Phil Holloway

The argument that the sentence is excessive is not going to fly either because the trial judge is vested with broad discretion here.

And

As long as the sentence that was handed down by the judge fits within the statutory sentencing scheme authorized by Congress, the judge is on very solid ground.

In the absence of some strong compelling evidence of abuse of that discretion, the sentence will not be overturned.

And you think it will actually help extend a dog's life?

How long?

Well, it seems like it might be a little premature, just generally speaking, in any criminal case to issue a blanket clearance like that until you know who your suspect or suspects, in the plural, might be.

I think that this statement is...

more of a reflection of pressure that the sheriff is undoubtedly receiving because the public has speculated and many have claimed that certain family members might be considered suspects so i imagine the sheriff is under some political pressure to try to tamp that down but i think he may have miscalculated because this statement

is simply, I think, doing the opposite.

It's drawing more attention to the issue that people were trying to make go away.

You know, on the one hand, if they say that nobody's going to be cleared until they have a suspect, and then they turn around the next day and say,

All of these people who meet this description and fit in this category, all of those people are cleared because they've been cooperative.

It's inconsistent messaging at best.

And there's one thing that's been consistent with this sheriff's department from the beginning, and that is that they're inconsistent in their messaging.

I think some...

Media savvy folks need to perhaps take over the messaging at the sheriff's department.

I'm not sure where it's coming from, but the inconsistent messaging certainly is not helping them.

But if this really was the only communication between the kidnappers and Nancy Guthrie's family, right, was happening through the media, then we are well past that deadline.

And that Bitcoin account is empty.