Don't get wrongly convicted in North Carolina *UPDATE*

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#1 Post by **Kyocera** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 6:49 pm

This poor guy was released not long ago, wrongly convicted of rape, DNA cleared him. Now click the link and see how bad luck follows him:

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1961294/

#2 Post by **ryengineer** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:44 pm

Poor guy, life is indeed full of surprises.

dsvochak · #3 Post by **dsvochak** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:39 pm

The title should be "don't get wrongly convicted of a crime anywhere". Which I why I have doubts about the death penalty.

The other part is just life. If he hadn't been in jail, child support would have been an issue. He may not have had the money, but that's another question.

I don't think there's any sane person who would spend a year in prison for $20,000.

#4 Post by **jdhurst** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:41 pm

dsvochak wrote:<snip> Which I why I have doubts about the death penalty. <snip>

Long, long long eliminated in Canada. And there are now famous cases (with millions in compensation attached) of wrongly convicted people who might otherwise have been executed.

Something like 1 in 7 people executed in the US were wrongly convicted.
... JDH

dsigma6 · #5 Post by **dsigma6** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:41 am

The child's mother needs a tall glass of akright.

#6 Post by **Kyocera** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:02 am

Seems to me she should be sueing the State, not him. They put him in the predicament, they should be bailing him out (no pun intended) totally of any consequences that evolve around this crime of going to prison when you are innocent (I believe those that put an innocent person in jail should be prosecuted and serve time that seems like the only way to curtail this kind of tradgedy).

ajkula66 · #7 Post by **ajkula66** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:01 pm

But notice who is the mother's employer....now that's the cynicism of the fate to the highest degree...and not only of fate...

Kyocera has an interesting approach regarding people screwing up others' lives having to serve time, but many other things would need to change before that can be implemented, or no one would want to work in law enforcement/DA office/etc...

Once upon a time, doctor's main concern has been the well-being of his patients(s). Nowadays, it's the avoiding the malpractice lawsuits.

All of this said, I'm still pro-death penalty...but that's a whole another ball game.

#8 Post by **Kyocera** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:12 pm

George, I'm in NC, the state where a DA just served some jail time for the Duke LaCrosse rape case that was all over the nation. There is something wrong in NC, taxpayers are footing the bill for a lot of incompetence.

ajkula66 · #9 Post by **ajkula66** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:07 pm

Mike,

Point well taken...stuff like that makes me happy that I've left New York which is an unique combination of incompetence and arrogance...very deadly...

Stuff like this makes you wonder whether our founding fathers have any peace in their graves, or they're just turning like prop engines 24/7/365...

dsvochak · #10 Post by **dsvochak** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:11 pm

"I believe those that put an innocent person in jail should be prosecuted..."

The US Attorney and another US government employee who were involved in the first anti-terrorist case tried after 9/11 are currently on trial in Detroit for assorted crimes related to that case. The convictions in the anti-terrorist case were overturned. So it's happened at least once.

The mother's employer is not employed by the former district attorney. The mother's attorney "...works in the same law office as...the former district attorney".

jdhurst--I say with some pride that the State of Michigan has never had the death penalty. People have been executed in Michigan for Federal Crimes where they were convicted in Federal Court.

"There is something wrong in NC..." NC isn't that special. There's something wrong all over. People are convicted and sent to prison for things they didn't do on a daily basis. And as jdhurst pointed out, some are even executed for things they didn't do.

Don't say "It couldn't happen here" or "It couldn't happen to me". Dwayne Dail probably would have said that 19 years ago.

#11 Post by **Kyocera** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:51 pm

Then there's always O.J. the other side of the coin. I would think that more guilty walk than innocents get convicted, but it is hard to tell really. This guy here just got kind of a double whammy, he's got to be looking up at the sky, (like good ole Al Bundy9) and saying "gee thanks god".

anthean · #12 Post by **anthean** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:14 pm

Kyocera wrote:I would think that more guilty walk than innocents get convicted, but it is hard to tell really.

Probably true.

But in Commentaries on the Laws of England (1769), William Blackstone wrote that "the law holds that it is better that ten guilty persons escape, than that one innocent suffer."

You don't hear that much anymore.

#13 Post by **rkawakami** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:53 pm

The local newspaper here in San Jose, the Mercury News ("Murky News"), ran a series of articles early last year about how some of the Santa Clara County (SCC) prosecutions were "tainted":

(may require site registration for some links)
http://www.mercurynews.com/taintedtrials
http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/justice/justice.html

The latest piece of news out of this investigation is that a few days ago (10/20) one of the SCC prosecutors is now facing disciplinary charges for withholding evidence and ignoring court orders. There apparently was a "win at all costs" culture in the prosecutor's office according to the new district attorney.

Here's one of the cases in a nutshell:

PRISON, EXONERATION AND COMPENSATION

• Rick Walker was convicted of killing an ex-girlfriend in 1991 after a co-defendant cut a deal with prosecutors.
• He spent nearly 12 years in prison before an investigation by a family friend turned up new evidence, winning Walker his freedom in 2003. Prosecutors apologized to Walker.
• In 2004, another man pleaded guilty in connection with the slaying of Walker's ex-girlfriend.
• Friday (Sept 28, 2007), Santa Clara County officials approved a settlement paying Walker $2.75 million.

mattbiernat · #14 Post by **mattbiernat** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:58 pm

jdhurst wrote:
Something like 1 in 7 people executed in the US were wrongly convicted.
... JDH

heard a rumor that it was more like 30% in texas when George bush was the governor. but yet again it might be just that - a rumor.

losmeme · #15 Post by **losmeme** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:19 pm

George, I'm in NC, the state where a DA just served some jail time for the Duke LaCrosse rape case that was all over the nation. There is something wrong in NC, taxpayers are footing the bill for a lot of incompetence.

Like the other recent case of wrongfull incarceration here in NC. A man was charged, but never convicted, for a murder. His mental health was in question, so instead of giving him a court trial, he was locked up for 14 years in the state mental institution without ever having been convicted of a crime. His family wasn't even allowed to take this man off site for supervised visits, as he should have been eligible for.

This state even practiced forced sterlizations for the crime of "Moral Ineptitude" up until 1973. Yes, something is VERY wrong in North Carolina.

#16 Post by **Kyocera** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:36 pm

http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2208115/

Case dismissed! Wow there is hope for a damaged justice system here

dsvochak · #17 Post by **dsvochak** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:54 pm

He may still have to pay something. From the story:

...he said he could not comment on the deal but was happy the matter was resolved.

On the other hand, I now agree that "There is something wrong in NC".

Under "Most Viewed" to the right of the story there is this:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2201154/
about a different case

"This is a very unusual case," Gerding said. "Almost unbelievable, at first blush."

Maybe kyocera can explain it but it sure seems like a lot of strange stuff happens in NC.

#18 Post by **Kyocera** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:58 pm

LOL, don't you love the poor guys getting sexually assualted story?

skitty4gzus · #19 Post by **skitty4gzus** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 9:07 pm

it is extremely disheartening to hear of folks wrongly imprisoned. i also live in Michigan, and im disappointed that my state i currently live in does not support the death penalty. enough said about that. here is where i get called crazy, stupid, naive, etc...... there was, is and always will be sin in the world. while not all sin leads to crimes, almost every crime is a sin. the more we take God out of the equation, the worse things will get. the closer we get to end times the worse things are going to get, but it doesn't help that we shoot ourselves in the foot and remove God from everything. how sad it is to me that we take down the 10 commandments from everything and now it is offensive or whatever to some folks to put Merry Christmas on anything. well MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Don't get wrongly convicted in North Carolina UPDATE

Don't get wrongly convicted in North Carolina UPDATE

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