Tag Archives: innocence

Anthony Robinson named to crime lab LGC

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent choice. The latest appointment to the city’s crime lab oversight board brings a unique perspective to the post. Anthony Robinson spent 10 years in prison for a rape he did not commit before being exonerated by the kind of … Continue reading →

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We need a Conviction Integrity Unit in Harris County

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the DMN: Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins has gained a national reputation for spearheading prisoner exonerations. As he prepares to seek a third term, Watkins said Thursday he wants to expand on that role and add a few … Continue reading →

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Ken Anderson accepts a plea deal

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Some closure in the Michael Morton case. Former Williamson County State District Judge Ken Anderson, who oversaw the wrongful murder conviction of Michael Morton as a prosecutor, was sentenced to nine days in jail on Friday and will surrender his … Continue reading →

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Interview with Anthony Robinson

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

If you’ve followed the news at all in Texas over the past decade or so you’re familiar with the large number of convicted inmates who have been subsequently freed after being exonerated by DNA evidence. That’s the story of District … Continue reading →

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State Bar seeks sanctions against Ken Anderson

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Seems reasonable to me. Arguing that a trial is no longer needed, the State Bar of Texas has asked a judge to summarily rule that former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson engaged in professional misconduct by hiding evidence in … Continue reading →

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Michael Morton Act signed into law

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. With exoneree Michael Morton by his side, Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday signed a measure that aims to avoid wrongful convictions by preventing prosecutors from suppressing evidence. “This is a major victory for integrity and fairness in our … Continue reading →

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Court of inquiry issues arrest warrant for Ken Anderson

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. A judge issued an arrest warrant for former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson Friday, after finding probable cause to believe Anderson withheld critical evidence in Michael Morton’s 1987 murder trial. Judge Louis Sturns concluded his court of inquiry … Continue reading →

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Reciprocal discovery

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a bit of controversy brewing over one of the criminal justice reforms that have been proposed. The bill at issue was filed on deadline day. Senate Bill 1611 would enact uniform discovery requirements in criminal cases across Texas. It … Continue reading →

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Jefferson pushes for judicial reforms

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Most of what Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson had to say to the Lege during his biennial address was good stuff that I hope the Lege will heed. Presenting his State of the Judiciary speech to Texas lawmakers, … Continue reading →

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Court of inquiry concludes

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The court of inquiry that was examining the behavior of then-prosecutor Ken Anderson has concluded with Anderson’s testimony in his defense. Having seen what he had to say for himself, I find myself not terribly sympathetic to him or his … Continue reading →

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The court of inquiry

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Going on this week is a court of inquiry in the matter of Williamson County Judge Ken Anderson, who was the District Attorney that won a conviction against Michael Morton for the murder of his wife, Christine, which as we … Continue reading →

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In praise of CODIS

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We’re catching more crooks thanks to DNA. Not exactly an earth-shattering revelation, but it’s always nice to have some numbers. The number of Texas crimes solved after a suspect’s DNA matched with offenders’ DNA samples stored in the national repository … Continue reading →

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Arson review moving forward

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A long-awaited review of old Texas arson cases — an unprecedented search for wrongful convictions based on bad fire investigation science — is picking up speed and will probably produce the first results in January, participants said [last] Friday. … Continue reading →

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Hampton going after Keller

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I wish him the best of luck. The ethics behind Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller’s decision to shut the doors on a death penalty appeal are resurfacing as her opponent launches a contentious campaign against her. Democratic … Continue reading →

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Beating Bradley

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman writes about the aftermath of the GOP primary for District Attorney in Williamseon County where voters resoundingly threw out John Bradley. Michael Morton wasn’t on the ballot, didn’t campaign and didn’t back a candidate, but the recently exonerated … Continue reading →

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The exoneration that wasn’t

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but I’d forgotten about this. A Texas judge who reviewed the controversial 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham planned to posthumously exonerate the father who was put to death for killing his three daughters in … Continue reading →

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Why better eyewitness ID procedures matter

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Because bad eyewitness ID procedures can lead to the wrong people being executed. State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, stopped short of claiming Texas wrongfully executed suspect Carlos DeLuna for the February 1983 murder of store … Continue reading →

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“Open letter to Williamson County”

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

John Raley is the attorney who worked for years to exonerate Michael Morton on the charge of murdering his wife in 1987. The key to the case was a bloody bandana, which DNA testing showed belonged to the real killer. … Continue reading →

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Court of inquiry appointed in Morton case

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe now we’ll get some answers. A special court will examine whether Georgetown District Judge Ken Anderson acted improperly when, as Williamson County’s district attorney in 1987, he prosecuted Michael Morton for a murder the authorities now acknowledge he did … Continue reading →

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Court of inquiry recommended in Morton case

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson should face a court of inquiry to examine allegations that he hid evidence that could have spared Michael Morton from a wrongful murder conviction and almost 25 years in prison, a state … Continue reading →

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“Beyond DNA”

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The Dallas Observer has a good story about the state of the exoneration business now that most of the cases involving DNA have been handled. Since Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins took office in 2007, incidents of wrongfully convicted … Continue reading →

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Grievances filed over Morton case

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. The Texas Coalition on Lawyer Accountability (TCLA) announced that its Executive Director, Julie Oliver, is today filing disciplinary grievances against prosecutors in the Michael Morton case: current Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley; former Williamson County District Attorney (and … Continue reading →

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It’s a long way to Damascus

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib has a good story about Williamson County DA John Bradley, whom you may recall as Rick Perry’s chief hatchet man on the Forensic Science Commission, and his apparent conversion to open-mindedness in the wake of the DNA exoneration … Continue reading →

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The science of fire

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Great story about how scientists have been figuring out what really happens when a building burns, and why so much arson “evidence” is bunk: At laboratories throughout the United States—some large enough to contain a three-story house—researchers have been lighting … Continue reading →

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Moving on from the Willingham case

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s time to move to the next phase and make something good happen. A state investigation into the science used to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham came to a quiet close Friday, but its results might echo across the … Continue reading →

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Investigating the DA

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

There may be something interesting going on in the grand jury room. A Houston grand jury apparently investigating recent allegations about the Houston Police Department’s troubled mobile alcohol-testing vehicles may now be setting its sights on the Harris County District … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission accepts its neutering

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another victory for the forces of obstructionism. Whether they like it or not, members of the Texas Forensic Science Commission [Thursday] agreed that they will use an attorney general’s opinion that severely limits the panel’s jurisdiction as a guideline for … Continue reading →

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AG rules Willingham case off limits for Forensic Science Commission

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The last shovelful of dirt is thrown. The Texas Forensic Science Commission’s investigation of the science used to convict Cameron Todd Willingham — executed in 2004 for an arson that killed his three children — may be at an end … Continue reading →

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One good thing that can be said about this session

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A fair number of innocence-related bills have been passed this session. Some of them might have been passed in 2009 had it not been for the voter ID-killing chubfest, for others it was just that the stars finally aligned. Grits … Continue reading →

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Prior bad acts

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about this. In what critics say could be a “seismic change” in state criminal law, the Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill that would allow jurors in sexual assault cases to hear testimony about similar allegations against … Continue reading →

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Draft Willingham report is out

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Postcards: A draft report issued today by the Texas Forensic Science Commission on the evidence used to convict and execute Cameron Todd Willingham focuses on training and education initiatives for fire investigators and makes several suggestions for continued improvement for … Continue reading →

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Bradley’s mission nears its completion

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

John Bradley won’t get confirmed by the Senate as the Chair of the Forensic Science Commission, but that’s all right. The purpose for which he was put on the Commission by Rick Perry is about to be fulfilled. Perry, who … Continue reading →

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House eyewitness ID bill passes

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Another step forward. The Texas House, aiming to reduce the number of wrongful convictions, approved legislation Wednesday that would require law enforcement agencies to begin standardizing the way eyewitnesses identify criminal suspects. The unanimously approved bill would require police to … Continue reading →

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Eyewitness ID reform passes the Senate

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. As approved 31-0 by senators, Senate Bill 121 by state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, will require law enforcement agencies in Texas to adopt best-practice standards for eyewitness identification — in both photo and live lineups — where there is … Continue reading →

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