Nasty Nancy: Accused of Causing Suicide

The following is not connected to adoption at all, and is remotely connected Family Preservation. It does, however, concern mothering and judgements about mothers....

On August 27, 2006 two-year-old Trenton Duckett was reported missing by his 21-year-old mother, Melinda Duckett.

According to Duckett, she put her son to bed and was watching movies in the other room with friends. Around 9 p.m., she went to check on her young son and the toddler was gone, a window screen cut.

Police questioned the toddler's father who was divorced from his mother and did not charge him.

Police could not fins anyone who had been the little boy, however, for the two days prior to his being reported missing and suspicion began pointing toward Melinda Duckett.

Anyone who has seen working mother Nancy Grace knows that her most favorite cases are those of mothers of missing kids who she always assumes to be guilty.  Grace is very judgmental of and hard on all mothers, and always believes the worse.  She has had a FIELD DAY with the case of Casey Anthony whose daughter Caylee has been found dead.

Into this firestorm enters Melinda Duckett, just two weeks after hr son went missing, and Grace pummels her with accusations. Grace questioned Duckett harshly, accusing her of hiding something due to her vague answers. her style is to draw her own conclusions and label people liars.

The following day, before the pre-taped program was aired Melinda shot herself to death. CNN aired the show!

A lawsuit charging Grace with the wrongful death of Melinda Duckett soon followed. Her son has not been found.

A lawsuit followed charging CNN host Nancy Grace with pushing Melinda Duckett to kill herself due to her aggressive questioning.  The suit was settled with Grace agreeing to establish a $200,000 trust to help find the child, Trenton Duckett. The parents of Melinda Duckett announced they were voluntarily dropping their suit against Grace.

If Trenton is found alive before his 13th birthday, the trust's proceeds will be administered by his adoptive grandmother, Kathleen Calvert, for his benefit until his 18th birthday. He then could use the money as he wishes.

Nancy Grace hosts a new show on FOX called "Swift Justice" in which she settles small claims cases.  Some have compared her show to Judge Judy. But there is one major difference: Grace is not - as far as I was able to determine - a judge.

It does not take place in a court room, she wears no robes, and pounds no gavel... but she is called a judge and on the show and even allowed someone to call her "your honor" without any correction.

Wikipedia identifies her as "an American legal commentator, television host, and former prosecutor. She has written articles and opinion pieces for legal periodicals, including the American Bar Association Journal.  Grace practiced antitrust and consumer protection law with the Federal Trade Commission. She taught litigation at the Georgia State University College of Law and business law at GSU's School of Business.

A case where Grace's classic quick leap to judgement proved wrong was in the  2006 Duke University lacrosse case, in which Crystal Gail Mangum, an African-American stripper and North Carolina Central University student, falsely accused three members of Duke University's men's lacrosse team of raping her at a party.

Grace took a pro-prosecution position throughout the case sarcastically noting on the air, "Why would you go to a cop in an alleged gang rape case, say, and lie and give misleading information?"

After the disbarment of District Attorney Mike Nifong, Attorney General Roy Cooper pronounced all three players innocent of the rape charges made by Mangum. On the following broadcast of her show, Grace did not appear and a substitute reporter announced the removal of all charges.

The closest thing to her being a judge is that she worked as a clerk for a federal court judge.

Her decisions are made soly on her judgements and the use of a lie detector, without knowledge of the law on the subject in the state the case occurred, and even uses incorrect grammar.


IMHO:  This woman is dangerous and her show should be taken off the air!