The upcoming trial of F. Bruce Covington, accused of bringing illegal drugs to the home where a young man was killed in 2006, has been postponed until September.
The case was expected to begin during the week of July 20. But on July 21, Delaware County Common Pleas Judge James F. Nilon Jr. announced the postponement, citing scheduling conflicts.
In September 2006, 23-year-old Jason Shephard was found strangled to death inside William F. Smithson’s home in Thornbury.
The victim had consumed gamma hydroxybutyrate that Covington allegedly brought to the home, according to court documents.
Covington also is accused of lying to authorities about his whereabouts at the time Shephard died, but he’s not been directly connected to the homicide.
Covington, a former administrator at St. Joseph’s University, was sentenced last month to three years of probation for drug offenses in a separate incident that took place in Montgomery County.
He remains free on bail.
The new trial date has been set for 9 a.m. Sept. 9 at the Delaware County Court House, 201 W. Front St., Media.
— Timothy Cwiek Input sought for bookstore renovations
Supporters of LGBT bookstore Giovanni’s Room are invited to a community meeting at 7 p.m. July 28 in the Philadelphia Room at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St., to plan for renovations at the store.
The exterior brick wall on the 12th Street side of the store needs to be replaced, and supporters are looking for event planners, fundraisers, community organizers and other local LGBT and ally leaders to help brainstorm for fundraising ideas for the project, which is expected to cost about $50,000.
“The wall needs to be taken down brick by brick and put back up brick by brick, so we want to get together and discuss different ideas about how we can all help out,” said Arleen Olshan, former owner of Giovanni’s Room, the oldest LGBT bookstore in the country.
For more information, contact Olshan at (215) 242-5074.
— Jen Colletta
You wrote “If you would focus your energy on good instead of evil you may accomplish something in life. Here is a link about gay teen suicide. If you really want to help the gay community start here...” and you gave a link for some worthy cause.
Allow me to start by saying that I am using my energy in something good: I hunger for Justice. There is nothing evil or strange about this. My actions come highly recommended by One in Authority, who said: “Blessed are they which who hunger for Justice: for they shall be filled”.
You suggest that I engage in some other worthy cause to help men I do not know, while I am using my energy to bring justice to a man I know.
I try to conduct my life in an orderly fashion. Charity (Love) has order: it starts at home. In other words, we must do good to those we see first, and then to those we do not see. This is so important that St. John wrote “For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen “.
As to accomplishing something in my life: Thanks to God I've already done that! And it is because of God’s superabundant blessings to me and my partner that I can help bring Justice to Bill.
Finally, by helping bring Justice to Bill I am helping ALL, not just Bill and the Gay community, but all society -including you.
In the words of Dr. King: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
So, let me do the good I can for the gay man I see. Join me in bringing Justice to Bill, a probably innocent man who did not get a fair trial.
Let me repeat the reasons why Justice was denied in this case:
This is because there was NO real investigation.
This is because another man was in the house and could have been the murderer.
This is because the Judge admitted 'spectral evidence'.
This is because the DA never presented any evidence (he only offered speculations).
This is because the Judge tampered with the Jury and told them to ‘not ask questions, do not mention Covington’ and instructed them to condemn.
This is because the Delaware Court System corrupted the basic principle of Law (in dubio pro reo) and turned the Law on its head.
How on Earth do you expect me to be silence?? "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Both Smithson and Covington obviously had faced issues with their sexual orientation at some point in their lives (as most of us have). Everyone of us have different ways of dealing with that, some more destructive than others. Some very productive. If they had not faced the challenges that we have all been subjected to, would they have taken the road to self destruction that involved drugs and and murder? I don't know I am not a psychologist and I am not blaming society for the choices that those men made, but the treatment this case has received by our court system does not help your cause any. And we will never learn from the devastating mistakes that were made in this case by just sweeping the truth under the rug.
The way it is left leads those who are not informed, to believe that it was just a couple of gay perverts trying to get kicks; and since they are gay they don't even deserve a fair trial. Rather than getting to the bottom of what really happened that night the prosecutors in the case are just chalking it up to degenerate behavior and that is the end of it. If we allow that to happen then how does that resonate to gay youths. It gives them a low self esteem and not much hope for their future. If they were to investigate what really happened to all parties involved and what led them to this terrible place then couldn't we possibly bring some awareness to some very bad elements that plague our community? Couldn't awareness of the damage caused by drugs brought to light help make our community a better place.
The perceptions that were created by the court system (and some media outlets) fuel all the hatred and bias we face in our adolescent and adult lives. For us to allow that is so damaging in so many ways. There are many lessons in what happened in this case that could help to bring awareness to so many, if the truth were told. Why is our court system so afraid to let that happen? If they are so disgusted by the murder of Jason Shephard then why did they focus on the sexual orientation of the defendant rather than the role the drugs played in his death? The drugs were the reason that his murder happened. There was no evidence of any inappropriate sexual contact between either of the men with the victim. Why was the sexual orientation of Mr. Smithson the main focus of this trial and why were his character witnesses badgered about their sexual orientation?
To allow this kind of injustice would be as damaging to our community (especially gay youths) than any of the acts of discrimination we find ourselves up against.
http://gaylife.about.com/od/gayteens/a/gaysuicide.htm
http://billsmithson.com/
In a Court of Law is shouldn’t matter whether you love or hate the suspect. In this case the System convicted a Gay man without sufficient evidence. If you are a Lawyer or a Judge please contact us (via the internet page I just pasted)!
I again thanks PGN for allowing Bill's side of the story to be heard!
In a Court of Law is shouldn’t matter whether you love or hate the suspect or his lifestyle. In Bill Smithson’s case there was a gross miscarriage of Justice.
This was evidenced by:
a) LACK OF A COMPLETE INVESTIGATION: Have Jason and Bill been the only ones in that house one would reasonably assume that the murderer could only have been Bill. But there was another man in the house at the time of the crime.
This man was F. Bruce Covington. This man drugged Smithson. Covington is drug-dealer who exchanged drugs for sex. Unlike Smithson, Covington has an emerging criminal profile, as he was involved in the drugging and raping of a gay man even before Smithson trial had started. The Court System showed either criminal negligence or a biased approach to the case when they decided not to pursue Covington.
b) JUDGE DOZOR ALLOWED INCOMPLETE, FALSE OR INVALID EVIDENCE IN THE TRIAL: The District Attorney, Mr. Lawrie, never presented other than speculations. He told the story of a gay monster infatuated with a handsome straight boy. In his story the gay monster entrapped and drugged the victim, to finally strangle Jason as the only way to avoid loosing his job. While this story is compelling, it is JUST A STORY. In a Court of Law one does not pass judgment based on stories. No proof of any of that story was presented. The record showed that Jason was ‘partying’ with Smithson voluntarily. They have spent time alone previously (there was ‘a fling’ going on). The record showed that Smithson did not plan to have a drug party that night, as the phone records showed that it was Covington who repeatedly called Smithson. The record also shows that there was no rape, attempted rape or any sign of sexual attack. The record shows Mr. Lawrie dangling a strap as if it was the murder weapon, but he had to confess that the victim’s DNA was not found in any part of the strap. When ‘spectral evidence’ is presented the Judge admits false evidence. Had Bill been provided with a FAIR Judge all the DA shenanigans would have been tossed out of Court. But Law being practiced in the Court of ‘the God of Delaware County’ is a corrupt affair.
c) THE COURT DID NOT ALLOW THE TESTIMONY OF A MAN THAT WAS IN THE HOUSE, BUT USED THE ‘TRASCRIBED’ TESTIMONY OF A MAN WHO WAS NOT EVEN IN THE STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA THE NIGHT OF THE CRIME: The man in the house –THE MYSTERY MAN- held (and holds) key testimony about what really happened that night. He first lied to the police by stating that he was not in the house at the time of the murder. He only sent his lawyer to give another story when he felt the Police had evidence that put him in the house at the time of the crime. This man knows what happened, but allowing Covington to be part of the trial would have jeopardized the desired Murder conviction. This is why the Court protected Covington. Instead of demanding the testimony of the man that was in the house, they used the ‘written’ accounts of Dan Hall’s testimony to the police. What I mean by ‘written’ is this: the police took Dan’s testimony on a tape-recorder, they then ‘transcribed’ the said testimony into paper. Days later they showed the document to Dan and he –without any in depth scrutiny, and without the benefit of Counsel-signed it. Note: I have a few Academic Degrees and I used to get good grades all the time. I used tape-recorders all the time. I know how hard it is to capture verbatim all that is said into a tape recorder, even if you go over the tape a million times. Guess what: the Police lost the tape!
d) BILL WAS NOT ALLOWED TO TESTIFY. I witnessed this personally: Bill wanted to testify but his Lawyer decided otherwise. There were many reasons for this. At the time I personally thought this was a good idea because I thought (and I still think) the DA did not have a case. What was Bill going to say: he had been drugged by Covington and was HIGH AS A KITE that night, and incapable to forming coherent evaluations for days. That was a medical situation and not speculation. I still think Bill has no idea what happened that night. But I know this: Bill Smithson is incapable of hurting others. It is not just I who says this, but all his friends and coworkers say the same. Why would Bill want to rape Jason? Those who know him more intimately have told me that sexual violence was never part of Bill’s psyche. And as to the ‘alleged fantasies of raping’, I do not know where that story comes from of if Bill ever said that, but it seems many people have those thoughts (just read the original Peter Benchley's best-selling novel). All I know is this: F. Bruce Covington was accused of drugging and raping a man.
e) THE COURT VIOLATED THE PRINCIPLE ‘IN DUBIO PRO REO’. All the work by Mr. Lawrie’s amounted to speculations and stories. On top of this there was another person in the house who could have killed Jason (a more reasonable assumption than the DA’s whole house of cards). Judge Dozor denied any possibility for the Jury to even remotely consider this ‘elephant in the room’ of REASONABLE DOUBT. In doing so, the Judge manipulated the Jury and cajoled them into a single possible GUILY verdict BY DESIGN. More than just reasonable doubt existed in Bill’s trial, but he did not receive a FAIR one: otherwise the Jury would have come out with a Not Guilty verdict, because the principle of law says that in case of doubt you have to find the accused not guity.
f) THE COURT IGNORED REGULATIONS FOR VERDICT. I do not think Bill was proven a murderer for many reasons, including the ones above. Nevertheless, the Jury was forced to find him guilty of Murder in the first degree. The Commonwealth of PA required for First Degree murder that the murderer be in some sort of mental capacity to be able to carry on the action willfully and deliberately [First Degree Murder: An intentional killing by means of poison, or by lying in wait, or by any other kind of WILLFUL, DELIBERATE and PREMEDITATED action]. Again, here words were minced and waters were muddled…NOBODY knows how drugged Bill was, and the court did not even want to ask the question: they just wanted to CONVICT (a conviction rate is a metric).
In a Court of Law is shouldn’t matter whether you love or hate the suspect. In this case the System convicted a Gay man without sufficient evidence. If you are a Lawyer or a Judge please contact us!
I again thanks PGN for allowing this side of the story to be heard!
The true fact is that Smithson was coerced into not taking the stand by the District Attorney's (Lawrie) threats to bring a in a jail house informant with a known record of wins - for the DA, to testify against Bill if Bill were to take the stand. Bill still wanted to but was asked by family and friends not to. Bill took our advice because he put our best interest above his own. He is that kind of friend and family member. It is one of Bill's biggest regrets and he has already forgiven his family and friends for begging him not to. He is that kind of person.
The question is:
What was Bruce Covington's excuse for not taking the stand if he was innocent and why did the Judge allow him not to? Especially after he obstructed justice by lying during the investigation.
He couldn’t take the stand in his own defense because there was no way for him to explain his actions that night or what he said to Hall without incriminating himself.
Or lying.
And if he had taken the stand and lied to the jury, Lawrie said, Smithson might have ended up getting the death penalty.
#2. Bill filed a missing person report on Jason knowing full well where Jason was.
#3. Bill picked up Jason's family at the airport and promised them to help find Jason.
#4. Bill lied to the authorities over and over
...HE DID NOT GET A FAIR TRIAL
Get all your points #1 to #4. Read them carefully (go slow and try to understand).
Where do you see in those charges anything other than -at worse- Abuse of Corpse or Obstruction of an Investigation?
NONE OF THOSE WRONG ACTIONS YOU SAY BILL UNDERTOOK MAKE HIM A MURDERER.
Bill did not get a FAIR TRIAL
This is because there was NO real investigation.
This is because another man was in the house and could have been the murderer
This is because the Judge admitted 'spectral evidence'
This is because the DA never presented any evidence (he only offered speculations)
This is because the Judge tampered with the Jury and told them to ‘not ask questions, do not mention Covington’ and instructed them to condemn
This is because the Delaware Court System corrupted the basic principle of Law (in Dubio pro reo) and turned the Law on its head
Regardless of how you want to twist the truth the facts are that something tragic happened to an innocent person in our friends house. As friends we are obligated to continue to fight for answers in respect to everyone involved - that includes Jason and his family. For them we will continue to fight for:
1. We are supporting a call for a proper investigation and trial to determine what really happened to Jason Shephard.
2. Bruce Covington obstructed justice by lying to the authorities during the investigation.
3. People on drugs actions are never justified but the drugs should be taken into consideration when they are injected into another (willingly or not) by someone who is not medically qualified to do so.
4. Bill could not have injected himself. He was not capable of doing that. If Covington were not there to inject him with whatever amount of drugs he felt was adequate for either of their purposes that night; do you think the murder have happened? Please answer honestly I do value any opinions that may help me see things more clearly. So far none of yours have been helpful in doing that.
5. Bill lied to the authorities in the beginning when he was in what ever state of mind the drugs and shock put him in. Covington has lied to investigators and been elusive with authorities in cases against him in both Delaware an Montgomery Counties ever since. The court system still allows this former MORMON BISHOP, high level Administrator of a CATHOLIC college and LAWYER to be protected.
P.S. you should take some time away from this. Your distorted statement below shows that your paranoia is causing you to over-think this way too much.
#1. Bill allowed Jason to lie in his home for days, naked and dead.
#2. Bill filed a missing person report on Jason knowing full well where Jason was.
#3. Bill picked up Jason's family at the airport and promised them to help find Jason.
#4. Bill lied to the authorities over and over
The facts that you mention below are NO LONGER a concern because they have been addressed. I am sorry that the sentences Judge Dozer handed down for those charges do not meet your approval. You can continue to hang on to them if you want because apparently they are the only things in your argument.
Our concerns moving forward are:
1. We are supporting a call for a proper investigation and trial to determine what really happened to Jason Shephard.
2. Bruce Covington obstructed justice by lying to the authorities during the investigation.
3. People on drugs actions are never justified but the drugs should be taken into consideration when they are injected into another (willingly or not) by someone who is not medically qualified to do so.
4. Bill could not have injected himself. He was not capable of doing that. If Covington were not there to inject him with whatever amount of drugs he felt was adequate for either of their purposes that night; do you think the murder have happened? Please answer honestly I do value any opinions that may help me see things more clearly. So far none of yours have been helpful in doing that.
5. Bill lied to the authorities in the beginning when he was in what ever state of mind the drugs and shock put him in. Covington has lied to investigators and been elusive with authorities in cases against him in both Delaware an Montgomery Counties ever since. The court system still allows this former MORMON BISHOP, high level Administrator of a CATHOLIC college and LAWYER to be protected.
Let us never forget!
#1. Bill allowed Jason to lie in his home for days, naked and dead.
#2. Bill filed a missing person report on Jason knowing full well where Jason was.
#3. Bill picked up Jason's family at the airport and promised them to help find Jason, while Jason lie decomposing in Bill's own home.
#4. Bill lied to the authorities over and over. We are now expected to believe that what he says now is true? Once a liar...always a liar.
2. Bruce Covington obstructed justice by lying to the authorities during the investigation.
3. People on drugs actions are never justified but the drugs should be taken into consideration when they are injected into another (willingly or not) by someone who is not medically qualified to do so.
4. Bill could not have injected himself. He was not capable of doing that. If Covington were not there to inject him with whatever amount of drugs he felt was adequate for either of their purposes that night; do you think the murder have happened? Please answer honestly I do value any opinions that may help me see things more clearly. So far none of yours have been helpful in doing that.
5. Bill lied to the authorities in the beginning when he was in what ever state of mind the drugs and shock put him in. Covington has lied to investigators and been elusive with authorities in cases against him in both Delaware an Montgomery Counties ever since. The court system still allows this former MORMAN BISHOP, high level Administrator of a CATHOLIC college and LAWYER to be protected.
#4 If you can't answer that question then why do you keep acting like you are capable of an answer in all you comments below? If we keep talking maybe some day of the questions that this corrupt trial left unanswered, will someday be answered in a fair trial.
The few points that you are left with below are valid but Bill has already been sentenced for them. It's something like 5 or 8 years to be served. He is currently serving time for that. We are not concerned about those charges I am not sure who you are arguing with about those points??? Our concerns are:
#4-I honestly do not know. None of us really know what a person is capable of, and this case prooves that. There were only three people who could answer this, and Bill isn't saying anything. If we knew this answer, none of us would be talking right now. And that would probably be a good thing.
#1. Bill allowed Jason to lie in his home for days, naked and dead.
#2. Bill filed a missing person report on Jason knowing full well where Jason was.
#3. Bill picked up Jason's family at the airport and promised them to help find Jason.
#4. Bill lied to the authorities over and over
You are correct our voice as homosexuals is not heard and that is what we want to try change with all of this. We may not be successful in our efforts but at least we tried to do something more than march around in a mankini to get attention as they do in these parades and protests you and WTF refer to below.
There are many Items We do not want to to be forgotten too, I will list a few:
1. No one is backing murder, we are supporting a call for a proper investigation and trial to determine what really happened to Jason Shephard.
2. Bruce Covington obstructed justice by lying to the authorities during the investigation.
3. People on drugs actions are never justified but the drugs should be taken into consideration when they are injected into another (willingly or not) by someone who is not medically qualified to do so.
4. Bill could not have injected himself. He was not capable of doing that. If Covington were not there to inject him with whatever amount of drugs he felt was adequate for either of their purposes that night; do you think the murder have happened? Please answer honestly I do value any opinions that may help me see things more clearly. So far none of yours have been helpful in doing that.
5. Bill lied to the authorities in the beginning when he was in what ever state of mind the drugs and shock put him in. Covington has lied to investigators and been elusive with authorities in cases against him in both Delaware an Montgomery Counties ever since. The court system still allows this former MORMAN BISHOP, high level Administrator of a CATHOLIC college and LAWYER to be protected.
I look forward to your reply.