The Power of Prosecutors: Hiding evidence that would have exonerated a man who was convicted.
Back in 1987, Michael Morton was convicted of murdering his wife. Upon being led to prison, he vowed that he was innocent, telling onlookers "I did not do this."
After almost 25 years in prison, DNA evidence proved that Morton was innocent, with samples connecting a different male to his wife's slaying. Morton was freed on Oct. 4, 2011, and "60 Minutes" brought his case into the national spotlight on Sunday.
<snip>
As the case wore on, Morton and his attorneys sensed that there was evidence that would have exonerated him. But they were never given full access to the police reports in the prosecutor's file.
Morton and his original trial lawyers always suspected there was evidence that would have helped establish his innocence, that [Williamson County District Attorney Ken] Anderson wasn't telling them about. But they were never given full access to the police reports in the prosecutor's file. It wasn't until recently, after years of legal wrangling, that lawyers Barry Scheck and Nina Morrison of The Innocence Project, and John Raley, a private attorney in Houston, finally got a look at Anderson's file from the original trial.
John Raley: It was one of those moments where you almost f-- you almost faint. To hold in my hand a copy of a document that the district attorney at the time had and didn't tell anybody about it on the defense side...
Lara Logan: That document would've proved what?
John Raley: Would've proved that Michael Morton is innocent.
<snip>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/michael-morton-60-minutes_n_1378773.html
More about real perpetrator:
GEORGETOWN — Mark Alan Norwood, a 57-year-old Bastrop resident, was arrested today and charged with the 1986 murder of Christine Morton. Michael Morton, her husband, was exonerated of her murder last month after spending nearly 25 years in prison, when DNA connected Norwood to the Morton murder and to the murder of another Austin woman, Debra Masters Baker.
Williamson County Sheriffs Office Sgt. John Foster said Norwood was arrested at his Bastrop home and that police had known his whereabouts since his DNA was identified in August. He is being held on a capital murder charge; his bond is set at $750,000.
http://tinyurl.com/6sglaqv
This is appalling and scarey. He knew Morton was innocent.
The women who were murdered afterwards by the real killer are on his head.
= new reply since forum marked as read
