Agreed, of course not. This is one of those classic cases where the victims didn't help themselves by being racist bullies. They didn't need to get on ATV's and chase him down and intimidate him, and of course he didn't have the right to blow them away UNLESS his life was genuinely threatened.
I would sincerely said the owner party have started a verbal altercation with Vang, and Vang started a physical altercation with the party. That is pretty oblivious.
This is the same situation as 2 group of people going to a pub, 1 group is Asian, another group is white, The group of white people hurl insult to the Asian group, the Asian group physically fight with the white group, and kill some of the people in that group. This would have been murder 2 to manslaughter 1...
Which is why I don't think he hired a lawyer. Any lawyer who would take on a big, defense case like this would've never allowed him to get on the stand like you said, let alone say the stupid things he said to incriminate himself.
My wife told me that if the defence is gunning for "Self-Defence" Vang have to be testify, if Vang did not testify and prosecution cannot cross-examine what Vang felt at that moment, the "Self-Defence" argument falls apart. Because there are no-one that know how Vang felt at that moment that can testify on court, except Vang himself.
It would be like "I felt I was threaten but I will not tell you how" Then basically it lost all credit to the juror.....
The lawyer should have coach him before hand tho.
Unless he insisted that it goes to trial. That could've very well been the case and the public defender didn't have a choice. He might've also insisted he gets on the stand. A lot of these cases where it doesn't do the public defender any good to defend someone who is clearly guilty will not put forth an effort to really defend them, knowing they will be chastised by the local community, especially in such a remote area of Wisconsin.
His lawyer may not be a Public Defender, he might pick up the case pro-bono. And any lawyer would know it is a clause for a mistrial if the defendant felt he/she is not adequately represent, so this joke of a trial would not happen at all. So I am pretty sure the reason why the trial is like this is because of Vang himself. Otherwise he would have file a motion for mistrial.
Also, I felt that the background of the case would meant quite a few of lawyer may want to get a piece of the action. A man accused of killing 6 people and the possibility of Racism is involved, that would make quite a few lawyer jump into the pro-bono band wagon.
So much more the lawyer could've done for him, another reason why I think it was a public defender but I don't know for sure, do you? Had he hired a criminal lawyer, that retainer for a murder charge defense would've been somewhere in the vicinity of what, $50,000 - $75,000 at least? Probably a lot more when all is said and done and a defense for a criminal charge is most likely paid up front in its entirety.
Actually, not much that lawyer can do, he can only take a plead deal, or go for an acquittal, and that decision is up for Vang to decide, the lawyer would have advise Vang what would be the best outcome. But that is totally up to Vang. And if he wanted to go for acquittal, the only way he can wiggle out of the charge is either by insanity, or self defence. The first one is denied because of the Prosecution Psych report. Which mean if he had to go for acquittal, he would have to do it via the Self-Defence route.
I don't know whether or not the Prosecution give Vang any deal to start, we will never know because that is privileged information, but if he was given one, my wife said if she was his lawyer, she would highly recommend he take the deal, given it is not a Murder 1, because his story is so far fetch, he will lose the case had it be in court.
Now, I don't know if that lawyer is a PD or a lawyer in pro-Bono or even a paid lawyer (it might), but PD tend to plead the client down. And if the client is insisting to go to court, most PD simply would file a motion to change lawyer.
This guy didn't even insist of a forensic report on who fired first. He could've argued so many of the points to make it look like Vang was really fearing for his life. Reloading the weapon could've been argued that he was fearing that after being fired at first as he kept hearing threats that they were going to kill him etc., he had no choice but to continue to defend himself. His attorneys never established any doubt that it was possible that Vang was not the one who fired first and then self defense would've been more plausible. Shooting them from behind, for example, could've been argued that he was fearing they were going to hide or retrieve another weapon and kill him, at least create reasonable doubt. Check out what I assume is his lawyer questioning him @ minute 45:37 - 46:23, that is the most ridiculous and non-passionate/persuasive defensive line of questioning you will ever hear! lol. Horrible. If that was the extent of the defense's questioning, can you imagine what the closing statement by that guy was? This was either a very bad lawyer or a PD who didn't want to be associated with getting this guy off the hook for murder in that town and community. There have been many examples of such purposeful, lackluster efforts for just that reason.
That is a bit tricky.
Self Defence law in Wisconsin (Where this crime happened) gear mostly toward a person defending his/her own dwelling, but not when he/she venture to someone else's properties. Also the privileges of Self Defence does not give the actor express purpose to kill or Malice (which basically what Vang himself admitted that these people deserve to die void the argument of self defence).
The reloading is an issue to the defender, because to defend one self, you are given the right to use force, but only until the threat ceased to exist, to reload a weapon you use in self-defence would mean the threat is continuous and more important imminent (where you are stuck and had to reload to continue on the self defence) However, what the defence painted the picture, if you had look at the video is that there are ample time Vang could have disengage and by testifying only Terry Willer have the sole firearms of the group, the immediate danger ceased to exist when Vang shot Terry Willer. Past that point, there are no threats on Vang term to warrant a deadly force self defence. Thus, reloading the weapon does not suit the general argument of self defence because by then the real threat to Vang, Terry Willer, would already been incapacitated, which make walking toward the other and shoot them when they were hiding unnecessary is the course of self defence, I mean if you can walk toward them and shoot them, you can walk out of there.
Finally, the forensic report on who fired first is not actually important. Prosecution did not need that to make the case, because to the Prosecution, the threat stopped once Vang shot the only armed person in that group. Who shot first would meant something to the attempted murder charge on Terry Willer, but would not affect the other 7 charges.
To the defence, it wouldn't matter either, because even if the forensic report did say Terry Willer fired first, Terry Willer can use the self defence clause himself and proven the shot is necessary at the same time voiding Vang's self defence claim, because in Wisconsin Statutes 939.48 2a stated that
A person who engage in unlawful conduct at a type likely to provoke others to attack him or her and thereby does provoke an attack is not entitled to claim the privilege of self-defense against such attack.
Vang had indeed trespassed into Terry Willer property and since Vang wasn't hit, and they cannot recover the projectile and casing, even if Terry Willer did fired first, Terry Willer can claim that shot is a warning shot, warning Vang that he has indeed trespassed into Terry Willer property. Which make Vang claim of self-defence void again.
-- I did not write that, this is the opinion of my wife.