SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  The Lounge    Texas Couple Exonerated 25 Years After Being Convicted of Lurid Crimes That Never Happened
Page 1 2 3 
Go
New
Find
Notify
Tools
Reply
  
Texas Couple Exonerated 25 Years After Being Convicted of Lurid Crimes That Never Happened Login/Join 
Member
posted Hide Post
Must be something in the water. Bear this in mind. The adjacent county to the north, Williamson county, has a bad reputation in this area.

You better walk right in Travis and Williamson County.

In Williamson County:

Greg Morton was released a couple of years ago after serving 25 years for crime he didn't commit. Murdering his wife. The prosecuting atty, who had become a judge, lost his judge position and I believe his law license for misconduct. What got me was the fact that the DAs office tried to block the dna testing of a piece of evidence over 20 yrs later. That seemed like a big red flag when 20 yrs later the current DA tries to block testing of old evidence using new methods. When it was tested, Morton was exonerated. Although dna evidence was available 25 yrs ago, it was not very advanced. It was determined that the DAs office concealed some other evidence from the defense iirc.

Then, a few weeks ago, a young man accused of child molestation was released because that case was not handled as it should have been. He's not proven innocent but another suspect was not investigated as he should have been. there was a question about a child's testimony. sure looks suspicious.

About 2 years ago, the DA at the time handed over a security film to the defense that was used to convict a suspect. The copy defense got had the time date imprint erased from the film. The DA, a woman, was under fire and accused carrying on the "good old boy" reputation of the Williamson county justice system. She either resigned or lost her election. Don't remember.

Morton was an engineer I believe, upper middle class. The young man was middle class. Both white. Don't know about the other fellow.

They don't appear to be racist in W county, just anxious to win and will take shortcuts to convict a suspect.
 
Posts: 1623 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: April 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Thank you
Very little
Picture of HRK
posted Hide Post
quote:
They don't appear to be racist in W county, just anxious to win and will take shortcuts to convict a suspect.


This is a hallmark of many a prosecutor, now I'm sure that there are some that are good, but for the most part I don't trust them, most are in it for the political gain to move up to state senators, or governor, other higher offices or jobs in big law firms.

Its bad enough in FL we just had to get laws passed to correct how prosecutors has prostituted the Stand Your Ground Defense, installing a clown court where you had to go first and prove your innocence before you could take the defense eliminating the burden of proof the government bears, guilty until you prove yourself innocent.

Thank god we have a R house, senate and Governor...
 
Posts: 24547 | Location: Gunshine State | Registered: November 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
His Royal Hiney
Picture of Rey HRH
posted Hide Post
What a nightmare. I know $1.7 million is a lot of money but I don't think you'll hear either of them will say it was worth what they went through. How very sad.



"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
 
Posts: 20200 | Location: The Free State of Arizona - Ditat Deus | Registered: March 24, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
His Royal Hiney
Picture of Rey HRH
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by maxdog:
Must be something in the water. Bear this in mind. The adjacent county to the north, Williamson county, has a bad reputation in this area.

You better walk right in Travis and Williamson County.

In Williamson County:

Greg Morton was released a couple of years ago after serving 25 years for crime he didn't commit. Murdering his wife. The prosecuting atty, who had become a judge, lost his judge position and I believe his law license for misconduct. What got me was the fact that the DAs office tried to block the dna testing of a piece of evidence over 20 yrs later. That seemed like a big red flag when 20 yrs later the current DA tries to block testing of old evidence using new methods. When it was tested, Morton was exonerated. Although dna evidence was available 25 yrs ago, it was not very advanced. It was determined that the DAs office concealed some other evidence from the defense iirc.

Then, a few weeks ago, a young man accused of child molestation was released because that case was not handled as it should have been. He's not proven innocent but another suspect was not investigated as he should have been. there was a question about a child's testimony. sure looks suspicious.

About 2 years ago, the DA at the time handed over a security film to the defense that was used to convict a suspect. The copy defense got had the time date imprint erased from the film. The DA, a woman, was under fire and accused carrying on the "good old boy" reputation of the Williamson county justice system. She either resigned or lost her election. Don't remember.

Morton was an engineer I believe, upper middle class. The young man was middle class. Both white. Don't know about the other fellow.

They don't appear to be racist in W county, just anxious to win and will take shortcuts to convict a suspect.


The way you pose the story, I think what explains these situations is not that the DA wants to screw an innocent person. The DA / investigator wants justice, gets locks in on a suspect, accepts all the evidence that points to that suspect and, at the same time, filters out or diminishes any evidence to the contrary.



"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
 
Posts: 20200 | Location: The Free State of Arizona - Ditat Deus | Registered: March 24, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of konata88
posted Hide Post
This doesn't sound like wanting justice. This sounds like wanting a metric.




"Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy
"A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book
 
Posts: 13187 | Location: In the gilded cage | Registered: December 09, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Rey, I suspect both ideas are right. Many attys are highly competitive and begin to see their world in terms of win vs loss column. Their win score becomes their focus instead of seeking justice. Throw in political aspirations and hubris and it becomes a bad situation.

I worked for a Texas county as a purchasing director. I got to know and observe the DA and her folks. We had one of the great ones. She was/is concerned with truth and justice.But lord help you if you were guilty. She had a very high conviction rate. She is dynamic and focused in the courtroom.

She doesn't seem to have further political aspirations and quitely does her job. Thhat's the way I would hope it would be. WIsh they were all like her.
 
Posts: 1623 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: April 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by maxdog: She was/is concerned with truth and justice.But lord help you if you were guilty. She had a very high conviction rate.


Genuine pursuit of the truth would seem to naturally lead to a high conviction rate.
 
Posts: 9062 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Baroque Bloke
Picture of Pipe Smoker
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by MNSIG:
There was a case in Jordan MN back in the late 80s where a daycare owner was accused of sexually abusing children. At the hands of an overzealous county attorney and creative psychologists it spread to the owners family and then something like 40 members of the community. In the end, it turned out to be fabrication. Something to keep in mind for those who want to put child molesters in the wood chipper without a trial.

That came to my mind too. Several people were indicted. When the prosecution case collapsed in the first trial, charges against the others were dropped. Thank God.



Serious about crackers
 
Posts: 9622 | Location: San Diego | Registered: July 26, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
To me, the most outrageous fact about any case that is being investigated years later is that a DA or any other authority would block retesting of evidence, especially when new and better testing methods have been developed. Any official who does this is immediatly suspect and deserves jail IMHO if the testing reveals an innocent man went to jail.
 
Posts: 1623 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: April 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Political Cynic
Picture of nhtagmember
posted Hide Post
if you want to read about some really abysmal behavior, go back and read about what Janet Reno did in Florida - that will turn your stomach and pretty much convince you that the best she deserves is a bullet to the brain



[B] Against ALL enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC


 
Posts: 53983 | Location: Tucson Arizona | Registered: January 16, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
The Unmanned Writer
Picture of LS1 GTO
posted Hide Post
Dale Akiki - San Diego

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wik...ch_ritual_abuse_case






Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.



"If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers

The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own...



 
Posts: 14220 | Location: It was Lat: 33.xxxx Lon: 44.xxxx now it's CA :( | Registered: March 22, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
Picture of Poacher
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by RHINOWSO:

$1.7M for 25 years of your life is a disgrace.


Copy that. Try $17M each




NRA Life Member

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Teddy Roosevelt
 
Posts: 2256 | Location: Newnan, GA USA | Registered: January 24, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Baroque Bloke
Picture of Pipe Smoker
posted Hide Post
Re: “The court filing Tuesday should pave the way for the Kellers to collect roughly $1.7 million each in state compensation for the 21 years they spent behind bars.”

Will they have to pay income tax on those “compensation” payments? I hope not…



Serious about crackers
 
Posts: 9622 | Location: San Diego | Registered: July 26, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Political Cynic
Picture of nhtagmember
posted Hide Post
that should be $1.7 million each, for each year - and if the place can't afford it, they can offset some of the penalty by incarcerating those that put them there - for at least 25 years



[B] Against ALL enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC


 
Posts: 53983 | Location: Tucson Arizona | Registered: January 16, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Oh stewardess,
I speak jive.
Picture of 46and2
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Poacher:
quote:
Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
$1.7M for 25 years of your life is a disgrace.

Copy that. Try $17M each

Indeed.

It's a pathetically low amount given the years of freedom that was stolen from them.

I would like such payments to be enormous, truly enormous, such that the pain from the payment itself is felt long and deep and it sufficiently discourages such shams of justice.

What's good for the goose, and all. It's like the adult, non sexual, equivalent to kid diddling by the govt, a heinous travesty for which there is no excuse, where the perpetrators have the proverbial book thrown at them, a career ender for all involved - as a start.

The casual and nearly unapologetic nature with which such things are handled is itself a terrible travesty, like they're doing those folks a favor by letting them finally go home. We (this country, civilized humanity, sane and just people, ought to do much, much better).
 
Posts: 25613 | Registered: March 12, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Wonder if they can sue the ex DA and all officials who acted improperly or incompetantly. Bankrupting the bastard DA would'nt be adequate compensation but sure would be a step in the right direction. I suppose the officials are protected under a govt umbrella.
 
Posts: 1623 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: April 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
principle of
Due Process
Picture of JALLEN
posted Hide Post
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." -- Voltaire




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
  Powered by Social Strata Page 1 2 3  
 

SIGforum.com    Main Page  Hop To Forum Categories  The Lounge    Texas Couple Exonerated 25 Years After Being Convicted of Lurid Crimes That Never Happened

© SIGforum 2024