The Judges

Roy Willett

This was the trial judge. He ,like most judges, lean to the prosecution side of the arguments. Willett's irascible manner and always wanting to know how much time everything is going to take made him some powerful enemies over the years.

The Bramblett trial was no exception and Willett intimidated Doubles and Grimes to the point they would acquiesce to all prosecution expert witnesses as such before any information was given about their qualifications. Had the prosecution brought in the building maintenance man in a suit and tie as an expert on anything, Doubles and Grimes would have agreed on his expertise.

Doubles always did this little Uriah Heep squat when answering the judge or making a motion. He never stood and looked at the judge directly, or anyone else for that matter. Doubles, in particular, was terrified of Willett.

Willett allowed the video tape of the truck in, it was nowhere near the conditions, time, season and weather conditions of the situations the old lady saw. Willett allowed the pubic hair in evidence, even thought neither of the children had ever been molested and the fireman standing on the bed, the fireman's gloves all over the bed, and the heavy tarp being thrown over the bed totally compromised any evidence found there. Even with all this, the pubic hair was determined, it may have been Bramblett's. This is far from absolutely Bramblett's.

Bramblett asked the Willett to hear the tapes that Keesee had edited before they were played in court and was turned down. Bramblett asked Willett to see the pictures the prosecution was going to use in trial and was turned down. Now, this is Bramblett standing and asking the judge in court. Not his lawyers. Bramblett also asked if he could ask the questions of some of the witnesses, but Willett said he would need to talk to his lawyers. The lawyers weren't about to delay the trial by asking questions, especially the ones Bramblett wanted asked and answered.

Bramblett tried, and failed, many times during the year he was in the county jail to fire his lawyers. Willett would not allow this. Bramblett was asking the lawyers, or the Private Investigator, to contact people that he wanted to furnish information but the lawyers ran their own case and investigation (?) as they wished. Doubles opening "argument" was three (3) minutes long. Doubles "closing" was ten (10) minutes long.  The closing was written at the defense table and Doubles couldn't read the notes he had just made.

Willett was fired by the General Assembly after being on the bench for twenty years. As I told you in the beginning, some of the attorneys that appeared before him went on to be politicians that determined his career, and I'm sure pay back was sweet.

Christian Compton

This is the Senior Virginia Supreme Court Judge. He wrote the majority opinion on Earl Bramblett's appeal, which is automatic with the death penalty. There was no minority opinion. There never is, all death penalty cases in Virginia are upheld. Always have been, and till most of the people on the court die, always will be. If he read it he either can't comprehend or he is senile. The information he gave about the case in deciding his opinion was nothing like the court trial.

Justice Compton went far beyond the court's  denying the appeal, Compton felt the need to praise all the police work and forensics that had "proven" Bramblett's guilt. What he was praising were lies, the same bogus evidence I have shown here and proven, without doubt, they are not the truth. Why would Compton do this? Possibly because he knows nothing about forensic evidence.

No sooner than this came out, and the newspaper reported Compton's praise, it was found that the Vinton Police Department was being investigated by the Grand Jury. The Police Chief, Rick Foutz, quit abruptly and so did the next in line, Lt. Bill Brown. It had been found by the Grand Jury that the two had been stealing firearms from the evidence room, sometimes just took evidence and never charged the person, stole merchandise and money from charities, and claimed "evidence was a joke at the Vinton Police Department." They actually said that. This is the department that investigated Earl Bramblett for murder. This is the police Compton praised for outstanding police work and forensics.

Grimes was the attorney that argued Bramblett's appeal before the Virginia Supreme Court. You can imagine what a disaster that was because Grimes is scared of courts and judges.

James C. Turk

This is the Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. A judge that is all over the board when it comes to decisions. Thought, at one time, to be Bramblett's only chance at justice. I heard through the grapevine that his bias was he thought Bramblett guilty and thought Bramblett had been smart enough to do the crime without leaving any evidence. I had the mistaken belief federal judges made decisions on fact.

From his decisions, that must have been the case, because he claimed the gun evidence being made up wouldn't have had any effect on the jury, and further claimed that the jail house snitch that testified against Bramblett and recanted his testimony wouldn't help him either. Turk chastised one of Bramblett's lawyers for claiming Barry Keesee had helped Turner's (the jail house snitch) testimony by telling him facts in the case. Tuck said, "that is a serious charge you are making." Of course it was a serious charge but Turk didn't take it seriously enough. Who is he to be telling an attorney what evidence to use? This was a death penalty case. Everything should have been serious.

I wrote Turk two letters. The first asking him to please reconsider his decision to turn down Bramblett's request for a new trial. He, his secretary, wrote back and said he hoped the 4th Circuit would help. The 4th Circuit had a split decision, two judges against a new trial, one for a new trial. The last letter to Turk was April 2, 2003 and I asked he not let these people kill bramblett with their false evidence and lies. I even included my original FBI-FOIA files and sent it Priority mail asking for a signature. I see no reason for an answer now.