HOUSTON

Friedman testifies in murder trial


Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman testified Tuesday on behalf of a man convicted of killing three people during a robbery at a Houston bowling alley.

Friedman testified during the punishment phase of Max Soffar's trial that the defendant should not be executed and questioned the evidence used to convict him. "I've seen the problems with the lawyers, everybody's dead, all the witnesses are dead, there's no evidence against him," he said.

Friedman, a musician-turned-mystery-author-turned-politician, said his court appearance had nothing to do with his run for governor. He said he met Soffar while writing an article for Texas Monthly magazine.

Soffar, 50, was sent to death row for the 1980 killings of Arden Alane Felsher, 17; Stephen Allen Sims, 25; and Tommy Lee Temple, 17. But a three-judge federal appeals court panel threw out the conviction in 2004 after deciding Soffar received ineffective legal representation.

A second jury convicted him last week of capital murder.

They have called one doctor (the defendant's uncle), one lawyer (Laminack of O'Quinn & Laminack), but no indian chief. Instead, they called two nuns, a babysitter and Kinky. The jury has to figure out that this is the usual cast of weirdos and do-gooders that cluster around death row dwellers.

The most revealing quote he made on his television interview after testifying says, to me, much about his character and his qualifications to be our governor:

" (Max Sofar) has earned his innocence; like a soldier who has been in Iraq or Viet Nam ... ".

I take offense at his comparing a twice-convicted capital murderer to a soldier who has been on foreign soil, in harm's way, doing what is honorable and meaningful and important and just. If avoiding punishment for his crimes while waiting for his appeals to move through the system has caused Max Sofar to "earn his innocence" then, according to Friedman's philosophy, Usama Bin Laden will be innocent of his crimes if he can continuing hiding out for a few more years.

While this shouldn't be a political forum, Kinky needs to stick to being whatever he was before he started this governor mess. Despite him being on the radar the past year, I have not heard one issue or position he has. Until now. Dude needs to stay out of murder trials giving his opinions.

I never thought Freidman was funny or smart. He's typical of our society that worships minstrels and make-believe actors and actually thinks that they are intelligent because they are paid a lot of money for their vulgar drivel. He is a non-entity and should be disregarded both politically and personally. He's a fool and the main mark of a fool is that he thinks that everyone else are the fools. I only hope that the prosecutor showed the jury what he really is, not that the press would dare report anything negative about a self-promoting, liberal icon.

I vividly remember this case from when I worked at the CCA -- the State introduced a photo of the kids' bodies lined up in a row, face down on the floor of the bowling alley. There WAS a witness to the crime, but he did not testify: another kid/employee of the bowling alley who was also shot. The bullet entered one side of this kid's head and out another by his eye. Soffar's conduct left no witnesses capable of testifying about the crime, and this fact does not inure to his benefit in my mind.

For whatever reason, the great unwashed public tends to ascribe qualities of political wisdom and analytical foresight to celebrities and overpaid athletes, and, unfortunately, the objects of that ascription belive it. Hence, pearls of wisdom from Barbra Streisand, Kinky Freidman, Madonna, Alec Baldwin, etc., etc. If they would only go to work for a living and shut up...

It's been my experience that when the defense puts on witnesses in punishment that tell the jury they are wrong, and that they just convicted an innocent man, that testimony tends to backfire on the defense.

Q: "Still Think Kinky Is Funny?"

A: No

Richard made a few new friends while referring to his constituency in Kerrville as "MY FELLOW KERR-VERTS" ... He has little hope of moving in the Govenor's Mansion, but this attempt ought to help him sell a few books.

I was present for the first trial of Max Soffar in the 232nd District Court. This is a stone cold killer. He had four young people lay down on the floor of the bowling alley and shot each one one at a time. The last individual turned and looked at Soffar and was shot in the eye but lived. Congratulation on the conviction Harris County.

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Originally posted by Doug Pettit:
I was present for the first trial of Max Soffar in the 232nd District Court. This is a stone cold killer. He had four young people lay down on the floor of the bowling alley and shot each one one at a time. The last individual turned and looked at Soffar and was shot in the eye but lived. Congratulation on the conviction Harris County.

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(by defense attorney): But Mr. Pettit, how do you account for the fact that solid citizen "the kinkster" says Max is one ok dude?

The CCA today affirmed the death penalty on retrial of Soffar. Details.

Is it ironic that Kinky is also still running for governor?

A.P., thank you for putting into words my exact feelings. To compare this cold-blooded killer to a true soldier defending our country overseas is more than offensive.