(Possible Child Sexual Abuse Content) Josh and Anna 34: Plea Deal in the Making?

[FundamentallyShocked]

7 hours ago, PennySycamore said:

If I had not been told that was Anna in the picture, I'm not at all sure I would have recognized her.  

She doesn't look good, does she? I would not have recognized her.

[Idlewild]

Smirking Josh- if that’s the expression he’s planning to use for the trial then he’ll lose any sympathy with the jury. He just looks like it’s all beneath him and a bit of a joke. Whatever the outcome, CSA images were found on his computer and it’s no joke. 
I don’t know what to think about Anna- being heavily pregnant is the perfect excuse for refusing to attend a pre trial hearing so either she wants to be there or she’s been put under huge pressure to be there. Josh is responsible for his crimes, not Anna, but I sure as hell would limit the time I spent in his company. 

[onekidanddone]

51 minutes ago, Idlewild said:

Smirking Josh- if that’s the expression he’s planning to use for the trial then he’ll lose any sympathy with the jury. He just looks like it’s all beneath him and a bit of a joke. Whatever the outcome, CSA images were found on his computer and it’s no joke. 
I don’t know what to think about Anna- being heavily pregnant is the perfect excuse for refusing to attend a pre trial hearing so either she wants to be there or she’s been put under huge pressure to be there. Josh is responsible for his crimes, not Anna, but I sure as hell would limit the time I spent in his company. 

Perhaps they are trying to use a pregnant Anna sympathy ploy so the judge and/jury would go light. 
 

[apiscue]

9 hours ago, Mela99 said:

Oh in that case here’s the other

I look at the photo and think:

Smile Anna. Empty your mind. Just smile. 

[Jana814]

43 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Perhaps they are trying to use a pregnant Anna sympathy ploy so the judge and/jury would go light. 
 

I was thinking of that also. 

[formergothardite]

I wonder what his attorneys truly think of Josh. He may claim innocence even to them, but they have to know he is guilty. 

[theotherelise]

If the lawyers suggested they smile when leaving, that was a bad choice. Even if you're maintaining your innocence, smiling in the face of such serious charges just looks flippant. 

This local news clip was from before the appearance was over, but you can see them inside interacting: 
https://www.4029tv.com/article/josh-duggar-in-court-for-hearing/37761044

It really seems like they're going to go to trial. Just feeling incredible sad for the Ms today. I want freedom and safety and choice for them. 

[Gobsmacked]

48 minutes ago, apiscue said:

I look at the photo and think:

Smile Anna. Empty your mind. Just smile. 

The smile certainly doesn’t reach her eyes. She looks super pissed off. I’m thinking the lawyer is insisting that she is present - create a united front- how can this family man possibly do anything  bad. Josh is despicable. A spoiled daddy’s boy. Smug to his rotten core. I pity Anna she really is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Her future is bleak. Her parents are useless ( or seem to be we can only guess at what they think).  Once Josh is locked up and reality has hit Anna she is going to need a lot of help. Perhaps her parents will find their spines and help her then?  Sadly JB and meechelle will draw her further into their evil web if her own family don’t rescue her and the children before that happens. If the rumours of Matthew Waller being a witness are true maybe the Waller family will help. Anna needs strong people who aren’t scared of JB to stand behind her. 

[DalmatianCat]

30 minutes ago, Gobsmacked said:

 Once Josh is locked up and reality has hit Anna she is going to need a lot of help. Perhaps her parents will find their spines and help her then?  Sadly JB and meechelle will draw her further into their evil web if her own family don’t rescue her and the children before that happens.

Actually…I read the opposite into this. The Duggar parents being busy on vacation with their younger children during this pre-trial appearance seems like they’re slowly trying to distance themselves from Josh and just let his problems be his problems (and Anna’s, unfortunately).

[Antimony]

1 hour ago, apiscue said:

I look at the photo and think:

Smile Anna. Empty your mind. Just smile. 

I also see a smirk in some frames but in others, it seems like she's smelling a really bad smell but trying to pretend she isn't. 

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, Antimony said:

I also see a smirk in some frames but in others, it seems like she's smelling a really bad smell but trying to pretend she isn't. 

She's smirking. 

[Gobsmacked]

9 minutes ago, DalmatianCat said:

Actually…I read the opposite into this. The Duggar parents being busy on vacation with their younger children during this pre-trial appearance seems like they’re slowly trying to distance themselves from Josh and just let his problems be his problems (and Anna’s, unfortunately).

Wasn’t there a later date first muted for this court appearance? The date was brought forward ( woacb) The D parents possibly had this trip arranged for the younger kids already and didn’t want to disappoint them? Josh is a big boy he doesn’t need Daddy dearest to hold his hand.  I hope the trip is JBs’s excuse for pulling away from Josh. The younger kids need to be as far away from this mess as possible. 

[feministxtian]

I know the expression on Anna's face. It's "I hate your fucking guts but I'll keep up the fascade, for now".  I had that look every time I was out in public with #2 son's sperm donor

[Mela99]

I look at the photo and think:
Smile Anna. Empty your mind. Just smile. 

Makes me think of the episode of The Simpsons where they all get trapped in the school. Skinner freaks out and just says to himself “Leave your body, Seymour …”

Anna has left her body.

[Antimony]

25 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

She's smirking. 

I think she is, in general, too, but there's just a few things at play for me here in the Great Case of Interpreting The Smuggars' Expressions. The least serious is that whatever lip color she has on is making it really hard to see her expression in this quality of photo. It looks like she's opted for that 00's Foundationy-Lips look, but I don't think that's the case. (It's a weird, beige-y/dusty pink look all around, though.) It's also really hard to read expressions well from still shots. And then there's the general issue of the fact that nobody's face is reliable indicator of anything in most of these situations because it's a lose/lose...if Anna shows up, any face she makes is the wrong one. (But, I think it's fine for Snark. I just don't think it says a lot about like...her psychology or anything because it's a single grainy frame.) 

All that said, it's weird, isn't it? The hearing was a disaster for the defense. If these are shots of leaving court, they've got nothing but bad news (Franks hearing pending). There's just nothing worth smirking about. Maybe she held her face in a smirk for so long that it actually got stuck that way (this is the only time I might believe in that possibility). Maybe she literally cannot think of another facial expression because of the Cult of Countenance. Maybe she genuinely has no idea how to hold a poker face or she's going for those Sweet Sympathy Points (which are in Increasingly Short Supply these days). 

[BensAllergies]

It's completely within JB's nature to pay for the lawyers but not show up at court in show of support for his eldest because of how it would look publicly. Instead it's the DIL and her bump that get to play prop for the cameras.

[BensAllergies]

I can't snark on a pregnant woman's looks except to say that I hope she's getting proper medical care during all of this.

The unshaven look is an odd choice for Josh. It makes him look closer to age 40. I would have expected an attempt at looking more youthful but maybe he figured he looks like the young family man with a fertile, pregnant wife by his side.

[front hugs > duggs]

It's kind of amazing. They could literally keep their masks on for a few more minutes and we would have literally nothing to speculate about.

[Four is Enough]

12 hours ago, Tatar-tot said:

who wants to bet Anna has the kid at the Rebers?

That, IMHO, would be an extreme breach of good manners.

 

AFA the Duggars taking the "littles" away while child pornography and Josh are discussed in the same sentences, it makes perfect sense to me.. their pristine children can't be exposed to those wanton children's images  under any circumstances!

And NO, I don't believe it's a child's fault they're used in this way. Apparently the Duggars do, however. They are a bunch of sick fucks.

[TuringMachine]

I can't believe he was so dumb during the raid. I mean, I can those Duggar boys sure are arrogant, but still. You'd think the people he talked to to get these images would have given him advice on what to do if the feds come. You'd be hard pressed to find any burning man related group / forum / what have you that wasn't constantly telling you how to avoid getting caught with illegal substances and what to do if the blm (the government one) approaches or catches you. 

[Satan'sFortress]

35 minutes ago, BensAllergies said:

The unshaven look is an odd choice for Josh. It makes him look closer to age 40. I would have expected an attempt at looking more youthful but maybe he figured he looks like the young family man with a fertile, pregnant wife by his side.

I was also struck by his look. Unfortunately, appearance matters---I imagine more so if this goes to trial---and Josh looks very unkempt here. We all make judgements, even subconsciously, based on how another person looks to us. I know that facial hair is popular now, but folks of a certain age are going to look at him and see hair that needs to be cut and combed and a beard that looks like he hasn't shaved in a week.  He looks like a dirty old man.

[Alisamer]

47 minutes ago, front hugs > duggs said:

It's kind of amazing. They could literally keep their masks on for a few more minutes and we would have literally nothing to speculate about.

I'd think most people coming out of a courtroom would be happy to have masks on, be glad to keep them on, and would rush on into the car ASAP. I assume they are doing the "look at us we have nothing to hide" act but still - I'm surprised their lawyers didn't encourage them to keep masks on and mouths shut. 

[Idlewild]

What significance is Matthew Walker? Did he work for Josh? 

[viii]

I feel nothing but extreme pity for Anna. 

[Alisamer]

14 minutes ago, viii said:

I feel nothing but extreme pity for Anna. 

I feel pity for their kids. For Anna... a touch of pity along with a big helping of "open your eyes!"

I mean, she was raised believing that if she did everything right she'd be blessed and all would be wonderful and so now she probably blames herself a little and doesn't know what to do. But she has a brain. She has non-fundie siblings (and isn't one of them very well off?). I don't have a ton of compassion left for her at this point. She's stuck, sure, but she got herself stuck there. She's the one who keeps choosing to have baby after baby with her loser criminal cheating scumbag husband. 

If she tried to leave and was struggling, I'd have all the pity for her. But she's standing by her pedo husband, so right now I don't have much sympathy to give.