The state’s largest paper is quite proud itself reprinting stories by New York media outlets about a murderer deciding to plead guilty.
But even reprints require at least some semblance of curiosity as to their substance.
To wit, the Portland Press Herald is “reporting” that Long Island architect Rex Heuermann, charged with killing Megan Waterman of Scarborough, Maine and six other “sex workers,” has decided to plead guilty.
(That’s what the Portland Press Herald is calling them – “sex workers.” That moniker does a disservice to the memories of the seven women who were murdered.
(“Sex workers” connotes them as legalized employees filling out W2’s and having federal, state and FICA taxes withheld from their so-called paychecks.
(The reason they are actually prostitutes is because trading sex for cash is not a victimless crime – and the reason it’s illegal. Extra shame goes to the absolutely-ignorant Portland Press Herald on that one.)
Heuermann was arrested three years ago in a string of Gilgo Beach, N.Y., killings that shocked Long Island for more than a decade.
He is set for trial this fall but has reportedly decided to cut to the chase and admit to the killings.
The question, which unfortunately the Portland paper never addressed, is what’s in it for Heuermann.
The key in any plea is the potential gains vs. losses for each side.
The prosecutor gains by not having to gamble before a jury, always a crap shoot.
But what is the government giving Heuermann in return for his decision to forgo a trial?
For a discussion of that dynamic you’d have to go 350 miles from Portland to, say, a TV station covering Long Island.
“Legal experts suggest several reasons why a defendant might reverse course and plead guilty at this stage,” News12 Long Island reports. “Bruce Barket, a defense attorney, said both sides could see strategic advantages in a plea agreement.”
Heuermann, given his age, “might be betting he’s going to live long enough that he’s going to get out after whatever number of years they’ve agreed to,” Barket said. “And the DA’s office is probably betting that no parole board is going to let him go.”
In other words, Heuermann is betting he can get a reduced sentence if he cops to the serial murders.
Newsday, a paper covering Long Island, also speculated on reasons an accused might agree to a plea, which can benefit both the defense and prosecution, in a piece headlined “Why Would Rex Heuermann Plead Guilty?”
But the Portland Press Herald? Not one word of explanation of why and how each side uses plea deals.
Now that The Maine Wire has filled in the blanks for the few remaining readers of the Portland Press Herald, the state’s largest rag might want to plead to its latest case of “failed journalism.”
Facebook Followers Scorecard:
✓ The Maine Wire – 158,000
✓ Portland Press Herald – 93,000
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The Press Herald account also included no information on Megan Waterman, the Maine victim of monster Rex Heuermann.
Netflix.com did a special on his victims, including this background on Megan:
Waterman, 22, was born and raised in South Portland and Scarborough, Maine.
Her early years were marked by a tumultuous family life and teenage run-ins with the law. She eventually turned to sex work as a means of supporting her young daughter.
A devoted mother, her family quickly noticed when she went missing on June 6, 2010 because her frequent phone check-ins with her daughter had come to an abrupt halt.
Surveillance footage from the Holiday Inn Express on Long Island where Waterman was staying reveal that she was last seen leaving the hotel around 1:15 a.m., presumably to meet with a client.
Her remains were eventually found along Ocean Parkway.
“Megan was loved by a lot of people,” says her aunt, Elizabeth Meserve. “And this affected a lot of lives.”
