Texan freed by DNA test after 25 years exonerated

[one...two...tree 2,762]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas appeals court on Wednesday formally exonerated a man who spent nearly 25 years in prison for his wife's 1986 fatal beating, reaffirming a judge's decision to set him free last week after DNA tests linked the killing to another man.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declared Michael Morton innocent of killing his wife, Christine, and made him eligible to receive $80,000 from the state for each year of confinement, or about $2 million total.

Morton, 57, was convicted on the basis of circumstantial evidence and sentenced to life in prison. He maintained over the years that his wife and their 3-year-old son were fine when he left for work at an Austin grocery store on the day she was killed, and that an intruder must have attacked her.

DNA found this summer during testing on a bloody bandanna recovered near the crime scene matched that of a man who authorities say has a criminal record in several states. When it was also matched to DNA recovered from the scene of a north Austin woman's 1988 unsolved beating death, prosecutors recommended that Morton be freed immediately.

Authorities have not publicly identified the suspect linked to the two killings because they say they are trying to locate and arrest him.

Morton was released Oct. 4, but not formally cleared of all charges until the Wednesday's ruling.

Nina Morrison, an attorney for the New York-based Innocence Project, which spent years fighting for the genetic testing of the evidence that wasn't possible during Morton's original trial, said she called Morton to tell him about the ruling.

"It's been an incredible week for him. Something he only dreamed about all those years in prison," she said. "He is so thrilled that the truth has finally come out. He's anxious to get on with his life."

Morrison said that John Bradley, the district attorney in Williamson County, where Morton was convicted, announced Wednesday he will not file new charges. Still, Morton technically remains on parole and won't be allowed to leave Texas until the appeals court's ruling takes effect in 30 days.

"But obviously, he knows now the courts have spoken," Morrison said. "The prosecutor in Williamson County has finally said he's innocent."

http://news.yahoo.com/texan-freed-dna-test-25-years-exonerated-204722760.html

[luckytxn 2,264]

Thank goodness and God bless this man. He will need a lot of help to readjust.

[Kang 22]

Last year, it was Anthony Graves and he was on death row. Bless the DA who dropped the charges

[luckytxn 2,264]

Last year, it was Anthony Graves and he was on death row. Bless the DA who dropped the charges

In the last few years there have been quite a few exoneration's and many that were on death row. I am liking the innocence project and think they should get more kudos.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Good news

It is also good that we do not have to worry about executing the wrong guy and reinforces the use of the death penalty.

Where DNA evidence IS available for convictions I see no reason the death penalty cannot be administered within 30 days of sentencing. The current science would allow the execution to proceed much quicker and save billions in tax dollars

[sandinista! 1,816]

In the last few years there have been quite a few exoneration's and many that were on death row. I am liking the innocence project and think they should get more kudos.

i like them too, but at the same time am deeply, deeply disturbed that they even exist, ya know? why is so much outside intervention required for a system that should work correctly without any outside assistance? for how much money is poured into it, the system's safety net should be adequate, rather than coming up short and relying on the safety net of an outside group like the ip. it's like the system's been given the green light to be sloppy and corrupt-it's all good, the ip will fix it if they screw up. no. not okay.

[sandinista! 1,816]

Good news

It is also good that we do not have to worry about executing the wrong guy and reinforces the use of the death penalty.

Where DNA evidence IS available for convictions I see no reason the death penalty cannot be administered within 30 days of sentencing. The current science would allow the execution to proceed much quicker and save billions in tax dollars

there is often more to the appeals process than dna. there are other factors pertaining to due process that may need to be addressed in the appeals process. dna is not the end all be all to the system by any means.

[Dakine10 5,452]

It's also very disturbing that this seems to be another case that involves prosecutorial misconduct, rather than just simple mistake(s) being made. If it's true, I hope the former D.A. gets what's coming to him, both in court and in hell.

[luckytxn 2,264]

i like them too, but at the same time am deeply, deeply disturbed that they even exist, ya know? why is so much outside intervention required for a system that should work correctly without any outside assistance? for how much money is poured into it, the system's safety net should be adequate, rather than coming up short and relying on the safety net of an outside group like the ip. it's like the system's been given the green light to be sloppy and corrupt-it's all good, the ip will fix it if they screw up. no. not okay.

I am disturbed also that these past years that these exoneration's have come down that I have found out about the prosecutorial misconduct and even the police misconduct to fabricate evidence when they even knew the person was innocent to get a conviction. I then found out that the system we have had in place that looks at new evidence and is supposed to see that justice is served is more than flawed. We put the panel in place by law to see that justice is done and it turns out that they were part of the problem.

I happen to know a retired detective and after the last few years and what he has told me has disgusted me. No remorse at all for their misconduct. I grew up thinking how the legal system was there for justice and now it seems that many times they are not. As this retiree told me once. "Well he was guilty of something so we have to pin something on him." I told him that he may have been a criminal but since he has now been convicted of a crime he hasn't done that a guilty man is now free that should not be so. That is not justice.

[웃 910]

It's also very disturbing that this seems to be another case that involves prosecutorial misconduct, rather than just simple mistake(s) being made. If it's true, I hope the former D.A. gets what's coming to him, both in court and in hell.

God told me He is going to punish the DA really bad. He's going to send him to one of the worst parts of hell.

[luckytxn 2,264]

God told me He is going to punish the DA really bad. He's going to send him to one of the worst parts of hell.

As he should be.

[Dakine10 5,452]

God told me He is going to punish the DA really bad. He's going to send him to one of the worst parts of hell.

God's talking to you now after all the stuff you've said about him? Did he at least smack you around a little bit before he told you that?

[The_Dude 1,142]

Good news

It is also good that we do not have to worry about executing the wrong guy and reinforces the use of the death penalty.

Where DNA evidence IS available for convictions I see no reason the death penalty cannot be administered within 30 days of sentencing. The current science would allow the execution to proceed much quicker and save billions in tax dollars

You see no reason to execute someone within 30 days of sentencing? What about due process, appeals? Or do you not actually respect the Constitution? Seems you are more republican and less libertarian than you think Gary.

i like them too, but at the same time am deeply, deeply disturbed that they even exist, ya know? why is so much outside intervention required for a system that should work correctly without any outside assistance? for how much money is poured into it, the system's safety net should be adequate, rather than coming up short and relying on the safety net of an outside group like the ip. it's like the system's been given the green light to be sloppy and corrupt-it's all good, the ip will fix it if they screw up. no. not okay.

Why did it take so much effort to free an innocent man? This is Tejas FFS, the guy is lucky that Gov. Perry didn't shoot him himself on his morning job.

[luckytxn 2,264]

You see no reason to execute someone within 30 days of sentencing? What about due process, appeals? Or do you not actually respect the Constitution? Seems you are more republican and less libertarian than you think Gary.

Why did it take so much effort to free an innocent man? This is Tejas FFS, the guy is lucky that Gov. Perry didn't shoot him himself on his morning job.

Perry has a morning job of shooting things?

[Leatherneck 693]

there is often more to the appeals process than dna. there are other factors pertaining to due process that may need to be addressed in the appeals process. dna is not the end all be all to the system by any means.

Overzealous DA's with zero to little concern of being punished for misconduct are the root of the problem and bad judges (many, former DA's) add to the problem.