COEUR d’ALENE — A man previously convicted of sexually abusing two children is free after the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that he was deprived of his right to a fair trial.
A jury convicted 39-year-old Robert J. Farrell-Quigle in 2018 of two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under the age of 16, a felony punishable by up to life in prison.
First District Judge John Luster sentenced Farrell-Quigle to 25 years in prison, with 12 years fixed and 13 years indeterminate.
That meant Farrell-Quigle would spend at least a dozen years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.
But an appeal to the state’s highest court and a subsequent plea deal set Farrell-Quigle free after a little more than three years.
I noticed the state has not updated the registry to correct the offenses for which this guy was convicted. They have had plenty of time to do so. It still has him with two counts of lewd conduct with a minor under 16. The article stated he pled to a single count of sexual abuse of a child, not good, but better than the original offense. I do not know whether he did it, but we can be assured that he did not have a fair trial. Even the very conservative Idaho Supreme Court said so.
I was always taught you do the crime you pay the time. Sure I got sick of being a weekend end warrior and that prompted me into criminal justice field. Myself and many I’m sure were never prepared for this registry and in many ways was thrown a curve ball which was the actions of going down there. And yes the lady on the phone which I met briefly said if it came to trial she would lie on the witness stand if it came up.
What a rush to judgement with a plea deal however the means and measures are. So is this article more of a blind justice or a vain justice? when the truth comes out it can be so vain, damaging, and unjust.