From today's AJC story on Mr. Wilson's hearing:
During the trial, McDade added, Wilson refused to accept a plea agreement in which he could have pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of child molestation and faced up to five years in prison with the possibility of parole, McDade said. That offer still stands today, McDade said.
"They have lost in the courts and they are trying to — I guess, through misinformation — convince the public and the media that this is somehow an injustice," McDade said. "People who have watched the videotape will be left with a different impression."
Wilson said this week that he didn't accept the plea deal because he fears being on the state's sex offender registry.
"I don't feel like I'm a sexual predator or I am a pedophile in any type of way," said Wilson, a trim man with a pencil-thin mustache, close-cropped hair and an easy smile.
5 others at the party apparently accepted plea deals. I'm guessing with the circumstances, the 'up to 5 years' would probably have been about 2, with parole in perhaps one. Hmmmm?
Mr. Wilson was largely correct in his assessment of his chances. The jury acquitted him post-haste of rape. The jury also did not want to convict him of the aggravated child molestation charge, but they followed the letter of the law. Now going to a jury of 12 moms and dads, hoping for jury nullification, on a charge for which there is a videotape of your plain guilt and no material factual dispute as to the young lady's age or any other element of the charge - that just wasn't all that bright. What did he expect? One might get jury nullification on an unjust charge of some sort of civil disobedience, assisted suicide of an elder, etc. But for drug and alcohol addled sex in a hotel room on videotape? Mr. Wilson, unfortunately for him, over-played his hand. Just like in poker, one cannot remove the bet from the table after the hand is lost.
