“Two of the accusers were the grandchildren of Jack and Mary Goodall, the former being the CEO of Jack in the Box. Upon hearing the district attorney, Ed Miller, was to drop charges against Akiki due to lack of evidence, the Goodalls, who had contributed to his campaign, managed to convince him to continue prosecution. Miller then chose deputy DA Mary Avery, who was a member of the San Diego Ritual Abuse Task Force. Avery was also the founder of the San Diego Child Abuse Prevention Foundation, to which Goodal was the largest financial contributor.”[/quote]
Rus, this case was absolutely nothing but a lo-o-o-ong drawn-out “witch hunt” by “Avery & Co” who systematically “coached” children to make accusations.
I was employed within the “system” at the time of Akiki’s prosecution and subsequent acquittal.
The case was a travesty in that it was a HUGE waste of taxpayer funds as well as the waste of 4+ years of an innocent man’s life and damaged his reputation beyond repair. He can never get those years back. Even though Akiki was eventually vindicated, this whole mess is a very sad commentary on the way “child abuse” investigations were conducted.
Yes, there was absolutely a BIG, GLARING conflict of interest there. The decision on whether to prosecute this case should have been given to the AG’s office. In the end, Avery succeeded only in making an @ss of herself and her Department. Her and her “team’s” handling of this case caused the demise of a longtime DA. Karma’s a bitch in the end.
