Mother Pleads For Padilla. "he's not a monster"

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I don't know how long these things take, this was from the 17th and nothing has broken yet but I don't fancy his chances, I don't think judge Marcia Cooke was anywhere near as impartial as she should have been, this case is a terrible stain on the country and is a testament to just what a shabby place America has become.

MIAMI - Jose Padilla's mother told a federal judge Thursday he is "not a monster" despite convictions on terrorism conspiracy and pleaded for mercy instead of the life prison sentence sought by prosecutors.

Padilla's lawyer also asked U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke to consider the harsh, isolated conditions under which Padilla was held during 3 1/2 years in military custody as an enemy combatant.

Estela Lebron, who said she raised Padilla on her own, described him as a loving son who seemed to turn a corner in what had been a troubled life when he converted to Islam in the 1990s. Padilla was a gang member as a youth in Chicago and has a long criminal record.

"My son is not a monster, and he's not dangerous to society," Lebron said in a brief statement. "I believe in justice, and I believe what they are doing to my son is an injustice."more