Bernard Webster went to jail when he was 19 years old in 1982 for rape.The victim was a white woman who described her attacker as a black male, dark complexion, and close cropped hair. Bernard was locked up based on what eye witnesses saw. The DNA testing proved that Bernard was not the attacker. However the evidence did not hold up in court. 20 years later lawyer Michelle Nethercott leader of Innocence Project in Baltimore decided to take a closer look in the case. She saw that the victim and the eye witness' testimonies did not make sense and were not strong. After proving that there were bad witnesses Nethercott also proved with DNA testing there was no way that Webster was capable of the alleged crime. Bernard Webster was set free in 2002.
Cases like this outrage me!There are too many people who are imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. I don't understand how a jury could agree on some of these cases when there is faulty evidence. Our justice system needs to do a better job at picking a jury. They also need to pay public defenders more so that the lawyers try harder for their client. Nethercott did not do anything special in this case. She just did her job and did it very well. That is how every all lawyers should be that way. Everyone needs to work harder to improve our system.
3 comments:
I completely agree with you! There have been too many cases I have heard like this where innocent people are convicted of serious crimes and put away for many years, or even life. How could the court be so stupid to put a man away whose DNA did not even match up with the DNA that was in the victim.
The Baltimore Sun stated that, " The DNA law, which took effect in 2001, allows judges to order DNA testing for people serving sentences for murder and rape when that testing could prove their innocence.
Webster will be the third person in Maryland - the 115th nationwide - to have a conviction overturned by DNA evidence, according to the Innocence Project at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City, a nonprofit legal clinic that seeks to identify and free people who have been wrongly convicted."
Excellent comment. I looked up some news items on this topic as well. It seems that Texas has the biggest issue with jailed people (mostly minorities) being found innocent through DNA testing years later.
I also think it's fascinating that your mother works with the Innocence Project. Maybe you could discuss the work she does in a blog - interview her, etc.
Do you think you might follow in her footsteps one day? I could see you fighting for people's rights...
Mr. R
NOOOOOO WAYYYYYYY!!!!!! I would never fallow in her footsteps. I could not deal with all the threats and people disliking me for doing something right!!! She also does not make enough money for the hard work that she puts in.
Post a Comment