasier said he believes McGuffin killed Freeman by himself, but thinks he had help covering it up.
'That is just Paul Frasier's gut reaction," he said.
But there is no evidence to indicate McGuffin had an accomplice, and even if someone did help him hide Freeman's body, the statute of limitations to press charges has long passed, Frasier said.
During the sentencing hearing, the defense still maintained McGuffin's innocence. He made some bad decisions, but he did not kill Leah Freeman, McCrea said.
'I will say one thing, or actually make that three things," McGuffin read Monday. 'I'm innocent, I'm innocent, I'm innocent."

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A former cop from Nevada realized her lifelong dream Monday night as she was sworn in as Coquille's new chief of police.
Although Janice Blue has served as the interim chief for the past month she was recognized officially as the new head of the department during the council's monthly meeting at City Hall.
A crowd of 30 people, including Coquille police officers and District Attorney R. Paul Frasier, cheered after Blue took her oath of office and accepted her badge.
'I'm very honored," Blue told the crowd. 'I would like to thank the family and friends who came in from all over the place and the citizens -- I have been overwhelmed by the congratulations on the street."
Blue was promoted from part-time patrol officer after the departure of former Chief Mark Dannels. Before moving to Coquille, Blue spent 28 years with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office in Nevada, where she rose to the rank of captain.
Blue told The World last month that becoming a police chief was a lifelong dream of hers.
As friends and family departed the council chambers, Blue quickly sat down to business and delivered her monthly report to councilors. She began by thanking Coquille officers for their work on the Leah Freeman case.
The new chief also received plaudits from Coquille Public Library Director Anne Connor. Last week, Blue's department tracked down and collared two thieves who stole $160 in cash from the library's cash draw.

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Offender Name: NICHOLAS JAMES MCGUFFIN
Offender ID: 14504778
Date of Birth: 04/25/1982
Age: 29
Race: White
Gender: Male

Custody Status: In Custody
Location of Offender: Coffee Creek Intake Center

Scheduled Release Date: 08/22/2020

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Attorneys for Nick McGuffin, sentenced Aug. 1 to ten years in prison for killing Leah Freeman in 2000, filed a motion Tuesday for a new trial for their client.
The motion presents four grounds for a new trial:
The court should have granted McGuffin's motion for judgment of acquittal.
The court should not have admitted evidence of McGuffin's character framed as "prior bad acts."
The state should not have charged McGuffin with murder when the prosecution never believed McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.
There was misconduct by the jury.
Read more in Thursday's World.

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BJ wrote:Attorneys for Nick McGuffin, sentenced Aug. 1 to ten years in prison for killing Leah Freeman in 2000, filed a motion Tuesday for a new trial for their client.
The motion presents four grounds for a new trial:
The court should have granted McGuffin's motion for judgment of acquittal.
The court should not have admitted evidence of McGuffin's character framed as "prior bad acts."
The state should not have charged McGuffin with murder when the prosecution never believed McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.
There was misconduct by the jury.
Read more in Thursday's World.

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I was just going to post this myself WTH is she talking about misconduct of the jury????

Misconduct by the jury???? They listened to the evidence and voted accordingly......(she was hoping for a florida jury)

nick and his atty must never have heard that old saying, quit while you're ahead.......the charge and sentence can always be harsher......

by laga Today at 14:38

Misconduct by the jury???? They listened to the evidence and voted accordingly......(she was hoping for a florida jury)

Laga, LMAO!!!!

I cannot forsee this happening. NO WAY that scum bag w/be granted another trial.

I had heard rumors of jury misconduct, but have zero clue if it's true or IF there was, What precisely it was.

OMG, everytime I click on this link, the first thing I hear is that ass saying, "I'm innocent". The video comes on automatically, Is anyone else experiencing this?

Wrapitup wrote:OMG, everytime I click on this link, the first thing I hear is that ass saying, "I'm innocent". The video comes on automatically, Is anyone else experiencing this?

I hear the same thing when I get on this thread and I love it! It's great!

If I hear him say he is "Innocent" one more time, I am going to stab myself!

I am not hearing the video but I do skip to the most recent comments on this thread.

Wrapitup wrote:If I hear him say he is "Innocent" one more time, I am going to stab myself!

I am not hearing that, THANKFULLY! But please Wrap don't harm yourself, I can think of several deserving people if you have the strong uncontrollable desire to stab someone.

Think about this, before a conviction a person is an alleged robber, an alleged murderer, etc. and cannot be called guilty. That being true, once convicted and proven guilty isn't it illegal for that person to call themselves innocent????

Defense attorneys for a Coquille man found guilty in July of manslaughter in the 2000 death of his girlfriend Leah Freeman have filed a motion in Coos County Circuit Court for a new trial.

Father and daughter lawyers Robert and Shaun McCrea filed a 32-page motion Tuesday on behalf of Nicholas McGuffin, 29, who was sentenced Aug. 1 to the mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison.

The attorneys argue that McGuffin was prevented from a fair trial after the state introduced irrelevant evidence about his character, including drug use. They contend jurors were biased and that the state's evidence fell short of the legal standard to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The motion also maintains that the state should have never charged McGuffin with murder, which jurors rejected 10-2. That argument hinges on statements Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier made after the trial at a news conference when he said didn't believe McGuffin had intended to kill Freeman. Murder requires intent to kill, the attorneys said.

Because he was charged with murder, the attorneys said, McGuffin was unable to make bail, which was considerably higher than for a manslaughter charge, and that hindered him from assisting in his defense.

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The man convicted of manslaughter this year for the 2000 death of his teenage girlfriend wants another chance.

Attorneys for Nick McGuffin have filed a motion for a re-trial on charges he killed 15-year-old Leah Freeman more than a decade ago.
District Attorney Paul Frasier told KCBY News that his office has received the 30-plus page motion from McGuffin's attorneys.
The motion seeks a new trial on four grounds, one being that the court should not have convicted McGuffin of manslaughter when the prosecution didn't believe McGuffin intended to kill freeman.
The motion also alleges misconduct among the jury. The third issue is that the court should have granted McGuffin's motion for judgment of acquittal, and finally, they contend the court should not have admitted evidence of McGuffin's "prior bad acts."
Chief Deputy District Attorney Erika Soublet is in the process of writing up a response.
The issue is not expected to be decided in the immediate future and could take weeks.

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Lawyers for an Oregon man convicted of manslaughter in the 2000 death of his teenaged girlfriend are seeking a new trial.

Robert and Shaun McCrea filed a 32-page motion Tuesday in Coos County Circuit Court on behalf of Nicholas McGuffin, sentenced Aug. 1 to 10 years in prison in the death of Leah Freeman.

The lawyers contend McGuffin, now 29, was prevented from getting a fair trial after the state introduced what they call irrelevant evidence about his character. They also contend jurors were biased and that the state's evidence fell short of the necessary legal standard.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Erika Soublet is writing a response.

Freeman was 15 when she disappeared on the night of June 28, 2000. Her body was found five weeks later. Police investigated McGuffin at the time but no charges were filed until last year.

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I merely click on this or the other thread for the trial and bam, first thing out of the box is "I'm Innocent" repeated 3 times. Ugh!! How strange some aren't hearing it.

Laga, that is a good point. You are a very deep thinker. Deep, Very deep.

I love the "Oh cry me a river you little sissy Nick" that Raine posted up thread.

Well Nick will cry and scream about how unfair it all is. His parents will continue to spend all their money defending a man a jury of 12 found guilty.

Defense attorneys will continue to charge hour after hour on this pitiful man and case. By the way I can hardly stand to look at her smirky face...crazy looking broad!

The one I worry about is Cory. I just don't think she can go through all of this again.

Hugs Cory...

I think we should file a class action suit against the GUILTY /CONVICTED nick for causing stress to our leader, so much so that she wants to stab herself. The suit would not be for monetary reasons but a cease and desist order to stop uttering the word "innocent" and I personally want to add "Leah". It makes me want to stab (but not myself) when I hear him say her name.

Laga, :lol: Don't think I w/have to commit hary cary as when I clicked on this thread, I did NOT hear that scum bag saying anything. It's fixed!! :cheering:

Jeanne, I do NOT think that this judge or Any judge w/allow this case to be tried yet again. No way, no how. MOO.

Attorneys for Nick McGuffin, who was sentenced Aug. 1 to 10 years in prison for killing Leah Freeman in 2000, filed a motion Tuesday for a new trial for their client.
According to the motion:
• The court should have granted McGuffin's motion for judgment of acquittal.
• The court should not have admitted evidence of McGuffin's character in the form of 'prior bad acts."
• The state should not have charged McGuffin with murder when the prosecution never believed McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.
• Jurors did not disclose their relationship with people involved in the trial.
Although Judge Richard Barron has 55 days from Tuesday to decide whether or not to grant a new trial, McGuffin has only 30 days to file a notice of appeal, said Shaun McCrea, who led McGuffin's defense team. Accordingly, if Barron has not made a decision by Aug. 31, the attorneys will file a notice of appeal with the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Motion for judgment denied
When all the evidence on both sides had been presented, McGuffin's attorneys moved for a judgment of acquittal on the charge of murder. The motion was denied, and the jury acquitted McGuffin of murder, but convicted him 10-2 on the lesser included offense of manslaughter.
McCreas' motion claims that the evidence presented at the trial was insufficient for the jury to have found McGuffin guilty of manslaughter, and that McGuffin should have been given a judgment for acquittal on the lesser charge.
Character evidence wrongly admitted
The motion contends evidence intended to establish McGuffin's character -- such as evidence about his drug use, the fact that he was in jail when he made some statements, and evidence that he was sexually active with other women beside Freeman -- was unfairly prejudicial to McGuffin, violating his constitutional right to due process.
'Information has come to the defense that at least one juror has indicated privately to a friend that the character evidence was a basis for the jury's determination that Nick McGuffin was guilty," the attorneys said in the motion.
Charge shouldn't have been murder
The motion says District Attorney R. Paul Frasier 'told the Coos Bay World newspaper that 'the state does not believe McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.'"
The statement apparently comes from a July 20 photo caption. At a press conference after the July 19 verdict, Frasier said he had included a manslaughter charge with the murder charge because 'I really do not believe that Nick McGuffin woke up that morning and thought, 'I'm going to kill Leah Freeman.'" He made similar comments during his closing argument July 18.
The motion says, 'If the State did not have a good faith basis for believing that Mr. McGuffin intended to kill Ms. Freeman than (sic) Mr. McGuffin should not have been charged with Murder at all."
Because he was charged with murder, McGuffin was held on a high bail, and remained in jail between his arrest and his trial, unable to help his lawyers prepare a defense, the motion says. For this reason, it contends, the murder charge was a violation of his right to present a defense, his right to effective assistance of council, and his right to due process.
Accordingly, the motion says, McGuffin is entitled to a new trial on the charge of first-degree manslaughter.
Juror misconduct
The motion calls for investigation of the relationship between juror Gretchen Londagin and members of Leah Freeman's family which the attorneys say was not fully disclosed during jury selection, and of contact between dismissed juror Robert Welch and a potential prosecution witness.

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This is my opinion only....I do not like frasier, I think he has made many just plain dumb statements, especially for an atty and da to make. But all the dumb remarks, all the jurors who may have known someone, all the evidence showing the character of the defendant whether fair to show or not, does not make a guilty person innocent. I do not see any grounds for a new trial, or grounds for an appeal. Like I said before I hope if by some weird quirk they do grant a new trial, the ante is upped, premeditation can be made in the blink of an eye, and throwing a body where it may have never been found does not equal an accident snowballed out of control.

If the DA believed it was an act of Manslaughter rather than Murder why would he charge him with murder in the 1st? That makes no sense. I am glad the DA did charge him with murder so he could not get out of jail while waiting for the trial.

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Nicholas James McGuffin convicted of manslaughter in the death of fifteen year old Leah Freeman is still being processed at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility to determine in which location he will fill out his term.

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With google chrome that video does start playing. Can we remove that video of Nick claiming his innocence?
makes me sick to hear that.

lindamarie wrote:With google chrome that video does start playing. Can we remove that video of Nick claiming his innocence?
makes me sick to hear that.

I vote YES!! I said from the beginning I didn't want his words even posted here!!! JMO

LOL!!! No stabbing of ones self w/be happening. I do think we need to keep it for others to view and I would think Cory would want it here. When she reads this, I am certain one of us w/get a PM stating her wishes.

LM, glad to see you finally took the plunge to GC. It's the best!

I've been pretty quiety these past 11 yrs, through this trial, & its preceedings & and well obviously for good reason, as you can see, anyone & everyone who has claimed to have talked to me has twisted my words around & has used them against me, or has completely lied about what I've said altogether. People have ... stated I've said things that God know, Leah knows, & I know in my heart & soul, that I'd never say, not in a million years, & this is why I have chose to read from this paper, so no one can claim I've said anything different, I'd be happy to give anyone a copy, so I don't get mis-quoted once again. I will say one thing, or actually make that 3 things, I'm Innocent, I'm Innocent, I'm Innocent, & I've always claimed my innocence & people who try and say any different are lieing, committing perjury, & getting away with it. I won't say names, they know who they are, but I will tell you this, I'm not going to stop claiming my innocence, not now, not ever, & maybe, just maybe one day people will start to see it, & believe it, but in the meantime, you're putting an innocent person in jail, tearing me away from my daughter & my family. Not only did our precious Leah get her life so wrongfully taken away from her, but now you're taking my life away from me, an innocent man's life.
I'd never wish any mother to lose he daughter, especially the way Leah's mother Cory has lost hers, & it truly saddens me that someone took Leah away from her mother so quickly, but on that same note, this someone, whoever they are, took Leah away from me from me as well, My Princess, My Babydoll. this is not justice by putting an innocent person in jail while the guilty person or people are still out there walking free, & for that, I'd never wish anyone to have to walk in my shoes, not only did I lose someone I truly loved, cared about, & was devoted to, but I've also been betrayed, forgotten, used, judged, despised, hated, & treated like the scum of the Earth by so many, & on top of all that, I've been blamed, Wrongfully Accused, & Wrongfully Convicted of a crime I did not commit, & never could have committed, & it sickens me to think people can even think that of me, & that, I'd never wish that on anyone, not even my worst enemy, as this has been the hardest thing to live through in my life, & now it has become even harder with the injustice that is being served to me here today.
The World received only the first page of this two-page letter. Visit [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] to see McGuffin's hand-written note, including the second page when we receive it.

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PDF file

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I was just thinking. I wonder if anybody in jail/prison considers themselves guilty?

I don't know why I keep seeing and hearing this crap...this time I decided to add a few comments expressing some of my opinions.....

[quote="BJ"]I've been pretty quiety(really, why didn't you get loud and tell the truth and if innocent why couldn't you explain the happenings of that night?) these past 11 yrs(yeah ELEVEN years you have had a life to do as you wanted, ELEVEN years Leah did not have), through this trial, & its preceedings & and well obviously for good reason, as you can see, anyone & everyone who has claimed to have talked to me has twisted my words around & has used them against me, or has completely lied about what I've said altogether(this is your manifesto, why don't you be explicit and explain each lie and twisted word, generalizations are easy, those witnesses on the stand were exact in their statments). People have ... stated I've said things that God know, Leah knows, & I know in my heart & soul(I am not sure you have a soul, if so it is a dark soul), that I'd never say, not in a million years, & this is why I have chose to read from this paper, so no one can claim I've said anything different, I'd be happy to give anyone a copy, so I don't get mis-quoted once again(misquoted?, you have said NOTHING of substance to support your claim of innocence, NOTHING!!!). I will say one thing, or actually make that 3 things, I'm Innocent, I'm Innocent, I'm Innocent, (TWELVE people said something different, You are GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY)& I've always claimed my innocence(claimed innocence but you never owned it) & people who try and say any different are lieing, committing perjury, & getting away with it. I won't say names(why not, why not tell us inn this your declaration of innocence not to be misquoted and blah, blah, blah, WHY NOT tell who and what), they know who they are, but I will tell you this, I'm not going to stop claiming my innocence, not now, not ever, & maybe, just maybe one day people will start to see it, & believe it, but in the meantime, you're putting an innocent person in jail, tearing me away from my daughter & my family. Not only did our precious Leah get her life so wrongfully taken away from her, but now you're taking my life away from me(YOU HAVE BEEN PROVEN GUILTY AND GUILTY YOU ARE, but your life has not been taken away, NEVER, NEVER compare your circumstances with LEAH, You took Leah's life that day), an innocent man's life.
I'd never wish any mother to lose he daughter, especially the way Leah's mother Cory has lost hers, & it truly saddens me that someone took Leah away from her mother so quickly(humm "so quickly"??? freudian slip?), but on that same note, this someone, whoever they are, took Leah away from me from me as well, My Princess, My Babydoll. this is not justice by putting an innocent person in jail while the guilty person or people are still out there walking free, & for that, I'd never wish anyone to have to walk in my shoes, not only did I lose someone I truly loved, cared about, & was devoted to,(this is BS, how long did you date, she was 15, again easy to claim when the other party is not able to dispute the claim) but I've also been betrayed, forgotten, used, judged, despised, hated, & treated like the scum of the Earth by so many, & on top of all that, I've been blamed, Wrongfully Accused, & Wrongfully Convicted of a crime I did not commit, & never could have committed, & it sickens me to think people can even think that of me, & that, I'd never wish that on anyone, not even my worst enemy, as this has been the hardest thing to live through in my life, & now it has become even harder with the injustice that is being served to me here today.(I am sure it is hard when everyone gets your number and knows exactly who you are and what you did) BTW, what you got at this trial is not what you really deserve, but much less, just like what Leah got at your evil hand) If I had any powers I would make it impossible for you to utter that precious girl's name ever again, on every attempt I would have your tongue swell in your mouth to make it impossible to eat or speak for days.

After a Coos County jury found Nick McGuffin guilty of Manslaughter, in the death of Leah Freeman, his Attorney filed a motion seeking a retrial, based on four separate grounds.
McGuffin was convicted of killing the 15-year-old back in the Summer of 2000. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.
But Shaun McCrea, his Defense Attorney, filed her motion for a retrial last week.
On Thursday, Chief Deputy District Attorney Erika Soublet released their 20-page response, requesting Judge Richard Barron deny the motion.
In addition to arguing each of the points presented by the Defense, the Prosecution is arguing that Judge Barron should strike the motion in general. They say it is not accompanied by an appropriate, and required, affidavit.
The next step may now be a hearing before Judge Richard Barron, which may take place in the next couple of weeks.
If the motion is not successful, the Defense has already said they will plan to Appeal the verdict.

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Laga, :cheering: :cheering: :cheering:

You said everything we all think but it was said Beautifully!!! Thank you!! I know Cory will jump for joy when she reads this.

BTW, Cory said she DID want that video taken down and it is no longer here. So, we don't have to hear that idiot repeat himself ever again!!

There is NO WAY the duh-fense will win an appeal. Sorry about your luck, Nick!! Go lay down w/Bubba and hopefully, one of them w/do to you what you did to Leah!

Jeanne, great question!

Prosecutor rebuts motion for new McGuffin trial
Story
By Gail Elber The World | Posted: Friday, August 19, 2011 3:22 pm

COQUILLE — Nick McGuffin’s request for a new trial lacks merit and doesn’t comply with rules governing trial procedure, a Coos County prosecutor contends.

A motion filed this week by Chief Deputy District Attorney Erika Soublet asks Coos County Circuit Court Judge Richard Barron to strike the motion by McGuffin’s lawyer.

A jury convicted McGuffin July 19 of first-degree manslaughter in the 2000 death of Leah Freeman. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with credit for time served. His lawyer, Shaun McCrea, filed a motion Aug. 9, contending the conviction was improper.

Here’s a summary of how the two sides disagree:

Court rules — In the prosecution’s response, Soublet said McGuffin’s filing didn’t comply with Oregon Rules of Civil Procedure. Soublet quoted those rules, which say, “a motion for a new trial must be based on an affidavit or declaration setting forth the facts upon which the motion is based.”

McGuffin’s motion, she said, contained only an affidavit from McCrea saying, “The foregoing is true as I verily believe,” as well as statements from unidentified sources and facts not presented at the trial.

Soublet also argued that the court didn’t err in denying McGuffin’s motions for acquittal.

“That defendant might have a different interpretation of what the circumstantial evidence proves or means does not mean that his motions for judgment of acquittal should have been granted,” she wrote.

She also said the court did not err by allowing the introduction of character evidence.

Wrong charge — McGuffin’s motion said District Attorney R. Paul Frasier shouldn’t have charged McGuffin with murder. McCrea cited a July 20 photo caption in The World, which said, “District Attorney R. Paul Frasier said the verdict is appropriate, as the state does not believe McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.”
Soublet’s response says the caption didn’t accurately depict Frasier’s remarks. Rather, Frasier said “he did not believe defendant had a premeditated desire or plan” to kill Freeman, Soublet wrote.

If McCrea thinks Frasier charged McGuffin with a crime he didn’t believe McGuffin committed, she should file an ethics complaint with the Oregon State Bar, Soublet argues.

Bail too high — McGuffin’s motion said charging him with murder kept him from receiving a fair trial. McCrea contends McGuffin’s bail was so high, his family could not afford to both post bail and pay his lawyers. Locked in jail, he couldn’t help his lawyers prepare for trial.
Soublet wrote that McGuffin could have qualified for court-appointed counsel. But he didn’t apply for it, and he never asked for a release hearing.

Juror misconduct — McGuffin’s motion said jurors had failed to disclose contact with a potential witness and connections with Freeman’s family. Soublet said those allegations were unsubstantiated.

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Posted: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 11:00 am

The family of Leah Freeman would like to thank the community for all the kindness, support and prayers, not only for the past 11 years, but also for the support you have shown us throughout the trial, verdict and sentencing of Nick McGuffin.

For the endless amounts of flowers, food and prayers 11 years ago when law enforcement found Leah's body, throughout the days of preparing arrangements for her memorial and the day of her service -- .

To all who showed up to remember Leah at vigils and stood with their burning candles in remembrance of Leah with diligence and hope that justice would prevail, from the bottom of our hearts.

For the tireless efforts of the Coquille Police Department, the Coos County Sheriff's Department, the cold case team and the Oregon State Police to bring justice for Leah, words cannot express our everlasting gratitude.

To R. Paul Frasier, Erika Soublet, Maureen Knudson, Michelle Short and the rest of the staff at the Coos County District Attorney's Office, for your patience, kindness, perseverance, .
To The World newspaper, KCBY news, Tim Novotny for your relentless coverage, never forgetting Leah. Always keeping her face in the news for everyone to remember Leah Nicole Freeman.

For the use of the Coquille Community Building, the facilities and the reader board, we thank Fran Capehart for the celebration of life in honor of Leah.

And a special thanks to Mike Cook, Sheriff Craig Zanni, former Coquille Police Chief Mark Dannels, Officer Ray McNeely, Officer Chris Webbley, Officer Sean Sanborn and Officer Pat Smith, all of the Coquille Police Department.

To everyone, God bless you and .

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McGuffin joins Coquille murderer Horath at Snake River Correctional Institution

Nicholas McGuffin, convicted of 1st degree manslaughter in the death of Leah Freeman will complete his sentence at the Snake River Correctional Institution along with another convicted killer, Pat Horath. Horath plead guilty to the murder of Jayme Sue Austin in 2009.

Snake River Correctional Institute is located on the border of Oregon and Idaho.

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He had been at a "holding" area...kinda like "Purgatory". He's in the Big House Now!! :woot:

Sept 8, 2011

A judge will hear Nick McGuffin's motion for a new trial Friday morning. (Sept 9)
McGuffin, who was recently convicted of manslaughter in the 2000 death of Leah Freeman and sentenced to 10 years in prison, filed the motion Aug. 9.
The motion alleges:
• The court should have granted McGuffin's motion for judgment of acquittal.
• The court should not have admitted evidence of McGuffin's character in the form of 'prior bad acts."
• The state should not have charged McGuffin with murder when the prosecution never believed McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.
• Jurors did not disclose their relationship with people involved in the trial.
Deputy District Attorney Erika Soublet asked the court to strike McGuffin's request for a new trial in a motion she submitted Aug. 19.
Read about the outcome of the hearing in Saturday's World.

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I would like to see DA Soublet's motion to strike the defense motion since the defense motion is posted. I am sure she used legal points to rebut their motion, unlike what I, as a non attorney, would have rebutted....... !!!!

This convicted murderer is where he deserves to be and where he should have to spend the rest of his miserable life. JMO

My beautiful friend is without her precious daughter and even though no amount of punishment doled out to the one responsible will change that, there is some peace in knowing he is labeled "guilty" and held responsible for his actions.

I have faith this motion will be tossed out. He was convicted fair and square. I saw where we have to wait until Saturday to read the outcome.

I agree Lindamarie! .....with confidence all will go as it should!

I am hoping to hear from Cory today and if so, w/let you all know. She told me she did not want to post until she knew the outcome of this new attempt by NM's council for a new ( ) trial.

McGuffin's bid for new trial shot down

Posted: Friday, September 9, 2011 11:00 am | (2)

COQUILLE -- Nick McGuffin's motion for a new trial was denied Friday morning.

McGuffin's recent trial for the death of Leah Freeman in 2000 ended with a jury finding McGuffin guilty of manslaughter. McGuffin was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Judge Robert Barron, the judge who heard the original trial, rejected McGuffin's allegations of errors by the court, the district attorney's office, and jurors. Barron ruled that the conviction stands.
Full story in Saturday's World.

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YES!!!!! :cheering: :cheering: :cheers: :scratch:

Well said raine :cheering: cory

McGuffin's bid for new trial shot down

Love that headline, I didn't doubt that would be the outcome, but.....there was that outcome in that other case that was totally WRONG, sooo I am very glad to read those headlines.

Judge Richard Barron says no to a new murder trial for Nick McGuffin, who was accused of recklessly causing the death of his girlfriend, Leah Freeman, back in 2000.
In July, a 12 person jury found McGuffin guilty of manslaughter for the death of Freeman, and now two months later, McGuffin's defense team is back in court for a hearing on their motion for a re-trial.
Shaun McCrea argues four points that, she contends, should lead to a re-trial, including the admittance of certain evidence, specifically his use of drugs and his sexual encounters with various women during the time freeman disappeared.
"The jury is being told Mr. McGuffin's a druggie, he's a very sexual being. They didn't like that, especially with nine women jurors. They held it against him, he's a bad person, and that coupled with Mr. Brakefield's claim made it more believable because the jury believed he was a bad person," remarks defense attorney Shaun McCrea.
McCrea also claimed, certain things shouldn't have been included in the trial because they weren't relevant to the death of Freeman. But Judge Barron points out that it doesn't take much to make something relevant in the court of law.
"There's not much that it takes to make something relevant. It could be relevant for very little. There might be then an issue of, well its relevant to the point where it outweighs prejudice but relevancy is... there's not a lot that requires or makes it relevant," says Judge Barron.
McCrea also argued that the court should have granted McGuffin's motion for judgment of acquittal, there was jury misconduct, and the state should not have charged McGuffin with murder when the prosecution never believed McGuffin intended to kill Freeman.
McGuffin's defense team has made it clear from the beginning that they will appeal his guilty verdict to the state appellate court.

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