Prosecutor goes to jail for witholding evidence of innocence

[resolution]

usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/08/21373060-ex-texas-prosecutor-first-in-history-to-be-jailed-for-withholding-evidence?lite

A former Texas district attorney agreed Friday to serve 10 days in jail for withholding evidence that could have stopped an innocent man from going to prison for nearly 25 years — apparently the first time a prosecutor has been sent to jail for concealing evidence helpful to the defense.

Former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson agreed to a plea deal that will also require him to pay a $500 fine and complete 500 hours of community service after state District Judge Kelly Moore found him in contempt of court for telling a trial judge in 1987 that he had no exculpatory evidence to hand over to lawyers for Michael Morton, whose conviction in his wife's death was overturned in 2011.

So for the first time, a prosecutor has gone to jail for withholding evidence that could have cleared an innocent man.

The article goes on about how this is precedent shattering, but he is only serving 10 days in jail and the wrongly imprisoned man did 25 years. I don't think they should have made this plea deal and should have let this go to trial for the full 10 year sentence.

[sesfw]

So for the first time, a prosecutor has gone to jail for withholding evidence that could have cleared an innocent man.

This is great ..... but I wish the prosecutors sentence was a lot longer and in a penitentiary.  I wonder how many other times this has happened.  Ten years sounds good but a lot more money should go to the victim. 

$500 is pocket change for an attorney.

[mmhmm]

Wow, resolution!  While I'm glad something was done, I agree it doesn't seem near enough for the price paid by an innocent man.  I don't know what affect this might have on the future of the prosecutor, though.  That, I suppose, will remain to be seen.  I've never been fond of plea deals.  However, I'm certainly not versed in the law, or in why these things might happen.  I'd be interested to read the take of some of our "legal eagles".

[resolution]

He resigned his position as a judge in September and has been disbarred so I doubt he will ever do any legal work again. However he is 61 (the evidence withholding took place in 1987) so he was probably planning to retire soon anyway.

I wonder if this will have any impact on the trials he prosecuted or judged over the last 25 years. 

[mmhmm]

Nov 9, 2013 10:29:10 GMT -5 resolution said:

He resigned his position as a judge in September and has been disbarred so I doubt he will ever do any legal work again. However he is 61 (the evidence withholding took place in 1987) so he was probably planning to retire soon anyway.

I wonder if this will have any impact on the trials he prosecuted or judged over the last 25 years. 

I'd hope it would, at least, cause the PTB to take a good, long look, resolution.  If he did it once, there's no reason to assume he didn't do it more than once.

[Tennesseer]

A $500 fine and ten days in jail for withholding evidence that resulted in an innocent person spending nearly 25 years in prison.  That is pitiful.

The state of Texas will pay big bucks to this innocent guy.  Real justice would be the former prosecutor to pay a fine of $1,250,000 ($50,000 for every year the guy spent in jail) and the state make up whatever difference.  

A year in prison (with no chance for early release) wouldn't hurt either.

[workpublic]

no praise for fascist, police state, murdering state of texas for at least doing something?

i agree that the punishment was a joke though. the judge and his family should have their assets seized and given to the wrongfully convicted man.  the only way the bully greed class responds is to hits on their wallets, you can't shame them, they have no souls.

[Deleted]

 Twenty-five years of a man's life were stolen from him... for those twenty-five years he was imprisoned, deprived of the most basic liberties and opportunities, and surrounded with all manner of twisted, vicious people.
 And there's no telling just how many other potentially innocent accused individuals were "put away" by that same ethically-challenged prosecutor over the following 25 years. The idea that the corrupt prosecutor was then made a Judge... and presided over the prosecution and sentencing of countless accused people... is more than disturbing. 
 
 This is a textbook example of "miscarriage (and perversion) of Justice".
 It was a perfect opportunity to "make an example of" the corrupt "Justice" professional. The sentence handed down from the bench was inadequate and ineffectual at best... and provided other similarly-corrupt professional "Justice System" workers much reassurance that they need not fear any consequences for their misdeeds.

[EVT1]

Nov 9, 2013 14:08:49 GMT -5 workpublic said:

no praise for fascist, police state, murdering state of texas for at least doing something?

i agree that the punishment was a joke though. the judge and his family should have their assets seized and given to the wrongfully convicted man.  the only way the bully greed class responds is to hits on their wallets, you can't shame them, they have no souls.

I give them credit for the precedent setting slap on the wrist.  Too bad that is outweighed by the murder of innocent people the state commits in the name of the citizens. And worse too bad it isn't an isolated incident.

How any person- and I am especially looking at you right wingers- can trust the government to kill the right people is a mystery to me.  Yes- the right wing does not trust the government to touch health care- but is perfectly content with its ability to prosecute and execute the correct people 100% of the time.  Mighty trusting of you folks.