Brazos County DA 2024 Election [Staff Warning]

53,413 Views | 317 Replies | Last: 7 mo ago by befitter
lethalninja
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Who are you voting for? The candidates are Jarvis Parsons and Maritza Sifuentez-Chavarria (both are Republicans). I'm voting for Parsons.

[This thread has been cleaned up and the moderation is going to be strict if posters are not respectful or post rumors about either candidate. Posters may give their opinions about the candidates but will be respectful to each other and stay on topic and that includes any questions on this thread about posts that get removed. This is a long thread with a lot of discussion and if posters can't follow the rules we are not going to take time to edit or explain posts that ignored this warning. -Staff]

[This thread is being temporarily locked until it can be reviewed. -Staff]

[Locked again for posters ignoring the warnings about rumors and being respectful. March 3, 2023 -Staff]
crbongos
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AG
Me too. Great guy with impressive resume and experience.
CRBongo
michellecan
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Parsons…every single time. Good Godly man that cannot be bought.
lethalninja
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https://www.fox44news.com/news/30-years-for-attacking-atm-with-crowbar/

https://wtaw.com/brazos-county-district-court-jury-convicts-and-sentences-bryan-man-for-intoxication-manslaughter-that-took-place-in-may-2017/

https://wtaw.com/bryan-mans-criminal-history-in-arkansas-leads-to-a-35-year-prison-sentence/

These are some cases Maritza Sifuentez-Chavarria was a prosecutor on
BCSWguru
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I seem to remember seeing Parsons made contributions to Obama. Same with Esparza.
A Net Full of Jello
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AG
Parsons. He's served us well and has my full support. Not sure how anyone can say he's been soft on crime.
A Net Full of Jello
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AG
lethalninja said:

https://www.fox44news.com/news/30-years-for-attacking-atm-with-crowbar/

https://wtaw.com/brazos-county-district-court-jury-convicts-and-sentences-bryan-man-for-intoxication-manslaughter-that-took-place-in-may-2017/

https://wtaw.com/bryan-mans-criminal-history-in-arkansas-leads-to-a-35-year-prison-sentence/

These are some cases Maritza Sifuentez-Chavarria was a prosecutor on

She's also never tried a murder case. That makes me nervous. Experience matters.
Bryanisbest
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AG
Ask any CURRENT Bryan or CS detective or hierarchy officer. You will get a clear consistent answer on who to vote for and why. If you want to know which candidate is an authentic Republican ask any highly involved member of a local Republican Party club.
Gunner0740
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ANY current Detective? Seems pretty all encompassing. There isn't a single person in either of their detective divisions that would vote for Jarvis?
Bryanisbest
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AG
Gunner0740 said:

ANY current Detective? Seems pretty all encompassing. There isn't a single person in either of their detective divisions that would vote for Jarvis?



Did I say Jarvis? Did I say Maritza? Why do you presume I was directing my post specifically or negatively at Jarvis?

Both people have been prosecutors for a sufficient length of time here to be well known among CURRENT detectives and CURRENT local Republican Party Club involved people. I am confident the great majority of people in both these groups will give the accurate answer so that the reader will not have to rely on the back and forth possibly ill informed or partisan or conflict of interest opinions on this thread. Talk to the people that are currently committed day to day in both areas. They know and are up to date.

Both candidates should welcome this kind of voter research. In fact they should both come on here without qualification and encourage you to do exactly what I've suggested. In fact, I challenge each of them to personally do so. If one does not and the other one does, that will tell you a lot right there.

And don't rely on some anonymous person who comes on here and says "I am a detective" or "I am a member of the local Republican Club." Do your own research. It won't take you long at all to discover the truth.
Hornbeck
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AG
#TeamMaritza

I'll vote for who I want, and don't answer to the TexAgs mob.
CypAg
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AG
I have firsthand experience with the staff of Parsons, and they were nothing short of excellent. Someone I know was a victim in a sexual assault case and they brought justice to the offender while walking alongside us every step of the way. Parsons even stopped in a couple of times to talk with us during the trial. Phenomenal staff and prosecutors that worked the case. They did everything they could in their power to make sure justice was served.

Take this from firsthand experience. They are paving the way for prosecuting sex assault cases in the nation.

Edit to say: we no longer live near the region whatsoever, but would have our vote if we did!
cslifer
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BCSWguru said:

I seem to remember seeing Parsons made contributions to Obama. Same with Esparza.


I would hope that people vote for their DA based on experience/integrity/results instead of caring about a campaign donation made at least a decade ago.
lethalninja
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The press releases from the District Attorney's office should be more transparent. For example, there was a case where someone recently got a plea deal for eighteen years for assaulting a police officer, which is a substantial sentence, but the press release didn't mention that he was facing 25 to 99 years before he pled guilty. Also, there was a case where someone got fifteen years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was facing 25 to 99 years, but the press release implied the maximum sentence was twenty years.

https://wtaw.com/bryan-man-heading-to-prison-after-admitting-to-breaking-the-ring-finger-of-a-bryan-police-officer/

https://wtaw.com/college-station-man-who-admits-to-an-attempted-stabbing-receives-a-prison-sentence/
BQ_90
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AG
lethalninja said:

The press releases from the District Attorney's office should be more transparent. For example, there was a case where someone recently got a plea deal for eighteen years for assaulting a police officer, which is a substantial sentence, but the press release didn't mention that he was facing 25 to 99 years before he pled guilty. Also, there was a case where someone got fifteen years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was facing 25 to 99 years, but the press release implied the maximum sentence was twenty years.

https://wtaw.com/bryan-man-heading-to-prison-after-admitting-to-breaking-the-ring-finger-of-a-bryan-police-officer/

https://wtaw.com/college-station-man-who-admits-to-an-attempted-stabbing-receives-a-prison-sentence/


I read both articles and didn't get the impression that it was implied they got max sentence
lethalninja
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The second article implied the maximum sentence was twenty years, since it didn't mention that he had previously been to prison three times, which would make the sentencing range 25 to 99 years.
lethalninja
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Jarvis Parsons has personally prosecuted three capital murder cases that ended in the death penalty (Gabriel Hall, Marcus Druery and John Thuesen). He's also prosecuting the Kent Moore Cabinets shooter (not a capital murder case, but still a murder case).
Hornbeck
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AG
Because "letting them off easy" would not please the local lynchm… errrr group of "concerned citizens".
harrierdoc
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AG
lethalninja said:

Jarvis Parsons has personally prosecuted three capital murder cases that ended in the death penalty (Gabriel Hall, Marcus Druery and John Thuesen). He's also prosecuting the Kent Moore Cabinets shooter (not a capital murder case, but still a murder case).


Don't know much about those cases, but what I have read and heard, those were pretty slam dunk cases and probably doesn't reflect a significant amount on his team's ability to prosecute. I believe that DA's that are very successful oftentimes won't take a chance on prosecuting a difficult case to its fullest extent in the chance they would lose and it would look bad on them. I'm not suggesting that is the case in the local environment, but not everything that looks rosy is accurate.
aggielawyer00
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AG
"Slam dunk" on guilt and obtaining the death penalty are two different things. It has become much more difficult to obtain the death penalty in recent years.
A Net Full of Jello
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AG
And, again, I think it is important to point out that Martiza has yet to prosecute a murder case, "slam dunk" or otherwise.
harrierdoc
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Thus my bringing up that maybe, just maybe, these were such obviously obvious death row cases that anyone could have won that verdict. I don't know enough about jurisprudence to have an educated opinion, but just not certain that is the metric that should be used to judge how well Parsons' prosecution team works.
Bryanisbest
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AG
Death penalty cases are usually slam dunks for the prosecution on the guilt/innocence (first) phase of the trial because of the jurors' horror of the killing(s). . The punishment phase is never a slam dunk for the death penalty. Most ordinary murder cases are also slam dunks on the guilt/innocence phase but not on the sentencing phase (5-life) for the same reason as a capital murder punishment phase. A case like a sexual assault is much more difficult to obtain a conviction than a death penalty eligible murder case.
oklaunion
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lethalninja said:

Jarvis Parsons has personally prosecuted three capital murder cases that ended in the death penalty (Gabriel Hall, Marcus Druery and John Thuesen). He's also prosecuting the Kent Moore Cabinets shooter (not a capital murder case, but still a murder case).
I thought Turner prosecuted Druery. He was sentenced in 2003.
lethalninja
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What's interesting about death penalty cases in Texas is that if someone's convicted of capital murder and they don't get the death penalty, the minimum sentence is life without parole, so it makes the prosecutor's job easier for them.
lethalninja
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I asked him last year about death penalty cases he's handled and he mentioned those three, but maybe Parsons was the secondary prosecutor, since the court records say Turner was the lead prosecutor.
SW AG80
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AG
harrierdoc said:

lethalninja said:

Jarvis Parsons has personally prosecuted three capital murder cases that ended in the death penalty (Gabriel Hall, Marcus Druery and John Thuesen). He's also prosecuting the Kent Moore Cabinets shooter (not a capital murder case, but still a murder case).


Don't know much about those cases, but what I have read and heard, those were pretty slam dunk cases and probably doesn't reflect a significant amount on his team's ability to prosecute. I believe that DA's that are very successful oftentimes won't take a chance on prosecuting a difficult case to its fullest extent in the chance they would lose and it would look bad on them. I'm not suggesting that is the case in the local environment, but not everything that looks rosy is accurate.
I have been a prosecutor for much of my life and an elected DA. What is drilled into us when considering whether we should seek the death penalty is that guilt MUST be a slam dunk. No juror will give death if there is any hesitancy about guilt. Also, 98% of the work when seeking the death penalty HAS to be in the punishment phase.
Another reason guilt has to be a slam dunk.
lethalninja
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In some counties, drunk drivers who kill get probation, but that doesn't happen in Brazos County (I can think of one case that's happened in since Jarvis Parsons became district attorney).

https://wtaw.com/manslaughter-arrest-this-week-from-fatal-motorcycle-crash-two-years-ago/

This is the case. He got four years probation
SW AG80
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AG
From reading that short synopsis of the case, there was a good reason to give probation in that case.

1. Appears they were husband and wife and taking husband away from family after wife has been killed seems
like a double hit to the family.

2. The jury would probably attribute some "causation" to the woman for getting on a motorcycle with a
a driver she knew to have been drinking.

When a family member dies with another family member being the intoxicated driver, there is an entirely different dynamic at play.
Hornbeck
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AG
Yes. I know some of his extended family. That guy has suffered enough.
histag10
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AG
Anyone know why it took so long to charge him (2 years after the accident)?

I know .08 is the legal limit, but I get why this guy got probation. His BAC was .082, it was his wife that was killed, family needed him, and also.... it took them 2 years to charge him....
lethalninja
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Probation seems fair, considering the circumstances, but what's strange is that as part of his plea deal, he won't have a felony conviction on his record.
lethalninja
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Manslaughter doesn't have a statute of limitations in Texas, so they didn't have a time limit in which they had to charge him.
histag10
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AG
I get that, but just seems cruel considering all the facts. Or like it was a politically charged issue and someone wanted to push something.
lethalninja
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Brian Price (one of the prosecutors in Parsons' office) said if someone is stolen from and they don't want to press charges, he won't prosecute the thief, but if someone is a victim of a violent crime, he'll prosecute whoever did it, even if the victim doesn't want to press charges, which is an interesting philosophy. This was at the Citizen's Prosecutor Academy in 2022.
 
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