Op-ed from juror who sent innocent man to jail
Apr 27, 2024 1:22:47 GMT
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Post by CrepedCrusader on Apr 27, 2024 1:22:47 GMT
This one's for the people who support the death penalty. The Republican former Chief Justice, the former state Attorney General, and the prosecutor who presided over the original trial all agree the guy should get a new trial. The state of Alabama is like, "Lol, nah, he's staying on death row, bro."
Op-ed: I voted to send a man to death row. It turns out he is innocent.
www.al.com/opinion/2024/04/op-ed-i-voted-to-send-a-man-to-death-row-it-turns-out-he-is-innocent.html
Copy/pasting is a pain on mobile, but here's the most relevant part, IMO:
Op-ed: I voted to send a man to death row. It turns out he is innocent.
www.al.com/opinion/2024/04/op-ed-i-voted-to-send-a-man-to-death-row-it-turns-out-he-is-innocent.html
Copy/pasting is a pain on mobile, but here's the most relevant part, IMO:
There was no physical evidence against Mr. Johnson and no eyewitnesses claimed to see him at the scene of the crime. I joined the other jury members in voting to convict based on the testimony of one witness, a woman who claimed that she overheard him confess to the crime during a three-way-call that she eavesdropped on. Our decision relied so heavily on this witness’s credibility, but now I know something critical was hidden from Mr. Johnson’s legal team for nearly 20 years: this witness was paid $5,000 for her testimony. It turns out that she was the state’s witness in many other cases as well, and we never knew about it.
This is one of the many reasons why conservative politicians, judges, the former trial prosecutor and now me and two other jurors are asking for a new trial. At a new trial, an informed jury can hear what we didn’t: all of the evidence. I am convinced and know in my heart that Mr. Johnson is innocent. But I believe a full and fair trial is the only way to prove it.
This is one of the many reasons why conservative politicians, judges, the former trial prosecutor and now me and two other jurors are asking for a new trial. At a new trial, an informed jury can hear what we didn’t: all of the evidence. I am convinced and know in my heart that Mr. Johnson is innocent. But I believe a full and fair trial is the only way to prove it.
