Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now, I want to go to my friend Jimmy Sangenberger.
Jimmy is an investigative columnist at the Denver Gazette, and
you hear him frequently here on KOA and our sister
station k Howe, and he's filled in for me and
lots of other folks. And Jimmy has taken a major
interest in the whole TEENA. Peters thing for the entire time,
and yesterday he was in grand junction in the courtroom
(00:24):
listening to the sentencing hearing.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning, Jimmy, thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Good morning Ross, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Okay, So for the folks who missed the major headline,
just quickly.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Tell us what the sentence was.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
I want to spend more time with you talking about
what it was like being in the room.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah, it was fascinating, so definitely looking forward to that.
In essence, she is facing just shy of nine years
behind bars, with almost all of that in the Department
of Corrections that would be in prison. And this is
because of again in the election security breach from May
of twenty twenty one, where in essence, she got this
(01:05):
guy named Conan Hayes in a secure election facility pretending
to be somebody else named Gerald Wood, and they did
some things with the technology there and it leaked out,
and then we have this the consequence just shy of
nine years in.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Jail, and it's a complex writon. It's a complex sentence.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
A friend of mine who was a district attorney, but
not that district attorney, said he expects she'll probably spend
somewhere in the neighborhood of three years in prison, maybe
a little more before being eligible for parole, but still
that's a significant time behind bars.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
So all right, so that's good.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I want to hear what it was like being in
that room, because we've heard a couple clips from the
judge here on Kaway about how, you know, she's completely
unrepentant and she still believes all this nonsense. What was
it like being there, and particularly when she was talking.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Well, the tension was so thick ross you could cut
it with a knife throughout the whole sentenceing, and especially
during Tina's forty minutes. She spoke for just above forty minutes,
going through all kinds of things, including basically introducing things
that she was not allowed to bring in because it
(02:21):
wasn't relevant. During the trial, and you could tell that
there was palpable frustration from the judge because she was
going into these territories that she expressed it was not
supposed to do. And she even got very argumentative, had
multiple back and forth exchanges, literally arguing with the judge,
who had to correct your at one point and be like,
(02:42):
you're telling me that I said something that I believe
and I didn't say that I believe that, And that
was something you don't normally hear when somebody is before
a judge being sentenced. Why in the world would you
argue with them?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
But it was.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Another piece that showed ross that judge me and Matthew Barrett,
who I thought has done a phenomenal job throughout this
whole thing, that he could tell she was now remorseful
and she was disrespectful of the process. And that's why
when he finally got his sentence, and he did two things. One, yes,
he excoriated her in many ways on many different points,
(03:17):
but he also deliberately walked through piece by piece what
probation entails and what would qualify her for that, and
why she doesn't qualify for that, and why she's going
to get prison time and that's something notable to me.
Throughout all of this, Judge Barrett has been very deliberate
in explaining all the intricacies of his thinking, and I
think that's to the betterment of everybody in this state
(03:41):
because it means we can better understand what the judge
is thinking.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, the judge made a comment, and this is a paraphrase,
not an exact quote, but prison is prison is where
we put people who have harmed many others or will
harm many others.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And that was an interesting description of Tina.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Peters, a description which, by the way, I share, I
do not shed the slightest tear for her.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I'm I'm I don't know whether I'm.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Slightly pleased or overjoyed that she's going to prison, probably
the latter.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
You've approached this more, you.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Know in our conversation today as a reporter, But what
about as a as a citizen and journalist and an
opinion radio host.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
What's your take.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
As all those things. I really believe that justice was
done here, that she was prosecuted for things that she
should have been prosecuted for, that the jury duly considered
the facts of the case and concluded that there were
three things that she was charged with. They found her
enough reasonable doubt to acquitter of those, but still convicted
(04:46):
her on seven counts, including for felonies, which is the
big thrust of her prison time. And I think when
you look at I was just talking about the judge
being very deliberate and thoughtful in laying out reasonings throughout
the proceedings. When they would bring in irrelevant things about
the defense would about election and computers and so forth,
(05:08):
and the judge would shoot that down but say it's
not relevant, let me explain why. And when that's done
by the judge time and time again, when he really
lays out takes the time to do that, that says
a lot. And then when you go to the sentence saying, look,
the fact of the matter is when you are before
a judge, when you are facing justice, you need to
(05:29):
show contrition, You need to show remorse and that you
understand what's going on. La Ross she was really that
kid who is in trouble because they did something wrong
and so they got their iPad taken away, or they've
been sent to their room or what have you. If
they're upset not about what they did and thinking, shoot,
I shouldn't have done that, but because oh my gosh,
(05:50):
mom and dad took my.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
iPad away, right, Yeah, and pretty stupid actually. I mean
we know that she's stupid because she did what she
did and.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Kept going with it.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
But it's exceedingly stupid once you lose to antagonize the
judge that you're sentencing hearing, and.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
It just goes to you know.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
The other thing that I thought was interesting and just
about out a time, Jimmy, but I read in one
account that she started making some comments about.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
How she is a child of God and the judge.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Shouldn't be punishing someone who is, you know, a child
of God.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Did you hear something like.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
That, Yes, yes, I forget, I have it in my notes,
but she said something to that effect. And what it
just really showed to me very clearly was that she
is somebody who just uses state as a shield. We
have a lot of those people in Colorado politics on
the right right now that will take their religious faith
(06:45):
and use that as a shield for the wrong that
they do. Well. Yeah, no, Christianity teaches about showing contrition
and you do not see that from Tina Peters in
any way, shape or form. And she just put up
all the.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Shields that they that she could, from faith to here's
the things that I endured in the past with my
health issues or losing my son, which is tragic absolutely,
but those are not things that are germane in any
way to what she was accused of, what she did,
what she was found guilty of in.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
The sentencing that she faced. So I do agree completely
with Judge Barrett that Tina Peters is a charlatan and
she got what she deserved.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Jimmy Singenberger is an investigative columnist at the Denver Gazette
and a frequent fill in host here at KOA and
our sister station k Howe. Thanks for your time, and
thanks for all the energy and effort you've put into
following the Tina Peters case the whole way through.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
You bet, Brother and Mike column will be on Sunday
about this.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
All right, Denver Gazette dot com. Folks. Thanks Jimmy,
Right now, I want to go to my friend Jimmy Sangenberger.
Jimmy is an investigative columnist at the Denver Gazette, and
you hear him frequently here on KOA and our sister
station k Howe, and he's filled in for me and
lots of other folks. And Jimmy has taken a major
interest in the whole TEENA. Peters thing for the entire time,
and yesterday he was in grand junction in the courtroom
(00:24):
listening to the sentencing hearing.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Good morning, Jimmy, thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Good morning Ross, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Okay, So for the folks who missed the major headline,
just quickly.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Tell us what the sentence was.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
I want to spend more time with you talking about
what it was like being in the room.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Yeah, it was fascinating, so definitely looking forward to that.
In essence, she is facing just shy of nine years
behind bars, with almost all of that in the Department
of Corrections that would be in prison. And this is
because of again in the election security breach from May
of twenty twenty one, where in essence, she got this
(01:05):
guy named Conan Hayes in a secure election facility pretending
to be somebody else named Gerald Wood, and they did
some things with the technology there and it leaked out,
and then we have this the consequence just shy of
nine years in.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Jail, and it's a complex writon. It's a complex sentence.
Speaker 1 (01:27):
A friend of mine who was a district attorney, but
not that district attorney, said he expects she'll probably spend
somewhere in the neighborhood of three years in prison, maybe
a little more before being eligible for parole, but still
that's a significant time behind bars.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
So all right, so that's good.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
I want to hear what it was like being in
that room, because we've heard a couple clips from the
judge here on Kaway about how, you know, she's completely
unrepentant and she still believes all this nonsense. What was
it like being there, and particularly when she was talking.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Well, the tension was so thick ross you could cut
it with a knife throughout the whole sentenceing, and especially
during Tina's forty minutes. She spoke for just above forty minutes,
going through all kinds of things, including basically introducing things
that she was not allowed to bring in because it
(02:21):
wasn't relevant. During the trial, and you could tell that
there was palpable frustration from the judge because she was
going into these territories that she expressed it was not
supposed to do. And she even got very argumentative, had
multiple back and forth exchanges, literally arguing with the judge,
who had to correct your at one point and be like,
(02:42):
you're telling me that I said something that I believe
and I didn't say that I believe that, And that
was something you don't normally hear when somebody is before
a judge being sentenced. Why in the world would you
argue with them?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
But it was.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Another piece that showed ross that judge me and Matthew Barrett,
who I thought has done a phenomenal job throughout this
whole thing, that he could tell she was now remorseful
and she was disrespectful of the process. And that's why
when he finally got his sentence, and he did two things. One, yes,
he excoriated her in many ways on many different points,
(03:17):
but he also deliberately walked through piece by piece what
probation entails and what would qualify her for that, and
why she doesn't qualify for that, and why she's going
to get prison time and that's something notable to me.
Throughout all of this, Judge Barrett has been very deliberate
in explaining all the intricacies of his thinking, and I
think that's to the betterment of everybody in this state
(03:41):
because it means we can better understand what the judge
is thinking.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Yeah, the judge made a comment, and this is a paraphrase,
not an exact quote, but prison is prison is where
we put people who have harmed many others or will
harm many others.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
And that was an interesting description of Tina.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Peters, a description which, by the way, I share, I
do not shed the slightest tear for her.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
I'm I'm I don't know whether I'm.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Slightly pleased or overjoyed that she's going to prison, probably
the latter.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
You've approached this more, you.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
Know in our conversation today as a reporter, But what
about as a as a citizen and journalist and an
opinion radio host.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
What's your take.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
As all those things. I really believe that justice was
done here, that she was prosecuted for things that she
should have been prosecuted for, that the jury duly considered
the facts of the case and concluded that there were
three things that she was charged with. They found her
enough reasonable doubt to acquitter of those, but still convicted
(04:46):
her on seven counts, including for felonies, which is the
big thrust of her prison time. And I think when
you look at I was just talking about the judge
being very deliberate and thoughtful in laying out reasonings throughout
the proceedings. When they would bring in irrelevant things about
the defense would about election and computers and so forth,
(05:08):
and the judge would shoot that down but say it's
not relevant, let me explain why. And when that's done
by the judge time and time again, when he really
lays out takes the time to do that, that says
a lot. And then when you go to the sentence saying, look,
the fact of the matter is when you are before
a judge, when you are facing justice, you need to
(05:29):
show contrition, You need to show remorse and that you
understand what's going on. La Ross she was really that
kid who is in trouble because they did something wrong
and so they got their iPad taken away, or they've
been sent to their room or what have you. If
they're upset not about what they did and thinking, shoot,
I shouldn't have done that, but because oh my gosh,
(05:50):
mom and dad took my.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
iPad away, right, Yeah, and pretty stupid actually. I mean
we know that she's stupid because she did what she
did and.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Kept going with it.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
But it's exceedingly stupid once you lose to antagonize the
judge that you're sentencing hearing, and.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
It just goes to you know.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
The other thing that I thought was interesting and just
about out a time, Jimmy, but I read in one
account that she started making some comments about.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
How she is a child of God and the judge.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
Shouldn't be punishing someone who is, you know, a child
of God.
Speaker 2 (06:24):
Did you hear something like.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
That, Yes, yes, I forget, I have it in my notes,
but she said something to that effect. And what it
just really showed to me very clearly was that she
is somebody who just uses state as a shield. We
have a lot of those people in Colorado politics on
the right right now that will take their religious faith
(06:45):
and use that as a shield for the wrong that
they do. Well. Yeah, no, Christianity teaches about showing contrition
and you do not see that from Tina Peters in
any way, shape or form. And she just put up
all the.
Speaker 4 (06:59):
Shields that they that she could, from faith to here's
the things that I endured in the past with my
health issues or losing my son, which is tragic absolutely,
but those are not things that are germane in any
way to what she was accused of, what she did,
what she was found guilty of in.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
The sentencing that she faced. So I do agree completely
with Judge Barrett that Tina Peters is a charlatan and
she got what she deserved.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Jimmy Singenberger is an investigative columnist at the Denver Gazette
and a frequent fill in host here at KOA and
our sister station k Howe. Thanks for your time, and
thanks for all the energy and effort you've put into
following the Tina Peters case the whole way through.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
You bet, Brother and Mike column will be on Sunday
about this.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
All right, Denver Gazette dot com. Folks. Thanks Jimmy,
The Ross Kaminsky Show News
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