True Crime Stories

This is another case that was recommended to me that surprisingly I had never heard of, even considering all of the things that have been in the news the last few months and days. Researching this case also opened the door to several other cases to research as it appears that the current prosecutor in Philadelphia, Larry Krasner, has uncovered “gross misconduct” in many cases that took place in the city. Actually I found my way to an exoneration website and it appears that this is occurring all over the country. Apparently several drug cases out of Chicago have been thrown out and convictions overturned and thrown out due to the misconduct of a police officer who was found to have doctors results. It is not exactly clear what happened to cause Krasner to look into past cases but I have to say that he is looking to be one of the “good guys.” I can only imagine the gruff he is likely taking however. A new division has been created called The Conviction Integ...

Going into this case I was unsure what to make the title Almost always the title reflects the perpetrator of a crime, even those who have been exonerated. When there are several perpetrators I generally will title the blog “The murder of....' or if the perpetrators have garnered a nickname, such as The West Memphis Three, I will title the blog that way. Kennedy Brewer's case cannot be told without also talking about the Levon Brooks case. The two crimes were mirror images of each other and just as Brewer would be convicted, so had Brooks. Their story cannot be told without the story of Justin Johnson, the man who was the actual perpetrator of the crimes that Brewer and Brooks would be convicted. Then there is the story of forensic odontologist, Michael West. He testified at the trials of both Brewer and Brooks and not only would he be suspended from the Board of Forensic Odontology, he would later say himself, “I no longer believe in bite-mark analysis.” ...

When someone is exonerated for a crime they have been convicted of, but later found not to have committed (or at least enough evidence does not exist anymore to prove guilt), there are other injustices' aside from the incarceration of an innocent person. First of course there is the pain and suffering the innocent person's family has had to endure. There is the issue of public opinion of those convinced the defendant was guilty, with or without a conviction, or an exoneration. When the innocent person has children prior to being incarcerated, those children suffer not just generally financially but from the loss of having their parent in their lives. Many of those children move on, because let's be honest, what else can they do? But, there is always a void and many exonerated individuals have difficulty reconnecting with their children when they are released. But, even more than that I feel as if the victims of the crimes get lost in the shuffle as headlines domin...

The case of Seth Penalver has brought to mind many issues I have with not just the justice system, but also the injustices of the system, not just to those like Seth, who are later found to be innocent but just to the former inmate in general.  As a society we complain about how criminals so often end up back in jail because they have reoffended but we do not talk about why they often do so.   I have seen first hand someone who spent over a decade in prison for a crime they committed be simply released out into the world, with nothing.  In fact, the person I know that this occurred with was supposed to remain under supervision upon his release from prison.  His sentenced had required that his first three years would be served on house arrest, as well as a term of probation for ten years.  No family member was in a position to take this man in so he was to go to a half way house. A prison official took him there.  Except, no one apparently checked with the...

It is not unusual to find a case in which there is much disagreement among people as to the outcome.  Regardless of any legal decision you can almost always find people who both agree, and disagree with the outcome.  It is rare however, to have a case legally end in the way that this one has.  We hear of cases of prosecution or investigative misconduct; we hear theories of the planting of evidence; we hear people fight repeatedly that they did not receive a fair trial.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I often fall into these categories myself.  I believe it is basic human nature.  There have often been cases in which I have openly said that the defendant, whether I believed to be guilty or innocent, had not received a fair trial.  Sometimes the court agrees, but more often than not they do not agree with that concept.  Even more rare than seeing a conviction overturned (without another suspect or guilty party waiting in the...