Jack Powers attacked the Chief Justice moments after his sentencing at the conclusion of one of the most high-profile trials seen in Los Santos since Accession Day. But the proceedings have been marked by some as irregular and controversial. So where will that leave Mr. Powers’ opportunity to appeal?
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, Wednesday July 10th was a landmark day for the Department of Justice in Los Santos and a victory for the second Jones administration after numerous attempts to empower the department had failed. It just so happened that this particular case had captured the interest of the wider public across Los Santos and Blaine County. Alfred Leske was a well-known, yet enigmatic, figure in the community and the state of San Andreas demanded answers and justice after he was witnessed being shot down “in cold blood” by Mr. Powers on the grounds of the now-defunct Rockford City Hall on June 29th 2024.
During the trial, the court heard of a long-running feud between Mr. Powers and Mr. Leske, with the prosecution arguing that the former was unable to control his emotions on the day of the killing. They brought forward perhaps one of the most decisive eye-witnesses they could have – Bryn Jones, the current Major of Los Santos. Mayor Jones explained how Mr. Leske “egged on” Mr. Powers during a back-and-forth in the old City Hall foyer, resulting in what he described as fisticuffs on the marble floor before law enforcement could arrive to de-escalate. Their attempts were unsuccessful however, as Powers grabbed Leske, holding him at gunpoint at the front of City Hall until such time Mr. Powers was witnessed shooting Mr. Leske in the head and fleeing. Mayor Jones asserted his confidence in this chain of events and his identification of Jack Powers as the man responsible.
The court heard of Mr. Powers’ past struggles with alcoholism and aggresive tendancies when interacting with associates and members of the public. However, Mayor Jones was also keen to stress Mr. Powers’ dependability and loyalty when serving as his protection officer at City Hall. This largely set the tone for what was to come. The trial became a stark contrast between favourable character assessments about Mr. Powers and the heinous crime of which he was accused – first-degree murder. The defence argued that Mr. Powers could have seen Mr. Leske’s presence at City Hall as a potential threat to Mayor Jones’ safety, though the Mayor stated that he had not experienced any disagreements with Mr. Leske that could have prompted this.
When Mr. Powers himself took the stand, he matter-of-factly described Mr. Leske as a “monster” who had ruined his life, to the aggrevation of the prosecution. He alleged, as did his counsel, that Mr. Leske was a cannibal who had attempted to frame him also as such, along with a terrorist and a murderer. He described Mr. Leske as a habitual liar and master manipilator under examination – labelling his relationship with Mr. Leske in one word, “feud.” He described many fights he had engaged in with Mr. Leske – wanting the court to know he had often come out of top – and even admitted to previously engaging in a shootout with the victim. At one junction, Mr. Powers even called for popcorn for his own defense, suggesting that they were too passive when the prosecution was accused of putting forth leading questions of the suspect.
The primary argument from the defense was that Mr. Leske was killed by a member of the Los Santos Police Department during the chaos outside City Hall. They purported that Mr. Leske engaged in law enforcement assisted suicide by running “in to the crossfire” after bullets began flying. They also exposed that the EMS report in to Mr. Leske’s death came seventeen days late, with confusion as to who was responsible for concluding the report and the dates involved, casting doubt on the legitimacy and accuracy of the final report.
Witnesses for the defense included (suspended) Deputy Sergeant Rebecca Armitage of the Blaine County Sheriffs Office and Chief of Emergency Medical Services at Los Santos Central Hospital, Jillian Carter.
Armitage described how Mr. Powers was found injured in the Chiliad State Wilderness following an altercation with Mr. Leske who was witnessed driving a Sanchez dirt bike “with the grace of a mountain goat” whilst discharging a firearm towards themself and Mr. Powers. Armitage also described how Mr. Powers had saved their life on a number of occasions whilst acting as liason to the San Andreas Park Rangers, claiming to have been attacked by “unknown individuals” on numerous occasions. Armitage heaped praise on Mr. Powers’ honor system and “heart of gold,” maintaining that his character was one of the finest in Los Santos. Conversely, Armitage’s assessment of Mr. Leske’s character could not have been more stark – describing him as an aggressor.
Likewise, Chief Carter stated that Mr. Powers would go out of his way to be a good person and help others, describing an occasion in which the now-suspended Park Ranger dressed up as Santa Claus to bring cheer to a victim of homelessness during the holiday season. But most notably during the Chief’s testimony, a photograph was presented to the court depecting Mr. Leske posing for a selfie with the bloodied body of former Mayoral candidate Larry Walters seemingly in the City Morgue. Chief Carter highlighted that Mr. Leske was often seen in a Coroner’s uniform despite being unable to confirm his employment status at the Coroner’s Office.
A curious point came in the latter stages of the trial as the defense was seemingly “hurried” through the presentation of numerous written character statements that overall read as positive toward Mr. Powers. That they were not presented in full to the court may be a key point for Mr. Powers in any future appeal.
Despite the mountain of praise for Mr. Powers’ character, the Chief Justice ultimately summarised how at no point during the trial did any of the witnesses brought forward could deny that Mr. Powers shot Mr. Leske on June 29th. Mr. Powers was subsequantly found guilty of first-degree murder and felony evading. When the sentencing was handed down, that compiled assessment of the character of Jack Powers disintegrated on national television. Mr. Powers raced toward the stand and assaulted the Chief Justice in front of the court. He continued to lash out at multiple law enforcement officers and resisted multiple attempts at restraint despite being tased. Finally however, Mr. Powers was put in cuffs and escorted out of the courtroom by the recently appointed Police Commissioner Jay Huxley. Mr. Powers’ preparation for transport to the newly refurbished Bolingbroke Penitentiary was captured and shared on social media soon after the trial had ended.
Speaking to an independant attorney after proceedings, I was told that the verdict was “a complete miscarriage of justice” and that the Chief Justice was “completely wrong” in his decision. He said that he could understand Mr. Powers’ volatile response to a sentence of over ten-thousand months, claiming that the evidence against him was “shallow” and deserving of a retrial in which he would be happy to defend Mr. Powers.
It is incontrovertible that the character assessments of Mr. Powers and Mr. Leske could not have been more different. Yet, by the very nature of the trial, Mr. Leske could not be present to defend himself against accusations of long running aggression and hostilities toward Mr. Powers. Ultimately, Mr. Powers’ defense counsel had no evidence to disprove the eye-witness account of what happened on June 29, 2024 – and in this court of law, that account was made by the serving Mayor of the City.
This news organisation was fortunate enough to secure an exclusive interview with Mayor Jones just prior to this trial commencing.
Interview with Mayor Bryn Jones
“Powers shot Alfred in the head” the Mayor stated unflinchingly, using robust language that this publication has opted to redact. “I was a handful of metres away.”
It’s a calm and pleasent evening at the Marlowe Valley Vineyards where Weazel News has opted to conduct this sit-down interview with the serving Mayor at his request, wanting to place his version of events on record with the characteristic forthrightness that he used to conduct his campaign to be elected Mayor for a second time.
“Alfred arrived [at City Hall]. Him and Powers appeared to have some history. Powers thinks he’s an alien. I think he’s on the sauce too much again. We were in the lobby, those two were antagonising eachother. Powers was spouting some BS and quite frankly Alfred wasn’t taking it. They ended up coming to blows!“
The Mayor explained how when the scuffle in the foyer ended, the pair went outside where Powers unholstered his firearm and held it to the back of Mr. Leske’s head.
“Then, for the next ten minutes, there was an array of shouting and BS coming out of Powers’ mouth as he was threatening to take Alfred’s life because he was an alien. Various police officers arrived, I don’t remember if Martha was there but I hope she didn’t see it as it was quite awful. But it escalated. Police tried to negotiate, it failed and Powers ended up shooting Alfred in the head.”
Jones described how the Emergency Medical Services tried to resuscitate Mr. Leske for some time, but there was no life left in him – stating that “Powers made sure of that.”
“It was an execution!” he continued, “none of this was accidental. It was murder. In front of at least half a dozen people, in broad daylight.”
When pressed for details on any particular tipping point in the altercation between Powers and Leske that may have led to the escalation that resulted in the latter’s death, Mayor Jones was unable to recall any specifics after a long day dealing with the aftermath of a Savala Cartel attack, though he said that he would “meditate on it.” He admitted to not witnessing prior altercations between the pair, though said that Mr. Powers was not shy of expressing his umbrage toward the deceased.
Speculating on a motive the murder, he said that the event made “no sense” but that Mr. Powers expressed “the rantings of a mad man.” The Mayor went as far as to call Mr. Powers “mentally unstable, without a doubt” perhaps as a result of an unhealthy drinking habit. He did not however express regret for allowing Mr. Powers to work security at City Hall, previewing his future testimony that Powers was dedicated and loyal to the role.
“He was a bit of an odd fellow,” Mayor Jones stated of Alfred Leske, “we had passing hellos and maybe a few words said to eachother from time to time, but I didn’t know the chap.”
The Mayor described his belief of how Mr. Powers’ perhaps misguided speculation that Mr. Leske was an extraterrestrial being had got “out of control.” He also made reference to what would become an alarming piece of evidence against Mr. Leske’s character during the trial – specifically his alleged cannibalism and consumption of “human beans.”
“Yeah, he [allegedly] eats beans made from humans. Bloody rumours! I’ve seen no evidence to back it up. But I’ve seen evidence that Powers murdered the man – with my own eyes!”
Mayor Jones ultimately concluded that he put his faith in Jack Powers, willing to give him another chance at City Hall but that he had let him down. It was a genuine surprise to me that the Mayor was willing to go on record with such frankness ahead of the trial – and no doubt against the recommendation of the Justice Department – but equally perhaps it was to be expected of a politician who has garnered respect for his bluntness, a key metric during his campaign.
His conclusions could not be misconstrued. He believes that he saw Jack Powers execute Alfred Leske in cold blood and the subsequant trial found Mr. Powers guilty of just that. Yet for all the certainty presented in this chain of events, many came away from the trial with a nagging doubt. The evidence against Mr. Leske was perhaps just as damning – and perhaps more grotesque – than that presented against Jack Powers. While Mr. Powers may be behind bars, I can’t help but wonder whether this will form the basis of a future appeal as hinted at by legal representatives, buoyed by the flurry of positive character statements presented to the court. Yet the eye-witness reports of what happened that day may prove difficult to unravel.
The trial may be over, Alfred Leske may be dead and Jack Powers may be imprisoned, but I suspect we haven’t heard the last of their long-running feud.
