Key witness unable to ID Haleigh Poutre's stepfather

I have a comment, the stepfather no doubt has gotten to her. Can you imagine the fear that poor child must be in constantly. But for the grace of God she walked.

How can someone not identify their own stepfather?

She can't identify her own stepfather?

Hello. Red Flag.

My immediate reaction to this is that Samantha Poutre is terrified of Strickland and God only knows what fear he might have instilled in her mind. What a shame; she too is a victim.

Nice job Laurel Brandt... What do you learn in Law School "never ask a question, unless you already know the answer " !!!

My question is this? With the botched DNA tests from last year along with the review going on in the crime lab, and the countless times the prosecution has dropped the ball in Mass, how can we seriously think justice will be done with the bucket loads of unqualified idiots in the various prosecutor offices and in supporting roles in Mass? This goes beyond pathetic. At best, this little girl was afraid. At worst, it is just yet anotgher example on top of hundreds where the prosecutors just can't get the job done....

What kind of a lawyer asks a question that he doesn't know the answer to...he should have known that his witness couldn't ID the defendant. Pathetic.

This is a minor tragedy. Hopefully, the prosecutor can bring back the witness and have her explain to the court exactly why she pointed to the wrong man and denied recognizing her step-father at the defense table.

On the other hand, if she really cannot currently remember her own step-father, the extent of her own trauma has clearly not been fully appreciated, and the entire affair remains a tragedy none-the-less.

I just cannot bear the thought of this man getting to take custody of his step-children, again.

HOW OLD WAS THIS GIRL (THE WITNESS) AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT?
AND HOW LONG AGO DID THIS TAKE PLACE?
COULD SOMEBODY SEND THIS INFO?
TX
BARBARA

OK THIS IS BARBARA DUH! I MISSED THE TOP OF THIS ARTICLE
WITH THE WITNESSE'S AGE AND TIME OF INCIDENT. SO IGNORE THAT LAST REQUEST FROM ME.
YA I AGREE SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS
STEP-DADDY HAS PROBABLY SOMEHOW THREATENED THIS
POOR YOUNG GIRL. DOESN'T MAKES SENSE!
SHE CLEARLY
WOULDN'T FORGET WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE IN 3 YEARS

The look on her face says it all. Someone is having a good laugh.

When was the last time Samatha saw her stepfather? This case has been going on for years, How old was she when she last saw him. Just because she didn't recognize how he looks now doesn't indicate his guilt either way.

The girl is 12 now and that would have happened three years ago. I'm sure the girl was very traumatized after witnessing/suffering abuse by the stepfather. She was probably afraid what would happen if she did identify him.

Look, its a trial not a play. Things often do not unwind as planned at a trial. That little law school truism about not asking questions you don't know the answer to, like many truisms, is not workable in the real world. As for this little girl not being able to identify her step-father. These things happen at trial. Trials are unpredicatable. This is not the fault of the prosecutor. It would be misconduct to prep the witness by, for example, showing her a picture to make sure she remembered the defendant or to tell her in advance where he was sitting. You play the cards you're dealt. This is the girl's memory. So be it.
Keep in mind that It would appear the defendant "cleaned up" considerably in preparation for trial. The jury will be aware of any alteration in appearance. Also this is in fact her step father.

maybe shes terrified of him he did almost kill her sister right in front of her thats kind of a no brainer

He must have gotten to her & she is just to scared . I hope that he suffers the same fate that he did to her & her sister

Do we know where the guy she did point to was when this all happened. Kind of suspicious that he just happend to be sitting in the courtroom watching the trial.

Has anyone considered the stepfather looks different today compared to three years ago? Is his shorter hair a new look for him? Are the glasses new? What does the "lawyer spectator" look like?

I just think that it's a shame that those kids have to go through this in the first place. What a mess.

That girl doesn't look so threatened, terrified, or scared to me.

As a former prosecutor I instructed all of my young assistant
district attorney's NEVER to ask a witness to identify the
defendant in court unless they were CERTAIN of a
positive identification.

Drops your an idiot, your going to going say that she doesn't look scared or terrified by a single photo? Clearly you have never spent much time around young children.

Well obviously the guy WAS her stepfather, im sure there is documented evidence of that unless they picked up the wrong girl on the way to court. So the fact that she for some reason cant or wouldnt identify him would be irrelevant if I were a juror. She testified that her stepfather abused her sister, that is all that matters. And her stepfather was the guy on trial.

Since when have twelve year old children been identified by photo and name in highly sensitive trials?

The step father had a full beard when he was step father; the lawyer in court had a full beard and sat directly in front of the witness. In fact, the lawyer looked an awful like the step father. When the prosecutor asked the witness to identify her step father, believe it or not, she stood between the step father and the witness obscuring her view. Additionally, the three lawyers and the defendant turned around and looked at the lawyer in the audience who happens to be quite friendly with the defense counsel.

my thought is that the step father probably threatend her to say lies or he'll come after her! I no sammantha poutre she is in my 7th grade class and its not like her to say a lie like that!!