It took less than three hours for the jury in the Mel Gibson stalking case to find Zack Sinclair guilty. The 34 year-old Idaho man faces up to 16 months in prison for his actions in September of 2004. Sinclair believed himself to be on a mission from God to pray with the director of worldwide blockbuster The Passion of The Christ. While Gibson stated that Sinclair “wasn’t scary or overly threatening,” but the actor, writer, director, and former People magazine “sexiest man alive” claimed that he feared for the safety of his family.
Gibson, obviously, was the star witness in the prosecution’s case. He testified on Thursday that, in September, Sinclair showed up at Gibson’s church, took Gibson’s seat when Gibson briefly left it, and then told the star “Hi, I’m here to pray with you.” Sinclair was ultimately arrested after repeatedly visiting Gibson’s home in Malibu and asking the two men pray together. The arrest took place on October 7th, one day after Gibson got a restraining order against the man.
Sinclair went pro se in the case. While the constitutional right of every defendant, self-representation rarely works out well in the courtroom. The Sinclair trial was no exception, as the accused for some reason didn’t even bother to cross-examine Gibson or deliver a closing statement. (Crossing the lead witness and delivering a closing were probably the two most important things defense counsel could have done in this case.)
Recent victims of other celebrity stalking situations have been Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, as well as Anna Kournikova.
Nathan Novak at 3:46 pm
I am shocked that a poor man who just wanted to
pray with Mel Gibson has been jailed for 3 years.
I find this to be very revealing about his real true attitude given his “Passion of the Christ” movie.
While I do not know all of the details about everything that happened, I do know that someone wasn’t true to their own professed beliefs in Matthew 25:45 and this is an important thing to consider (Mat 25:31-46).
If this disturbs me even though I am not a follower of their faith, then why doesn’t it disturb many others who do believe in the words of Matthew 25:31-46?
Actions do speak louder than words and in this case there is a message for all who are willing to see it and to learn from it because it can open
your eyes.
Comment by Barry Sanders — January 6, 2008 @ 2:05 am