EFFORTPOST Are these people drug dealers or not? You decide.

Has anyone ever lied about? Spread a false narrative, and then others believed it? This happens everyday. People aren't even trying to be misleading. Sometimes they are merely representing what they believe to be true. Other times, they're looking at the evidence and coming to the wrong conclusions.

Today, you'll have the chance to be the judge of these people. They have been accused of being drug dealers, which they deny. Do you think they are guilty? Or do you think they are the victims of unusual circumstances?

1. Timothy Batts

Timothy Batts is a Black man who lives in Hendersonville. He has a daughter named Timea Batts, and he had to fight to have custody of his daughter. In 2011, he was the victim of a drive-by shooting where he sustained 6 shots in his back and a bullet grazing his head. The perpetrator, Cheyenne Turner, was dating his baby mama.

https://fox17.com/news/local/timothy-batts-was-shot-six-times-in-2011-by-man-who-also-had-a-child-with-timeas-mother

One day, he was at home waiting for his daughter. He had a firearm in his home which belonged to his cousin. Surveillance footage in his home shows him pacing around the house with a cellphone to his ear. When his daughter arrives, he is shocked, and he shoots her once. Upon realising his error, he rushed her to hospital but she unfortunately passed away. You can watch the surveillance footage here:

https://fox17.com/news/local/video-evidence-shows-moments-before-after-timea-batts-shot-by-father

Predictably, Timothy was arrested and given $1 million bail. This triggered a protest and a Change.org petition. The judge eventually reduced the bond to half a million, which Timothy was able to pay through crowdfunding. Shortly after receiving bail, he was arrested again and bail was revoked when he tested positive for cocaine.

Timothy's defence? He was traumatized by his prior shooting incident, and shot because he thought he was dealing with a home invasion. The prosecutors painted a different story. They found large amounts of money in his home. This, combined with his constant pacing in his home and the constant phone calls points to one thing - drug dealer!

In the first trial, they were met with a hung jury. Instead of going for a second trial, Timothy accepted a plea deal which had him sentenced to 4 years in prison. The judge claimed that Timothy was wrong in possessing a weapon despite being a felon. This sentence is the result of a plea deal, which some may see as a misapplication of justice - either too lenient for a murderer or too harsh for a grieving father.

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2017/09/01/timothy-batts-sentencing-live-update/623625001

Is this a drug dealer with no regard for the law? Or an innocent man being misrepresented because of his criminal record and race?

2. The Australian Katana killing

This is a long tangled story with no clear conclusions to be drawn. Jett McKee is a rapper from Sydney, Australia. He performed under the name Scepaz. I personally don't like his music. You can find some of it online. A lot of lyrics are depressing and hopeless.

His own mother described him as directionless, so it is no surprise that he fell into gambling habits. This addiction was worsened when his girlfriend fell pregnant. Jett also did drugs, including methamphetamine, known as Ice. As his debts grew, he eventually resorted to crime. In a foolish move, he and a friend decided that they would rob drug dealers.

With very few guns in Australia, they were able to do this with a crowbar alone. After a few successful hits, Jett's friend suggests they rob a couple in Forest Lodge who are dealing weed. Their names are Hannah Quinn and Blake Davis. They watched the house for days, waiting for the right time. Jett's friend could not join because he was afraid he would be identified by the couple.

So let us discuss the couple. Blake was 26 years old, and Hannah was 23. They lived in the same home, with Hannah working in a cafe and Blake attempting to make it as an actor. Blake also loves martial arts, and he owns several knives and katanas. You can see some of his acting credits on IMDB.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2457570

They were at home when Jett decided to make the move. This time, Jett was armed with a gun. Wearing a balaclava, he enters their home and attempts to rob them at gunpoint. They refuse to hand over any money, and a fight ensues resulting in Blake getting punched and knocked out.

Jett grabs a bag from Hannah and runs, but Hannah chases him. They struggle, and during the struggle on the road, Blake awakens. He grabs a katana and runs on the road and slashes the Jett. Jett succumbs to his injuries on the road as Hannah and Blake flee. Rather than inform the authorities, the couple hides the katana, and pack a bag with $21,380 AU$ before going on the run. They end up ditching the bag of money before moving from hotel to hotel, avoiding hospital despite Blake's injury.

Eventually, the couple turns themselves in after learning of Jett's death on the news. When the couple's house was searched, they found more money and copious amounts of marijuana. In court they claim they ran because they were afraid and thought the intruder might hunt them down to finish the job. Naturally the obvious question was "you were afraid you were in a gang war with another drug dealer?" Prosecutors claimed that the couple was trying to send a message to others attempting to rob drug dealers. The judge did not buy this argument, though it was concluded that Blake was a drug dealer.

>“Overall I am willing to find Mr Davis has no history of violence and was of good character until his recent, perhaps brief, foray into cannabis supply”.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/blake-davis-sentenced-to-five-years-and-nine-months-for-samurai-sword-killing-20210316-p57b22.html

Ultimately, the judge convicted Blake of manslaughter, and Hannah was declared an accessory. Blake was sentenced to 5 years and 3 months.

So where do you lie on these issues? Are we looking at drug dealers, or folks who have been stitched up? Does it even matter if they were drug dealers? Why so much stigma against substance use?

Tune in next time when we morally analyse JiDion, before we discuss Holly Willoughby's queue-gate. We'll also be reviewing Alan Wake 2 and Fate/Samurai Remnant.