Why Would Martha Coakley be Reluctant to Prosecute a Child Rapist?

They tell me there are two types of people that do not fare well in prison: Cops and child rapists. So, I guess if you're a child raping cop, you have good reason not to want to go behind bars. Especially if your Dad has some pull with the D.A.!

Gary Hewson:

As we now know, and what seemed clear to Larry and his clients very early in the case, was that the child had been left in the care of Policeman Keith Winfield, the uncle of the child, the prior day. Officer Winfield, during his hour alone with his 23-month old niece, raped her with a hot curling iron.

Larry took the case and immediately took action to get Keith Winfield put away for his crimes. What he didn’t realize was that he was about to go against then Middlesex DA Martha Coakley, who for reasons I will allow readers to conclude from Frank Frisoli’s recounting of the facts and allegations in an email he provided to us today, would not bring charges against the Toddler Rapist and dragged the process out so long that her successor had to put Winfield away. Coakley allowed this toddler rapist to stay on the streets for over 2 years and she let him out of custody on No BAIL.

From the Boston Globe:

By 11 p.m., when the toddler’s mother once again changed her diaper, the redness had become alarming. “Her genital and anal area was bleeding, and her skin was peeling off,’’ according to prosecutors. The next morning, after her condition had worsened, the toddler’s mother took her to a Somerville pediatrician who referred her to Children’s Hospital and notified the Department of Social Services (now the Department of Families and Children), along with Melrose police. The toddler ultimately spent a month at Shriners Hospital for Children in Boston recovering from burns.

Which on the surface, seems bad enough. A twenty-three month old girl is cruelly sodomized with a hot curling iron and the prosecutor has to be dragged kicking and screaming to prosecute him and then the perpetrator is allowed to roam the streets for two years afterwards without bail. But, I just learned today, that the rapist's father was a big Coakley supporter! (I can say "rapist" rather than "alleged rapist" because he is now serving time for what he did) Winfield's father was a union representative who apparently steered endorsements to Coakley's AG campaign and was a large fundraiser for her.

Probably just a big coincidence, huh?

H/T Wizbang
Cross posted at Say Anything