Judge Mathis to decide~~

I wrote about this case in my blog when it first happened.
It made me think about why someone would save their leg.
Now it seems as if some strange custody arrangement is being
worked out, with the final decision being given to Judge Mathis,
who has his own television show where the two men will argue
their case for right to the severed leg~~!


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TV judge to decide who gets amputated leg

By Eric Connor, The Greenville (S.C.) News

Shannon Whisnant has said all along he was willing to go to court for the right to keep John Wood's severed leg.

Sure enough, a judge will soon decide who gets custody of the Simpsonville man's amputated limb, which was found stored in a barbeque smoker mistakenly sold during a mini-storage public auction.

Judge Mathis, that is.

The nationally syndicated Judge Mathis court show, which has aired since 1999, features former Michigan Superior Court judge Greg Mathis.

Plaintiffs and defendants sign an agreement beforehand that stipulates that Mathis' decision is final and legally binding. The judge often pokes fun at both parties and allows sensationalistic courtroom outbursts as he listens to both sides.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: John Wood | Maiden | Judge Mathis | Shannon Whisnant

Wood and Whisnant — the Maiden, N.C., man who claims he owns the leg because he bought it and now wants to charge admission to see it — are headed to Chicago for a Friday taping of the show, both men said.

Neither would elaborate on their appearance on the show. Whisnant declined further comment. On Monday, Wood said he'd like for any money that comes from the publicity to be given to local charity.

He said news organizations worldwide have expressed interest in the story. A German television station offered to fly the two men to Frankfurt this week, he said.

It's only the latest odd turn in a two-week-long ordeal that has made worldwide headlines and brought an overwhelming wave of publicity for two men unknowingly thrust together after a public auction at a private mini-storage.

Wood's leg was amputated above the knee after a plane crash in 2004 that killed his father.

Instead of disposing of the leg, Wood decided to keep it so that it could be cremated with him when he dies. He stored it in a freezer for a while, then hung it on a fencepost, before stowing it in a barbeque smoker that was among his belongings housed in a Maiden Plaza Mini Storage unit.

Wood landed in financial trouble, and two weeks ago his belongings were sold during a public auction. Whisnant bought the smoker among other items. When he got the smoker home, he opened it and found the leg and foot wrapped.

At first, Whisnant said he thought it was a piece of driftwood, until a liquid oozed from the leg onto his hand. He called 911, told the dispatcher he was "grossed out" and surrendered the leg to authorities, who gave the leg to a funeral home to take care of.

After ruling out foul play, the funeral home contacted Wood to come pick up his leg, which the funeral embalmed.

However, Whisnant saw the publicity that Wood's story received and decided he wanted the leg back so that he could charge admission for people to see it.

He already has charged $3 for adults and $1 for children to view the smoker. Whisnant said he wanted to "write some books and do some movies."

Last week, Maiden police gave the leg back to Wood, over Whisnant's objections.

Whisnant said he has a receipt to prove ownership. Whisnant offered to allow Wood joint custody of the leg and said he?d make sure the leg would be cremated with Wood eventually.

Maiden Police Capt. Tracy Ledford said authorities decided to hand the leg over to Wood because Whisnant had already given it up.

Whisnant and Wood met briefly last week but didn't settle the issue.

© Copyright 2007 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-10-10-amputated-leg_N.htm


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blessings,
Zoe

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