The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/tag/kenny-klein)
In this week’s Pagan Community Notes: Kenny Klein dies in jail, new rulings from SCOTUS, Pagan leader Cairril Adaire crosses Veil, comet NEOWISE and more!
TWH – Now that the season has turned and we are nearing the end of the 2017, we look back, one last time, to review this historic year. What happened? What didn’t happen? What events shaped our thoughts and guided our actions? In our collective worlds, both big and small, what were the major discussions?
NEW ORLEANS — Pagan musician Kenny Klein was sentenced to 20 years in prison after his request for a new trial was rejected. As previously reported, Klein, who was first arrested in 2014, was convicted in April on 20 counts of child pornography charges. According to local reports, the judge called the case difficult, saying “Any type of incidents involving juveniles, particularly as it relates to child pornography, are not good.” After his conviction, Klein’s attorney requested a new trial on the grounds that the court had made numerous errors in several of the pretrial rulings. Criminal District Judge Byron C. Williams rejected that request after receiving an flurry of letters from both his supporters and his opponents. Williams told local reporters that he did not find any credibility in the arguments requesting the new trial.
Since Klein was convicted on child pornography charges Apr. 6, his supporters have been advocating on his behalf. Klein’s sentencing, initially scheduled for Apr. 20, was pushed back to May as his attorney filed several motions, including one for a new trial. Covering all the bases, attorney Bradley Phillips also filed papers asking for a post-conviction acquittal and, if that doesn’t work, submitted a sentencing memorandum which included “nearly 20 letters from Klein supporters around the country pleading for the judge’s leniency,” according to reports.
NEW ORLEANS — An Orleans Parish jury found musician and Blue Star priest Kenny Klein guilty of child pornography charges yesterday. The verdict was for possessing one count of pornography involving a juvenile under the age of 13, and 19 counts of possession with intent to distribute pornography involving juveniles under the age 17. When he is sentenced Apr. 20, the penalty could be from 105 to 420 years in prison if imposed successively. When news broke of Klein’s arrest in 2014, it rocked the Pagan world.