The Prosecution Rests, but I Can’t

[groovedaddy]

I SPENT 18 years in prison for robbery and murder, 14 of them on death row. I’ve been free since 2003, exonerated after evidence covered up by prosecutors surfaced just weeks before my execution date. Those prosecutors were never punished. Last month, the Supreme Court decided 5-4 to overturn a case I’d won against them and the district attorney who oversaw my case, ruling that they were not liable for the failure to turn over that evidence — which included proof that blood at the robbery scene wasn’t mine.

Because of that, prosecutors are free to do the same thing to someone else today.

I was arrested in January 1985 in New Orleans. I remember the police coming to my grandmother’s house — we all knew it was the cops because of how hard they banged on the door before kicking it in. My grandmother and my mom were there, along with my little brother and sister, my two sons — John Jr., 4, and Dedric, 6 — my girlfriend and me. The officers had guns drawn and were yelling. I guess they thought they were coming for a murderer. All the children were scared and crying. I was 22.

They took me to the homicide division, and played a cassette tape on which a man I knew named Kevin Freeman accused me of shooting a man. He had also been arrested as a suspect in the murder. A few weeks earlier he had sold me a ring and a gun; it turned out that the ring belonged to the victim and the gun was the murder weapon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/opinion/10thompson.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

[littlewolf]

1. That is sooooo wrong ....

can you appeal that decision ? the DA needs be held accountable ....
in NC they disbarred a DA for much less .... WTF ....

[Angry Dragon]

2. He must not have gotten the memo about the tiered

justice system in this country.........


There are so many things wrong with this country and most have to do with how rich or famous you are, the color of your skin.

[pansypoo53219]

3. dred scott was revisited.

so should this. but with eyes, maybe these prosecutors need to RETIRE.

[varkam]

4. What these prosecutors did should be a crime, pure and simple.

There's was not a good faith violation of Brady -- they buried clearly exculpatory evidence to railroad Mr. Thompson. That shouldn't just be something you get retired for, or lose your license over, but you should go to prison for that.