Did They Change The Meaning Of Guilty?

'Not guilty'

I’m sure you remember the tragic story of Nick Adenhart, the Angels pitcher that was killed in a car crash just hours after starting his first game of 2009 and only the 4th of his career.  The man driving the minivan that impacted Adenhart’s vehicle is charged with three counts of murder as well as 4 other charges.  Today, he entered a not guilty plea to all charges against him. 

I’m not a lawyer and the judicial system often confuses and frightens me.  It was my understanding that ‘guilty’ meant you actually did what you were charged with, while ‘not guilty’ meant you were innocent.  Obviously, I was mistaken because there’s no chance a man whose blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit and was apprehended by police while attempting to flee the scene of an accident could be maintaining his innocence. 

A change of venue has been requested by the defense attorney because he believes his client won’t get a fair trial so close to the victims’ homes and surrounded by Angels fans.  There was actually an Angels poster hanging in the hallway in a courthouse where proceedings were previously held, for God’s sake.  Apparently, fanatical loyalty to a baseball team is the only reason a jury could convict this man.  I guess I never knew wrecklessly colliding with another vehicle and killing three people was only a problem in the Fullerton and Anaheim area.  I’m sure holding the trial in Oakland will result in more leniency.  Maybe they don’t value human life as highly. 

The defendant was described as crying upon entering the courtroom and his attorney says their meetings are often tear-filled.  One wonders if those tears are for the lives that have been lost, or for his own predicament in the aftermath.  It would be hard to argue that the accused truly shows remorse for his actions, considering he had the gall to enter a not guilty plea in front of the victims’ families and the lone surviving occupant of the fateful car. 

I must be mistaken about the meaning of ‘not guilty’.

Tags: baseball, Los Angeles Angels, MLB, Nick Adenhart

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