Teen gets life in cold blooded cabbie killing
The teen who shot and killed Seattle cab driver Jagjit Singh last summer was sentenced to life in prison yesterday.
Earnest Collins, who reportedly shot Singh in the head in order to get some sort of adrenaline rush, broke down in tears and still claimed it was not him in the video and voice recordings.
I have no doubt in my mind that Collins is guilty and I think life in prison was exactly what he deserved. His testimonial that he was not guilty is almost beyond comprehension. Check out this article, which was written after Collin's arrest. The list of evidence against him is so long, I can't believe a mildly reasonable person (which Collins, apparently is not) would even pretend to be innocent:
Deputies were led to Collins after determining the call summoning a cab was made from his home, which was near where the cab was found, according to charging papers. Several people identified Collins' voice on the taxi company's recorded line, charging papers said.
Investigators also found burned clothing at the home that Collins shared with his parents and siblings, Urquhart said.
Investigators found a trail of pennies leading from the burned taxi to a driveway near Collins' home. A friend said Collins had recently lost money in a Seattle dice game and talked about "jacking someone" to earn that money back, charging papers said.
Thank God this monster's friends had enough moral fiber to step up and offer forth evidence. People like Collins are what makes mothers worry about their teenagers being out late.
There's a side story that's popping out of this terrible situation as well. The cab driver community in Seattle and surrounding areas is a rather tight-knit one. The life of a taxi driver is itself enough to warrant interest. I wish I could find the link, but if you have a subscription, check out James Gardner's article in the December 2007 issue of Seattle Metropolitan Magazine. Gardner, who is a phenomenal writer, rode around in taxis and gained access to a community and lifestyle like few journalists have (if you have the piece or if anyone knows how to find a link to that story without starting a subscription, I'd love to know).
