Idaho Judge Drops Cannibalism Charge, And It’s Gnawing At Me
For those in southern Idaho that don't pay close attention to what's going on up north, there's a bizarre ongoing murder case that involves an alleged, self-confessed cannibal, who just had a charge involving consuming the flesh of another thrown out for lack of evidence.
How many Idahoans have heard of the case of James Davis Russell? I've been following the story since the 40-year-old, north Idaho man was arrested a little over a year ago. When cannibalism is the least of a defendant's concerns in a trial, you know something terribly wrong has been done.
Russell is facing a murder charge for allegedly carrying out a horrible crime against a 70-year-old man. It was reported shortly after the arrest that Russell claimed to have removed portions of the victim's flesh for consumption in an attempt to "cure" himself.
It was reported back in June that the judge presiding over the case tossed out the cannibalism charge. Apparently, there's not enough evidence that the defendant actually consumed any part of his victim, even though the state of the body and the accused individual's statements spoke otherwise.
Call me crazy, but I think we should take an alleged cannibal's word as the truth, seeing as it's such an unimaginable act to commit against another human being. As far as lack of physical evidence in a cannibalism case, unless a stool sample was collected within a day or so of the alleged confession, it makes perfect sense that there wouldn't be any.