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Angry Online Comments Spur Change of Venue Motion in Deadly Crash Trial

by Terrence O'Brien on March 16, 2011 at 11:15 AM

Jordyn Weichert
A young woman charged with vehicular homicide in Oak Harbor, W.A. has filed a motion for change of venue, "on grounds that pretrial publicity is prejudicial" to her case. At issue isn't the coverage from local media, but the comments left about her and her co-defendant on articles at the Whidbey News Times.

The majority of the comments (which you can see here and here) are overtly critical of the two girls in the case, who have bee charged for a wreck that left three dead and one seriously injured in September. Many of the comments focus on the allegation that 20-year-old Jordyn Weichert, the co-defendant in the case, tested positive for methamphetamine, opiates (possibly heroin) and THC after the accident. The driver of the SUV, 22-year-old Samantha Bowling, did not test positive; according to statements from the defendants, Bowling had Weichert take the wheel of her Blazer while she removed her sweater, just before the crash.

The judge in the case told the Whidbey News Times that he had not yet reviewed the measure, but was likely to oppose it. Reading through the comments, it is clear that many have already condemned the two women. (The American public never really got the hang of that "innocent until proven guilty" thing.) But while online commenters hurl tactful barbs -- like "I HOPE THEY ROT IN HE!! LIKE THEIR DRUG ADDICT BOYFRIENDS WHO THEY KILLED" -- and accusations of drug dealing, the defendants and their lawyer will just have to hope that jurors can disregard any outside influence and approach the case objectively.

Tags: comments, crime, jordyn weichert, JordynWeichert, justice, oak harbor, OakHarbor, samantha bowling, SamanthaBowling, top, washington, web

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