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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTexas prosecutor will serve 10 days in jail for wrongfully convicting man imprisoned for 25 years
Former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson did not disclose evidence to the defense in a case 27 years ago, and will spend 10 days in a county jail.
As a consequence of that misconduct, though, Michael Morton spent 25 years in prison for the murder of his wife Christine, a crime he did not commit, for which he was exonerated by DNA evidence last year.
Christine Mortons actual killer, Mark Alan Norwood, was convicted of her murder earlier this year, and is now indicted for killing another woman in Austin two and a half years after Christines death.
Mortons defenders from the Innocence Project hailed the legal precedent set Friday by Andersons plea deal allowing for a contempt charge for failing to disclose exculpatory evidence. Every state and federal judge can issue such an order tomorrow and deter those few prosecutors who would otherwise deliberately violate their ethical and legal duties, said Barry Scheck, Co-Director of the Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Cardozo School of Law. After suffering 25 years in prison as an innocent man, Michael Morton has courageously fought to hold Ken Anderson accountable and to prevent anyone from being victimized by similar misconduct. Today was an important first step.
Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/09/texas-prosecutor-will-serve-10-days-in-jail-for-wrongfully-convicting-man-imprisoned-for-25-years/
exboyfil
(17,857 posts)Disgusting
frogmarch
(12,145 posts)DA Ken Anderson should spend 25 years behind bars for not disclosing the exculpatory evidence! Asshole! He should be forced to serve the same amount of time Michael Morton did after being wrongly convicted of killing his wife.
kcr
(15,300 posts)It's a joke of a sentence. What an awful miscarriage of justice. I read about this earlier.
Ilsa
(61,675 posts)during those ten days.
Note that I never said "rape".
Cicada
(4,533 posts)the events 25 years ago can't be prosecuted now
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)Catherine Vincent
(34,485 posts)The other woman that was killed probably would have been spared had this attorney did what he was supposed to do and the authorities would have gone after the right guy.