Andrew Cohen: Relax, It's Early in Annie Le Investigation

By: Andrew Cohen
Topics: Daily Blotter

(CBS)

The murder of Yale University student Annie Le is a terrible story; one that easily and globally resonates to our romantic cores. Here's a bright, beautiful bride whose body is discovered on her wedding day; here's a dashing and innocent groom devastated by the loss. It's no wonder the murder investigation has drawn the attention of the world.

Photos: Who is Raymond Clark III?
Photos: Raymond Clark & Fianc?e in Love
Photos: Yale Holds Vigil for Slain Student
Photos: Student Found Dead on Wedding Day

It's also no wonder, I guess, why so many people would already be demanding so many definitive answers of the New Haven law enforcement community, the generally well-meaning and well-serving members of which often have to deal with crime. Why no arrest yet? Why no charges yet? Why no "perp walk" yet? Why is he being called a "person of interest" and not a "suspect"? Why no made-for-television solution to the crime?

The answer is easy. Sometimes, it takes more than a few days to solve a murder mystery; sometimes, the police like to keep quiet and wait and then do what they need to do. Sometimes it takes a week. Sometimes it takes a month. Besides, it's not like the past 72 hours have been void of progress for the police. We know a lot more about the matter than we did on Sunday, when the young woman's body was found in that crawl space on campus.

We know that access to the murder site was restricted. We know that clothes were seized. We know there has been or will be DNA testing, either voluntarily or not. We know there is already "a person of interest"—in custody-- who may or may not have "defensive" wounds and who may or may not have failed (or passed) a polygraph test. The police, importantly, have reassured the community that the crime was not random.

(WFSB)

Photo: Yale lab technician Raymond Clark in a frame grab from WFSB. Clark may be person of interest in Annie Le murder case.

These are all signs that the arrest and charges everyone is waiting for surely is on its way. It means the police are comfortable with the pace and progress of their work and that they have good reason (another suspect? A different suspect? A confession?) for not rushing into court to get to the pre-trial stage of a case. How about we all just wait a few more days to see how it unfolds?

The impatient public reaction to the investigation of the Le death reminds me of the mass murders last month in a small Georgia town. Eight members of a family were slaughtered on August 29th and for several days afterward reporters and citizens of Brunswick, Ga. got downright rowdy with local law enforcement officials who kept quiet about the crime. There were angry questions to the police about how the community was not adequately protected; about whether there was a killer on the loose. It was genuinely ugly.

And then what happened? Soon thereafter, the police arrested the young man who had dialed 911 to report the murders; a man who appeared first to be a victim. Turns out the cops knew all along that the crime was not a random one and that a killer was not on the loose. They bided their time and now they feel like they got their man. The lesson? There is no prize for rushing to judgment—or for rushing into court.

(CBS)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Cohen is CBS News' Chief Legal Analyst and Legal Editor. He covers legal issues for CBS News, CBS News Radio, and hundreds of television and radio affiliates around the country. He is a Murrow-Award-winning "recovering attorney" who has provided commentary and analysis for the network since 1997.

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by khstracy April 24, 2010 9:18 PM EDT: New York City Supreme Court: In one of the most blatant cases of judicial corruption in New York City, Judge Laura Drager Is Finally being Investigated for bias in the Lerner v. Lerner case, which has led Mrs. Lerner and her 3 children into financial ruin and eviction!

Arson, Pornography sent via email to family home by Lerner and girlfriend, and now a Real Estate Scam.

Mark Lerner is presently Jetsetting around the world again with gal pal and in the last 4 months Lerner spent 2 weeks in South Beach with gal pal, 2 weeks in Asia, and now 2 lavish weeks in Europe while the notoriously aimless and polemic Judge Drager refuses to make Lerner pay court-ordered moving expenses for his estranged wife and children. It's estimated that Lerner in the past 5 months has spent in excess of $150,000 for his own entertainment while the Judge refuses to make Mark Lerner the notorious deadbeat dad who hasn't seen his children in two years, pay court-ordered expenses. Drager's response is, "I won't deal with anything on the Lerner case until it goes to trial". It's now been 2 1/2 years and Mrs. Lerner is being evicted, the kids needs have been ignored in the past two years, no medical, no counseling, no nothing...the kids are sinking, while Mark Lerner in his financial statements submitted to the court spent over $600,000 on his own entertainment while giving his family $27,500. When this was pointed out to Judge Drager, her response on the record was "well that isn't so much considering".

Now the real estate scam. Drager won't answer any of the scheduled calls in regard to the eviction of Mrs. Lerner and the kids. She is waiting until it is too late. Mrs. Lerner is being evicted on April 30th and Judge Drager won't hear the Emergency Order to Show Cause until May 3, 2010. Contrived and Corrupt.

This case comes out of the annals of corruption: First a questionable fire in the Lerner apartment, on the couples anniversary, home owners insurance dropped by Mr. Lerner and he flees the country for three weeks and then abandons his family, ...Ignored by Judge Drager... Lerner and girlfriend sending pornographic emails to the family... and now Real Estate Scandal and Scam of which Judge Drager is privy, perpetuated by Mark Lerner.... Ignored by Judge Drager. Scam includes malicious mispricing and mis-measurement of the apartment by $1 million and 1,000 square feet, for three months with Judges approval so the apartment sells for $1.5 million less than it should have, next a bogus buyer, and now Judge Drager is letting Mrs Lerner and the children be cheated out of 80% of the proceeds of the apartment...the only monies coming to Mrs. Lerner. All of Mr. Lerner's expenses that were court-ordered are coming out of the sale of Mrs. Lerner's apartment. Billionaire Mark Lerner is getting expense money for not adhering to court orders.

Now the final scam by Judge Drager to Mrs. Lerner. Mrs. Lerner is out on the street with three children, and no money to move herself and the three children, and a closing was scheduled on the sale of Mrs. Lerner's apartment on April 29th. Mrs. Lerner and the children are being evicted on April 30th and Mr Lerner is on vacation in Europe and refuses to return for the closing and REFUSES TO SEND "POWER OF ATTORNEY" so the sale can't take place. The coop apartment will be lost and shares repossessed. With Judge Laura Drager's approval, Mr. Lerner is deliberately blowing the sale of this apartment and tank Mrs. Lerner's ownership in the apartment.

Mark Lerner threated Mrs. Lerner that this would happen. Mark Lerner and his attorney Allan Morofsky said in writing, that he is privy to information and the "the judge won't stay the eviction of Mrs. Lerner and the three children.

This case consists of arson, pornography by email, Real Estate Scam... all overseen by Judge Laura Drager. Who is Mark Lerner, where does he get the power to blatantly rule the courts? Finally the story is being investigated. Who will stop Mark Lerner? Not Judge Drager... because she won't pick up the phone.; Reply to this comment