# P1 Exclusive: Questionable justice



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

By Dave Grossi

Lost in the media hype the last few weeks over some of the more idiotic and nonsensical issues such as the recent birth of Brad and Angie's twins or the hoopla over the Reverend Jesse Jackson's suggested castration of Sen. Barack Obama was another news story that didn't quite get the coverage that the above two matters received. 
Jimmy Lee Smith, one of the "Onion Field" murderers died while being held at a California detention center on a parole violation. Smith was 76. For those younger cops out there who have never heard of the infamous Onion Field case or may not know all the details, let me fill you in. 
Back in 1963, two armed robbers, Jimmy Lee Smith and Gregory Powell kidnapped two LAPD officers who had the audacity to pull this dynamic duo over for a traffic infraction (an illegal U-turn and a burned out tail light) late one evening in Hollywood, California. Without getting into the tactical mistakes made (and there were a few), Officer Ian Campbell, 31 years old at the time, was killed; executed actually by a shot to the face and left to die in a ditch bordering an onion field out near Bakersfield, California, about 75 miles from LA.

Full Article: http://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/1721945-P1-Exclusive-Questionable-justice/


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