Chuck Williams: 'Kareem Lane' defends himself in the comments

Social media can be a powerful tool.

Just ask Lane Kareem — better known in Columbus as Kareem Lane.

Remember him? He walked out of the Columbus Government Center a free man Saturday afternoon when a Muscogee County Superior Court jury found him not guilty in the 1992 stabbing death of then-school superintendent Jim Burns.

Lane Kareem is the name Lane uses on Facebook, the most popular of the social medial sites. His Facebook account came into question last week when lead prosecutor George Lipscomb objected that posts made from Lane Kareem’s account violated a gag order Judge Bobby Peters had issued in the case.

Lane insisted he did not write the posts in question, but Lane didn’t answer the question on whether or not it was his page.

A post on a story published to the Ledger-Enquirer’s website Thursday night from “Lane Kareem” read: “If there is another hung jury, the defense will request that the charges be dismissed WITH prejudice. If granted, it’s over forever.”

Saturday afternoon Lane did not have to worry about a hung jury or a gag order. It is over forever based on the decision by the jury of eight women, four men, seven blacks and five whites.

Sunday Lane was back on the Ledger-Enquirer comments section, and left no doubt that was his Facebook page.

“Thanks for all the love and support from all of the ones who gave it,” Lane Kareem posted. “And just for the record, this is my (Kareem’s) FB account but it was set up by my wife and she sometimes posts on my site.”

And — not that it matters now — Lane said he and his wife, Carol, did not violate the gag order.

“ She or I have ever violated the terms of the now expired gag order which prohibited the lawyers, witnesses, defendant or judge for that matter from talking about the potential or actual EVIDENCE, TESTIMONY or SPECIFICS of the case PUBLICLY,” he posted.

Lane saved his sharpest words for the District Attorney’s Office and DA Julia Slater.

“I was baffled as to why Mr. Lipscomb was trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill by ASSUMING that I made a comment on the Ledger about the trial, an INNOCUOUS comment at that!” Lane wrote. “Those false accusations from the D.A.’s office were getting quite stale. This is why I am so thankful that the citizens of Columbus were not hoodwinked by Mrs. Slater’s office.”

You get the feeling Lane — who was arrested in 2010 — has been waiting a while to have his say?

“ What I find a bit troubling is how some people make PERSONAL attacks on my character when they haven’t even MET ME,” Lane wrote.

One thing Facebook does is give Lane the last word as he tells people to look at the “real evidence.”

“THEN one would come to the correct conclusion that Kareem Lane is: NOT GUILTY,” Lane said. “Thank you so much ladies and gentlemen of the jury for realizing this. I am INNOCENT!”

This story was originally published September 8, 2014 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Chuck Williams: 'Kareem Lane' defends himself in the comments."