Judge Anthony Calls DA Martin's Clyde Lont 3rd Degree Murder Plea Deal a "Bargain"

Judge Jim Anthony Testifies  

"Judge" Jim Anthony Reneges   

I couldn't tell if it was a Freudian slip or a well-placed opinion.

Although none of the local media reported it, check the court transcripts and you'll see: right before telling murder defendant Clyde Lont yesterday that his court-appointed attorneys did a "just amazing" job negotiating with DA Jim Martin's office on his behalf, Lehigh County Judge James T. Anthony called DA Jim Martin's Clyde Lont third degree murder plea deal (which could have been a first degree murder conviction) a "bargain."

I couldn't agree more.

Not only did Clyde Lont ultimately confess to shooting David Rivera seven times as Rivera watched a ballgame in his home on April 20, 2007, Lont also confessed to pre-meditatively conspiring to commit David Rivera's murder with accomplice Matthew Hendricks who was convicted by a jury last month of third degree murder just for indirectly helping with the murder.

That DA Jim Martin would be content with a third degree murder plea deal (i.e., the same charge helper Hendricks got) for 7-time shooter Clyde Lont is (in Judge Anthony's words) just amazing to me.

Once again hiding their article (but not their transparent agenda) in the Mcall.com online "Police" section (Note: all the other Police stories today also appear in the higher profile "Local News" section too, but curiously not this article, and again, Metro Editor/Truth Concealer Mike Miorelli strategically inserts "Bethlehem" into the headline to hide in plain sight that this happened in the Lehigh County part of Bethlehem), The Morning Call "newspaper" characteristically "accentuates the positive" to protect their longtime pal DA Jim Martin in an election year ...

Killer gets up to 40 years in Bethlehem slaying -The Morning Call "newspaper"

Characteristically too, The Express-Times goes into more detail regarding what took place in Judge Anthony's courtroom yesterday, including the fact that just amazingly ungrateful and defiant murder defendant Clyde Lont had the audacity to question and lip off to Judge Anthony ... just another of the numerous just amazing items skillfully missed purposefully by Morning Call "reporter" and DA Jim Martin lapdog Kevin Amerman and his "editors" (more on this later) ...

Clyde Lont sentenced to 20 to 40 years in state prison for 2007 murder of David Rivera -The Express-Times

I saw WFMZ-TV Channel 69's brief segment on its 10:00pm newscast last night but (so far) it hasn't made the cut for inclusion at 69's web site (I couldn't find it at blog post time).

Here are more of my first-hand observations (I was in Judge Anthony's courtroom yesterday) that were not covered in any way by the local media.

* Not counting assistant DA Jay Jenkins who was representing Lehigh County, I counted four (4) different women from either the Crime Victims Council and/or the DA's office (they were wearing name tags) who were hovering, "lovingly," and "consolingly," over the mother of murder victim David Rivera, Lilliam Moraza (patting her arm, handing her tissues, rubbing her back, etc.) throughout the proceedings. Although my heart was genuinely hurting for Lilliam Moraza, frankly, I was a little jealous, since at the sentencing of my daughter Sheena's killer there was just one (1) person from the Crime Victims Council "consoling" over 100 Sheena family members and supporters in attendance, and assistant DA Richard Director, incredibly, objected twice, during my Victim Impact Statement. Nobody was rubbing my back. Just a Hunch: yesterday's "gang kindness" outpouring to Lilliam Moraza by schmoozy Team Martin was meant to placate and deter her from causing any more dissent trouble at yesterday's sentencing like she did at the April 15th sentencing where she unexpectedly succeeded in getting Judge Anthony to toss the too sweet plea deal albeit temporarily. Yesterday, as expected, the Team Martin back rubs succeeded.

* Although I believe Judge Jim Anthony's rarity April 15 rejection of DA Jim Martin's too sweet plea deal was meant to send a message to DA Jim Martin to get off his typically unopposed fat ass and do some prosecuting, I was disappointed that admirably ballsy Judge Jim Anthony didn't make more trouble for DA Jim Martin by throwing the case back at Martin and recommending that either second or first degree murder charges be added-- or at least voicing the opinion on the record that he wished he could do that.

* As he was being wheel-chaired out of the courtroom, "bargain" plea deal recipient and murder defendant Clyde Lont gave Lilliam Moraza and her supporters a killer face ... and the finger, which brought Lilliam Moraza to her feet where she brought Clyde Lont's just amazing parting shot at her to the attention of an acknowledging Judge Anthony and Lont's court-appointed attorney Gavin Holihan who (too late now) were both seemingly powerless to do anything about it.

* Most amazing is that Clyde Lont is a confessed murderer who DA Jim Martin chose to go "bargain" easy on, in an election year, and who was, obviously, completely underserving of DA Jim Martin's break of a lifetime. David Rivera is dead for life. Clyde Lont will be out in 20 years or less.

Read Related LVS Posts

* Judge Anthony's Rejection of DA Jim Martin's Murder Plea Deal is a Rarity

* Will DA Jim Martin Fix The Clyde Lont Murder Case on April 25th at 1:30pm?

* No Nonsense Judge James T. Anthony Tosses DA Jim Martin's Lazy Plea Deal

* There's No Disputing The Dirty Facts on District Attorney James B. "Jim" Martin