The wheels of justice are supposed to move slowly and purposefully, but in many cities in America the wheels have practically stopped. That’s the situation in Houston where alleged murderers are released for months or even years at a time while they wait for the justice system to find time to prosecute them.
Such is the case in the murder of Stanley Iscovitz, father of Fox 26 Meteorologist Mike Iscovitz. The suspect, Jakhari Jackson, was released on bond in February despite being accused of brutally stabbing his victim to death in an unprovoked attack. A year after his father’s murder, Iscovitz took to Facebook to express his frustration and sadness.
I took today off because it’s the one year anniversary of my dad being killed in Southwest Houston…another statistic for Harris County. It was unprovoked and violent and my brother and I are still figuring out how to make sense of it. We both appreciate all the well wishes we’ve received since then.
I wanted to give everyone an update. I have been told shockingly little by the court system. The admitted perpetrator has been out on bond since February and hopefully is stable won’t hurt anyone else, but again, I have zero information about that. The court case might take years. Basically, nothing has happened. In fact, the assistant DA told me they still have a case backlog since Hurricane Harvey. Yes, you read that right, Harvey from 2017. So, my heart goes out to anyone in the Houston area who has lost a loved one because the wheels of justice are painfully slow.
Anyway, I didn’t want to make you all upset or sad, but it’s the kind of thing we hear about every day on the news and most of the time just move on to the next story. My brother and I are so lucky to have each other and to have loving, supporting family and friends. Crime is out of control and I think we all need to start demanding more from our elected officials. I can’t express any opinions because of my job, of course.
Finally, a special thank you to Mrs. Harmon, an innocent bystander who was my dad’s guardian angel. A woman of faith who stopped and held my dad’s hand when he passed. We are eternally grateful.
In case you missed the key word in Iscovitz’ statement, the alleged perpetrator has admitted to committing the crime. This should be a slam dunk for prosecutors. There is no reason for this to have been dragged our for a year after the suspect’s arrest. Moreover, a man who admitted to stabbing someone to death has been walking free for nearly 10 months.
If someone as prominent as a local newscaster is unable to see justice done in a timely manner, what does that say about our justice system? How many families of victims are waiting for the system to catch up with admitted violent criminals?
