It seems like a long time ago and in many ways it is. On December 10th, 2011, 25 year old Jaymie Adams went to a Midwest City, Oklahoma McDonald's in the middle of the night to meet a, "friend." At least that is how her husband Justin put it to police after he reported her missing.
It was the first in a series of lies Brother Adams would initially tell the cops. Since he wasn't the brightest of bulbs his line of bullshit came unglued quickly and completely. So much so, when Jaymie Adams' body was found with a broken jaw and 30 stab wounds not quite a month later, the police immediately fixated on him as her killer.
Local media outlets quickly reported this branch of the Adams family considered themselves swingers--well, sort of. In fact, Justin Adams had been taking out semi literate ads on Craigslist offering his wife to "any man" who would help them with their bills. In other words, he was the pimp and she was, seemingly, his willing hooker.
Adams was accused of murder, but try as they might the DA's office couldn't make things stick. In fact the whole case against Justin Adams was such a cluster fuck he was finally allowed out of the county lockup with an ankle monitor, despite two first degree murder charges still pending against him. The first was for his wife's death. The second, for the death of her two month old fetus.
In the early spring of 2013 police and the DA decided the real perpetrator was a man named Joseph Cyr. On April 4th of that year they charged him with the same two counts of first degree murder. Because everyone involved in the investigation and prosecution desperately needed to save face and Adams was considered one twisted son of a bitch, the District Attorney's office refused to let him off. The charges against him were dropped to manslaughter. The logic was he knowingly put his wife in imminent danger by sending her out to pull down tricks.
After the DA promised 10 years of probation and no further jail time in exchange for a guilty plea, Adams, at least figuratively, threw his hands up in the air and said fine. He is out there right now, somewhere. It's unknown if he has returned to swinging.
As for Cyr, he has been denied bond on at least two different occasions and has remained incarcerated without a trial for over three years. After motions and counter motions by both the prosecution and his public defender the first trial date was set for December 8th, 2014. Then it was reset for May 18th, 2015. Before the 18th arrived it was rescheduled again to November 16th, 2015, then delayed until December 7th the same year.
As you can probably guess the trial was postponed once more until January 25th, 2016. On that date, in the courtroom of Judge Cindy Truong, jury selection took place. Testimony was to begin on the 26th.
But it didn't happen. Public defender Jacob Benedict, fell ill the night of the 25th and had to be hospitalized. The jury was dismissed and the trial of Joe Cyr was put on hold indefinitely.
In April, Judge Truong rescheduled the proceedings. Cyr's latest appearance in court is scheduled for October 17th of this year. It is unclear if Mr. Benedict will still be his attorney.
So there we have it. In this squalid and deadly affair that whole right to a speedy trial thing seems to have been the victim of not only legal maneuvering on both sides, but fate itself.
Cyr maintains his innocence. He says he spoke to Jaymie Adams on the phone that night, but decided against hooking up with her. The DA's office claims to have a video showing Cyr buying merchandise from a nearby Wal-Mart, some of which turned up close to the body. They also say there is DNA evidence.
While that's all fine and good, the only thing we truly know right now is in this case, for both the victim, Jaymie Adams and the defendant, Joseph Cyr, justice has not been served well.
Given all the players involved and the current state of the Oklahoma court system why isn't that a surprise?
Indeed, as a wise person once said, "It might be cruel, but around here it sure ain't unusual."
sic vita est
7-23-16
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