You often hear idioms like the ink wasn’t even dry on the contract, hot off the presses, the wood is still green, or jumping the gun. They are used to indicate that something occurred very quickly, often times too quickly.
This week, there was an awful incident that claimed the life of Levern Kelley in Waldoboro. She was 53. She worked hard. She raised a family. She had friends, dreams, people who loved her and then somebody ended her life.
Investigators hadn’t even finished at the scene yet before the rumors were flying hot and heavy. From the online chatter, it appears a good number of people in this area already know exactly what happened, who did it, and even where that guilty party might be right now.
Lawyers and media types are pretty liberal with the use “alleged” but there is a reason for it. Everything is always alleged unless and until it is proven by the weight of incontrovertible evidence.
Internet warriors have no need for such truck. For these internet sleuths there was no alleged about it. They state their belief flat out in inflammatory and defamatory terms. The ones who commented on Kelley’s passing better hope the individual they have accused line is neither innocent nor litigiously inclined.
We also need to remind ourselves that there are real people who loved and cared for Levern, and they need the community’s support right now.
The wheels of justice grind slowly but they do grind, so we must practice patience. With that said, law enforcement should be more transparent with information and provide members of the community the knowledge that they are safe.The slow pace is because the bar for conviction is duly high.
A murder conviction in Maine is an automatic 25 years to life. That’s a steep price to pay for the guilty, as it should be. It’s an unfathomable fate for the wrongly convicted.
This is not a television show. In real life, there are no simple answers to anything and nothing is guaranteed.
