Koh Tao Convicts 'Still Hopeful' as Appeal Looms

[DiscoDan]

^^^

Short memory?

As has been the case many times in the past,

you have been informed of why the defense refused to allow new DNA tests due to the fact that they would not have sole custody and independent examination and verification.

The RTP/Prosecution would not permit that. It had to go through them.

Wisely, they declined.

BTW, it's Myanmar.

Maybe you should try reading what a wrote again I never mentioned retesting, I was talking about why defense did not call the truther's super hero Jane Taupin, as her followers seem to think if she took the stand these Rakhine rapist's would have been found innocent.

[DiscoDan]

Wasn't it WP's friend who smashed the phone up Dan?

The "actions of an innocent person". Hmmm.....don't get us started on that one, what with Nomsod lying low in Bangkok for several days despite being all over the media as a named suspect, Uncle Mon tampering with the crime scene before it was sealed, the mass-deletions from Facebook by the Tuvichiens and their crew, and on, and on, and on.....

So smashing up a phone you believe is connected to a murder, no problem they must be innocent

deleting posts from FB must be guilty ?

BTW what's happened to the Burmese mens FB pages ?

[DiscoDan]

And who did the 3 illegal workers turn out to be ? coincidence ? me don't think so

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/65518

"Three migrant workers who have no identification documents and work permits were advised by their colleagues to flee."

http://www.samuitimes.com/international-confusion-murder-reconstruction-koh-tao/

"Two of those three Saw and Wyn were the two Burmese who took part in the reconstruction."

So we have 3 suspects that police would have been looking for (as we now know they were the people playing guitar sitting on the log that night) and when they see the police they do a runner, yes of course there is no possible way they could be guilty.

also has anyone else noticed how there names keep changing ? at the moment WP is being called Win Zaw Htun in the Burmese media

[Jai Dee]

A couple of posts containing defamation or libel have been removed from this thread.

From the Forum Rules:

6) You will not post comments that could be reasonably construed as defamation or libel.

Defamation is the issuance of a statement about another person or business which causes that person to suffer harm. It does not have to be false to be defamatory. Libel is when the defamatory statement is published either in a drawing, painting, cinematography, film, picture or letters made visible by any means, or any other recording instruments, recording picture or letters, or by broadcasting or spreading picture, or by propagation by any other means. Defamation is both a civil and criminal charge in Thailand.

[Khun Han]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

[cumgranosalum]

Well, if they can't bring a 'premeditated murder' charge against those low lives who murdered a disabled man in Din Daeng because their fathers are policemen due to a 'lack of evidence', there is hope for these two poor lads.

false dichotomy?

[Thaddeus]

^^^

Short memory?

As has been the case many times in the past,

you have been informed of why the defense refused to allow new DNA tests due to the fact that they would not have sole custody and independent examination and verification.

The RTP/Prosecution would not permit that. It had to go through them.

Wisely, they declined.

BTW, it's Myanmar.

Maybe you should try reading what a wrote again I never mentioned retesting, I was talking about why defense did not call the truther's super hero Jane Taupin, as her followers seem to think if she took the stand these Rakhine rapist's would have been found innocent.

And some may call Burma Myanmar under instruction,, but the people are Burmese.

[DiscoDan]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

[NeilSA1]

Is there any reason why one of the accused is being manually assisted as to where he is pointing? Had he perhaps been pointing in the wrong direction?

[Khun Han]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

It's just that you stated quite clearly earlier that it was WP who smashed the phone up. But I suppose stating that makes the story more convincing and easier to follow for the casual reader, doesn't it?

[lucky11]

You either think the Burmese men are innocent and the defense did an awful job as they could of been found not guilty, if they had only called Jane Taupin or that they are guilty and the defense (&social media) did a good job making them look innocent.

I believe its the latter.

Some of the my reasons for thinking they are guilty is weak alibi the theft of Davids phone and the defense decision not to use so called "dna experts"

whether you think they are guilty or not is completely irrelevant, the fact is that the lack of procedure and mishandling of evidence etc etc makes ANY subsequent trial a mockery.

Yes, this is now the cornerstone of the defense arguments.

It does not matter if they are guilty, they must be set free in the name of justice as the investigation was not carried out according to the law.

The judges did not see it that way. They looked at everything the prosecution had to offer.

They gave the defense ample opportunity to defend that.

They looked at everything the defense had to offer "gait analyse ".

They listened to the b2 very unusual story.

Guilty or not. Legal technicalities or not. The verdict was arrived at fairly.

Absolutely, the evidence pointing to their guilt was overwhelming!! I do not understand why people are still trying to protect them citing an admittedly botched investigation rather than whether they are guilty or not of this truly terrible crime!

The message I get from this is that their guilt (or not) doesn't matter to them (repeatedly described as being irrelevant) and the way in which the investigation was conducted, which was technically inadequate and not carried out according to Western standards is ALL that matters. All that matters to me is that they have got the correct killers and that is ALL!!

[greenchair]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

It's just that you stated quite clearly earlier that it was WP who smashed the phone up. But I suppose stating that makes the story more convincing and easier to follow for the casual reader, doesn't it?

You are missing the elephant in the room Khun Han.

The point Dan makes is wp did by all facts have David's phone.

Did by all facts lie about that phone.

Did by all facts give this phone to his friend.

Did by all facts keep this quiet for many days.

Who smashed the phone and hid it, is a small dab of cream.

Though in the west "the friend " might well have been prosecuted for destroying evidence.

However, that "friend " did report the phone which changed the whole direction of the case, which probably saved his sorry art.

[dunroaming]

They will be appealing the trial and the fiasco that it was. However the loss of face if the verdict is overturned would be colossal given the international interest. I think that the death sentence changed to life imprisonment is the best they can hope for. The shame of Thailand has never been clearer than here.

[tukkytuktuk]

You either think the Burmese men are innocent and the defense did an awful job as they could of been found not guilty, if they had only called Jane Taupin or that they are guilty and the defense (&social media) did a good job making them look innocent.

I believe its the latter.

Some of the my reasons for thinking they are guilty is weak alibi the theft of Davids phone and the defense decision not to use so called "dna experts"

That phone did it for me. All those months people on social media defended why the phone was behind the bungalow. The defense knew well, it was put there by the burmese and their mates.

The defense never said a word.

Fool me once.

Yes the phone issue is the most damming evidence. Was WP tortured into confession that he found the phone on the beach? Many questions like this one will remain a mystery. The footage of the interrogator stroking WP's head in the two recent documentaries of the koa tao murders is also damming evidence that they,d been coached on what to say when confessing.

A retrial is the only fair way to justice. The extra DNA found on the murder weapon was also not explained. Why the rush for punishment, a thorough investigation would be welcomed by the majority.

http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2015/10/12/david-millers-family-make-late-move-in-thai-murder-case/

[Norvid]

It looks like only the money talks in Thailand. The rest is just the result of the corruption governing it all.

[sgtsabai]

Only a fool or a troll for the Koh Tao familes would claim they are guilty. Everybody on death island knows they are innocent and who did the murders, had done it before and will strike again. That is why a good friend of mine, long time resident, took his farang gf and split, not just the island, the Kingdom. He knew one of the Burmese.

[stephenterry]

You either think the Burmese men are innocent and the defense did an awful job as they could of been found not guilty, if they had only called Jane Taupin or that they are guilty and the defense (&social media) did a good job making them look innocent.

I believe its the latter.

Some of the my reasons for thinking they are guilty is weak alibi the theft of Davids phone and the defense decision not to use so called "dna experts"

whether you think they are guilty or not is completely irrelevant, the fact is that the lack of procedure and mishandling of evidence etc etc makes ANY subsequent trial a mockery.

Yes, this is now the cornerstone of the defense arguments.

It does not matter if they are guilty, they must be set free in the name of justice as the investigation was not carried out according to the law.

The judges did not see it that way. They looked at everything the prosecution had to offer.

They gave the defense ample opportunity to defend that.

They looked at everything the defense had to offer "gait analyse ".

They listened to the b2 very unusual story.

Guilty or not. Legal technicalities or not. The verdict was arrived at fairly.

Absolutely, the evidence pointing to their guilt was overwhelming!! I do not understand why people are still trying to protect them citing an admittedly botched investigation rather than whether they are guilty or not of this truly terrible crime!

The message I get from this is that their guilt (or not) doesn't matter to them (repeatedly described as being irrelevant) and the way in which the investigation was conducted, which was technically inadequate and not carried out according to Western standards is ALL that matters. All that matters to me is that they have got the correct killers and that is ALL!!

All that matters is there is not a shred of evidence that has been substantiated, verified, and validated by the prosecution. There is no proven testimony to convict the b2 of murder, that is why the sentence is unjustified. In respect of the alleged rape, the prosecution could not provide any original samples for independent testing. In respect of the phone, it only places one of the b2 at the beach at some point. It does not point to either committing the crimes they have been sentenced for. In each charge against them, there is enough reasonable doubt that makes the guilty verdict unsafe.

[sambum]

The appeal will not lead to anything unless some new evidence is presented.

Apparently then, they are doomed as "No new evidence or witnesses will be introduced to the appeal trial"

[DM07]

You either think the Burmese men are innocent and the defense did an awful job as they could of been found not guilty, if they had only called Jane Taupin or that they are guilty and the defense (&social media) did a good job making them look innocent.

I believe its the latter.

Some of the my reasons for thinking they are guilty is weak alibi the theft of Davids phone and the defense decision not to use so called "dna experts"

whether you think they are guilty or not is completely irrelevant, the fact is that the lack of procedure and mishandling of evidence etc etc makes ANY subsequent trial a mockery.

Yes, this is now the cornerstone of the defense arguments.

It does not matter if they are guilty, they must be set free in the name of justice as the investigation was not carried out according to the law.

The judges did not see it that way. They looked at everything the prosecution had to offer.

They gave the defense ample opportunity to defend that.

They looked at everything the defense had to offer "gait analyse ".

They listened to the b2 very unusual story.

Guilty or not. Legal technicalities or not. The verdict was arrived at fairly.

Absolutely, the evidence pointing to their guilt was overwhelming!! I do not understand why people are still trying to protect them citing an admittedly botched investigation rather than whether they are guilty or not of this truly terrible crime!

The message I get from this is that their guilt (or not) doesn't matter to them (repeatedly described as being irrelevant) and the way in which the investigation was conducted, which was technically inadequate and not carried out according to Western standards is ALL that matters. All that matters to me is that they have got the correct killers and that is ALL!!

...overwhelming....

[DM07]

Guys...the damn phone is not of any interest!

The court mainly focused on the matching DNA!

So...please...could all you of the guilty- brigade also do that, please?!

The DNA, that was taken whenever, wherever, by whoever and then stored in the fridge of the headhoncho, samples got destroyed and were not verifiable!

That DNA!

[sambum]

As far as I can recall, this particular murder has highlighted Thailand's justice system in the UK, for the first time. As a result of that, all the negative factors regarding UK citizens have also started to become newsworthy. Talking to various people there is now a perception in the UK that Thailand is unsafe, but more importantly it is now being perceived as a destination for sex tourists.

Whether this perception is widespread I have no idea, but I would have thought that TAT would be having a problem attracting "quality" tourists if this were the case. When you start telling friends that you are going to Asia, rather than saying Thailand, sort of gives the game away.

Now. let's be honest here!

" it is now being perceived as a destination for sex tourists."

When was it NOT?

[Khun Han]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

It's just that you stated quite clearly earlier that it was WP who smashed the phone up. But I suppose stating that makes the story more convincing and easier to follow for the casual reader, doesn't it?

You are missing the elephant in the room Khun Han.

The point Dan makes is wp did by all facts have David's phone.

Did by all facts lie about that phone.

Did by all facts give this phone to his friend.

Did by all facts keep this quiet for many days.

Who smashed the phone and hid it, is a small dab of cream.

Though in the west "the friend " might well have been prosecuted for destroying evidence.

However, that "friend " did report the phone which changed the whole direction of the case, which probably saved his sorry art.

It's actually quite a large 'dab of cream' for me that certain posters (including yourself on countless occasions) endlessly misrepresent established facts in order to make the b2s behaviour seem more suspicious than it actually was. No need whatsoever to do that if they are so clearly guilty, and it actually makes the forum behaviour of ther posters doing so rather suspicious.

The phone has been discussed extensively on here, and it's a huge red herring imo. It's not even established beyond reasonable doubt that it was David's phone (which the police had already claimed to have found previously if I remember correctly), just acceptance of the word of the RTP who have been exposed as serial liars and perjurors in this case. There were plenty of iphones unearthed in police raids on Koh Tao during the investigations anyway.

[greenchair]

Guys...the damn phone is not of any interest!

The court mainly focused on the matching DNA!

So...please...could all you of the guilty- brigade also do that, please?!

The DNA, that was taken whenever, wherever, by whoever and then stored in the fridge of the headhoncho, samples got destroyed and were not verifiable!

That DNA!

The defence had dna experts from around the world at their disposal.

Andy Hall went to England and met with lawyers and a private meeting with the coroner. You can bet DNA was the mainstay of their discussions.

Still, the only witness presented was andy himself to talk of human rights and gaet analysis of which the court could not accept as he was not qualified.

Secondly, their star DNA expert said they could not exclude wp from dna on the hoe.

We want the dna tested in England! !!! After andies visit, there was a fast back peddle on any dna being independently tested. Could it be the defense do not want to know the result? ??

[stephenterry]

The appeal will not lead to anything unless some new evidence is presented.

Apparently then, they are doomed as "No new evidence or witnesses will be introduced to the appeal trial"

Exactly. Even if a thug admitted guilt it would be ignored. A mockery of a so called justice system. I fear it has been decided that the b2 will remain in prison for the foreseeable future.

[Khun Han]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Maybe they're on compulsory "holiday"! Quite a few (e.g."The Glee Club", " The Infamous J's" and "A**G"- not allowed to name names!) are conspicuous by their absence!

It's probably a strategy. AleG and the weird woman will be unleashed after a bit of softening-up by incessant yapping from the poodles .

[sambum]

You either think the Burmese men are innocent and the defense did an awful job as they could of been found not guilty, if they had only called Jane Taupin or that they are guilty and the defense (&social media) did a good job making them look innocent.

I believe its the latter.

Some of the my reasons for thinking they are guilty is weak alibi the theft of Davids phone and the defense decision not to use so called "dna experts"

whether you think they are guilty or not is completely irrelevant, the fact is that the lack of procedure and mishandling of evidence etc etc makes ANY subsequent trial a mockery.

Yes, this is now the cornerstone of the defense arguments.

It does not matter if they are guilty, they must be set free in the name of justice as the investigation was not carried out according to the law.

The judges did not see it that way. They looked at everything the prosecution had to offer.

They gave the defense ample opportunity to defend that.

They looked at everything the defense had to offer "gait analyse ".

They listened to the b2 very unusual story.

Guilty or not. Legal technicalities or not. The verdict was arrived at fairly.

Absolutely, the evidence pointing to their guilt was overwhelming!! I do not understand why people are still trying to protect them citing an admittedly botched investigation rather than whether they are guilty or not of this truly terrible crime!

The message I get from this is that their guilt (or not) doesn't matter to them (repeatedly described as being irrelevant) and the way in which the investigation was conducted, which was technically inadequate and not carried out according to Western standards is ALL that matters. All that matters to me is that they have got the correct killers and that is ALL!!

Well done lucky! As a prince of sarcasm, that should get a few people hopping up and down on their keyboards! Or are you actually being serious?

[GOLDBUGGY]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

It's just that you stated quite clearly earlier that it was WP who smashed the phone up. But I suppose stating that makes the story more convincing and easier to follow for the casual reader, doesn't it?

You are missing the elephant in the room Khun Han.

The point Dan makes is wp did by all facts have David's phone.

Did by all facts lie about that phone.

Did by all facts give this phone to his friend.

Did by all facts keep this quiet for many days.

Who smashed the phone and hid it, is a small dab of cream.

Though in the west "the friend " might well have been prosecuted for destroying evidence.

However, that "friend " did report the phone which changed the whole direction of the case, which probably saved his sorry art.

Well actually No! The friend did not report this phone missing. So then comes the question how did the police even know about David's Phone was stolen by the accused and was given to a friend to hold in the first place? They certainly didn't find this phone just by looking, and even if they did how could they tie this phone to there friend?

If there was ever an elephant in the room, then here it is. They police discovered the name and location of this friend because one of the accused told the police what they did with David Millers Phone. After they were arrested and confused they told the police what they did with it and who they gave it to. The police then went to his accommodations and it was then that this friend admitted to having this phone and what he did with it.

So if one of the accused had not told the police what they did with this phone they never would have known. Also the accused was asked what he did with David Millers Phone and not his phone or someone else's phone. If the accused had found this black phone on the beach late at night and in the dark, like he claims he did, he had no idea who's phone that would be. So he would not have been able to answered him and tell the police where it was.

But the Show Stopper here has been, and I suppose always will be, the DNA Evidence. Call it what you like but as long as the Defense cannot get this thrown out as Evidence, then the accused are riding in a sinking ship, in my honest opinion. There only option back then was to retest this, whether it was replicated or not, and had there expert standing by as a observer. The outcome couldn't have been worst then what they ended up with.

But then if they knew they were guilty, and knew this would match again, best not to do anything, which is what they did. At least now they have a chance to reduce this sentence to life, but if it was a slam dunk, then I am not so sure they could do this then. All I know was that retesting none of this DNA did not help there case one bit.

[greenchair]

So did WP smash the phone up, or did the friend (not charged in connection btw) do it? Don't let well established facts get in the way of a good yarn Dan, whatever you do. The RTP and prosecution certainly didn't.

Anyway, only the poodles defending the fort today on this thread? Rottweilers otherwise engaged?

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

It's just that you stated quite clearly earlier that it was WP who smashed the phone up. But I suppose stating that makes the story more convincing and easier to follow for the casual reader, doesn't it?

You are missing the elephant in the room Khun Han.

The point Dan makes is wp did by all facts have David's phone.

Did by all facts lie about that phone.

Did by all facts give this phone to his friend.

Did by all facts keep this quiet for many days.

Who smashed the phone and hid it, is a small dab of cream.

Though in the west "the friend " might well have been prosecuted for destroying evidence.

However, that "friend " did report the phone which changed the whole direction of the case, which probably saved his sorry art.

Well actually No! The friend did not report this phone missing. So then comes the question how did the police even know about David's Phone was stolen by the accused and was given to a friend to hold in the first place? They certainly didn't find this phone just by looking, and even if they did how could they tie this phone to there friend?

If there was ever an elephant in the room, then here it is. They police discovered the name and location of this friend because one of the accused told the police what they did with David Millers Phone. After they were arrested and confused they told the police what they did with it and who they gave it to. The police then went to his accommodations and it was then that this friend admitted to having this phone and what he did with it.

So if one of the accused had not told the police what they did with this phone they never would have known. Also the accused was asked what he did with David Millers Phone and not his phone or someone else's phone. If the accused had found this black phone on the beach late at night and in the dark, like he claims he did, he had no idea who's phone that would be. So he would not have been able to answered him and tell the police where it was.

But the Show Stopper here has been, and I suppose always will be, the DNA Evidence. Call it what you like but as long as the Defense cannot get this thrown out as Evidence, then the accused are riding in a sinking ship, in my honest opinion. There only option back then was to retest this, whether it was replicated or not, and had there expert standing by as a observer. The outcome couldn't have been worst then what they ended up with.

But then if they knew they were guilty, and knew this would match again, best not to do anything, which is what they did. At least now they have a chance to reduce this sentence to life, but if it was a slam dunk, then I am not so sure they could do this then. All I know was that retesting none of this DNA did not help there case one bit.

I do stand corrected.

Court records say , in original confession wp said he stole the phone and that is why the police searched the lodgings. After a week of thinking about this, wp changed his story to he found it as he was strolling down the beach at 4.30 in the morning.

I do also agree with you. If the defense were 100 percent sure that dna could not possible match, they would have found a way to test it come hell or high water. In the end their biggest problem was explaining away to the donators, why come hell or high water, they would not retest it.

[GOLDBUGGY]

Guys...the damn phone is not of any interest!

The court mainly focused on the matching DNA!

So...please...could all you of the guilty- brigade also do that, please?!

The DNA, that was taken whenever, wherever, by whoever and then stored in the fridge of the headhoncho, samples got destroyed and were not verifiable!

That DNA!

You mean the DNA Evidence that the Defense Team couldn't get thrown out of court with there handful of experts?

The point you are missing here is that DNA Evidence is not enough for a conviction. You need supporting Evidence to get that. This is where having David Millers Cell Phone becomes an important issue as this is Supporting Evidence. As is been seen on the beach that night and near the time of these murder, and also near the murder scene. As is having no alibi. Cigarette Butts. And so on.

[Khun Han]

Yes Ren Ren smashed the phone after it was given to him by WP because he thought it might be connected to the Murder.

Even though there were no reports in the media of a phone being stolen from one of the victims,

WP lied to his own friend where he got the phone from saying he found it bar then changed his story to found it on the beach

It's just that you stated quite clearly earlier that it was WP who smashed the phone up. But I suppose stating that makes the story more convincing and easier to follow for the casual reader, doesn't it?

You are missing the elephant in the room Khun Han.

The point Dan makes is wp did by all facts have David's phone.

Did by all facts lie about that phone.

Did by all facts give this phone to his friend.

Did by all facts keep this quiet for many days.

Who smashed the phone and hid it, is a small dab of cream.

Though in the west "the friend " might well have been prosecuted for destroying evidence.

However, that "friend " did report the phone which changed the whole direction of the case, which probably saved his sorry art.

Well actually No! The friend did not report this phone missing. So then comes the question how did the police even know about David's Phone was stolen by the accused and was given to a friend to hold in the first place? They certainly didn't find this phone just by looking, and even if they did how could they tie this phone to there friend?

If there was ever an elephant in the room, then here it is. They police discovered the name and location of this friend because one of the accused told the police what they did with David Millers Phone. After they were arrested and confused they told the police what they did with it and who they gave it to. The police then went to his accommodations and it was then that this friend admitted to having this phone and what he did with it.

So if one of the accused had not told the police what they did with this phone they never would have known. Also the accused was asked what he did with David Millers Phone and not his phone or someone else's phone. If the accused had found this black phone on the beach late at night and in the dark, like he claims he did, he had no idea who's phone that would be. So he would not have been able to answered him and tell the police where it was.

But the Show Stopper here has been, and I suppose always will be, the DNA Evidence. Call it what you like but as long as the Defense cannot get this thrown out as Evidence, then the accused are riding in a sinking ship, in my honest opinion. There only option back then was to retest this, whether it was replicated or not, and had there expert standing by as a observer. The outcome couldn't have been worst then what they ended up with.

But then if they knew they were guilty, and knew this would match again, best not to do anything, which is what they did. At least now they have a chance to reduce this sentence to life, but if it was a slam dunk, then I am not so sure they could do this then. All I know was that retesting none of this DNA did not help there case one bit.

Except that the police were claiming that it was Hannah's phone that they'd found. Until, that is, somebody on that dastardly, trouble-stirring social media posted a video of Hannah's friends handing her phone over to the police . The found phone then morphed into David's phone. I have no doubt whatsoever that, except for that video of Hannah's phone turning up, the found phone would still be Hannah's, complete with IMEI match.