In 2007, Robert Pickton, a pig farmer from British Columbia, Canada, was found guilty on six charges of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. Of course, his defense attorneys appealed. This past week, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the convictions and soon afterward the …
We’ve all seen courtroom dramas where the prosecutor asks the victim or another witness if the assailant is in the room. Without hesitation, the witness points to the defendant. It can be a devastating blow for the defense. Yet, eyewitness testimony may also exonerate an accused. Unfortunately, eyewitness testimony — regardless of who it favors …
In 1981, Raymond Towler was arrested and convicted for the rape of an 11-year-old girl. As so often happens in such cases, Towler insisted he was innocent, but he had no way to prove it. So Towler went to prison, where his sole exposure to the world was through a small television in his cell. …
Continue reading “Seeing the real world after twenty-nine years”
If Ronnie Lee Gardner gets his wish, he’ll meet the end of his life facing a firing squad. Gardner, convicted of murdering an attorney during his 1985 courthouse escape attempt, has requested execution by firing squad, and a Utah judge has given the OK. Utah has removed the firing squad option, but Gardner first made …
An hour before he was scheduled to be executed for a triple-murder which he claims he didn’t commit, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay of execution. Skinner is asking for DNA testing for previously untested evidence. Those tests could not only exonerate him but reveal the identity of the real murderer. Of course, the …
Continue reading “Hank Skinner can breathe easy … for a while at least”