Kevin Brackett vs. Nightline
The Blogland is a big fan of 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett. Like his predecessor, (future State Representative) Tommy Pope, Brackett is a career law-and-order guy who lives to keep the communities of South Carolina safer, he's as creative as he is dedicated, is tough on criminals, and doesn't back down from a fight.
He went to work for Pope right out of law school, not always a good move for those deep in law school student loans, and moved up to replace Pope several years ago. We've watched him stand firm and take the fight to the criminal element.
His newest fight: taking on NBC's Nightline show over what he sees as inaccuracies in a recent murder case:
Kevin Brackett, 16th Circuit solicitor, said the public needs to know the facts about the case in which a Rock Hill man was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering his 12-year-old daughter. "Dateline" revisited the case and trial in a story called "The Mystery in Rock Hill" in a two-hour special that aired last Friday.
Billy Wayne Cope was convicted in 2004 of two counts of first degree criminal sexual conduct, criminal conspiracy and unlawful conduct toward a child for the rape and murder of Amanda Cope. He was sentenced to life plus 30 years, with no parole.
A second suspect, James Sanders, was sentenced to life plus 30 years for the girl's rape and murder.
Brackett is announcing a new website, billywaynecope.com, in a press conference today. The site, which Brackett said is aimed at correcting errors, factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations, is expected to be live this afternoon.
It takes some big stones to take on national media, but as Brackett's predecessor was in the national spotlight for nearly a year over the infamous Susan Smith case in the mid-1990s, getting the national spotling is nothing new in the 16th Circuit. Instead of backing down, he presents much of the evidence from the trial, including court transcripts and video content.
On the website, Brackett points that he doesn't "have the million dollar budget to turn out a slickly packaged product like Dateline. It’s just me, a video camera, a few dedicated colleagues and the truth."
He closes his introduction by saying: "I like our odds." We like them too.
Blog's like this one and efforts like Brackett's show that the playing field is being leveled by the internet.
You gotta keep em honest and the only way to do it is to make sure they know someone is watching.
Go to
http://www.billywaynecope.com/WhyDeniedDateline.html and watch the video. Dateline was caught red handed on video misrepresenting the facts. Also, the producer says that "If (we (Dateline) don't broadcast it, it is not part of the story." Unbelievable!