Wrongful Convictions This article discusses the issue of wrongful convictions, and how many innocent people pay the price because the justice system has failed them. The article focuses on the case of Paul House, a man who was wrongfully convicted of murdering Carolyn Muncey. He spent twenty two years in a prison for a crime that he did not commit. His case “includes mishandled evidence, prosecutorial misconduct, bad science, cops with tunnel vision, DNA testing, the near-execution of an innocent man, and an appellate court reluctant to reopen old cases even in the face of new evidence that strongly suggests the jury got it wrong.” (Balko). In 1986, Paul House, was the prime suspect in the murder of Carolyn Muncey.
Michelle Byrom: Death Row Inmate In 1999, Michelle Byrom plotted a murder with her son, Edward Byrom Jr., to kill her abusive husband, Edward Byrom Sr. After her son had killed Edward Byrom Sr., he fled and Michelle was arrested for the murder. Michelle was tried, was found guilty and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Despite repeated confessions from her son that he committed the murder, Michelle still remains on death row. In this case, justice has not prevailed because Michelle Byrom is held on death row for a crime her accomplice committed. Her accomplice is free from charges.
Simpson was acquitted, meaning declared not guilty, for the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. Simpson hired a team of high-profile lawyers spending about three million dollars and over to represent him in the case. The lawyers who represented Simpson are ; F. Lee Bailey, Johnnie Cochran Jr, Alan Dershowitz, Carl Douglas, Peter Neufeld, Barry Scheck, Robert Shapiro, and Gerald Uelmen, (edition.cnn.com) who were highly trained in DNA evidence presented in courts. Their job was to find a way to discredit the evidence provided by the prosecutors of Simpson. The lawyers’ main claim was that the Police handled the evidence poorly and that the evidence should be considered invalid and that the police planted evidence that led to the conviction of Simpson therefore he was found a not guilty verdict.
· Dick rats out Perry. · Perry describes vividly the murders. (Climax) · They are trialed to murder and put on death row Minor Events · Mr. Clutter gets life insurance. · Dick goes back home the day after the murder like nothing. · Lowell Lee Andrews goes to jail and his killing is delayed by a month which gives Dick and Perry hope.
Shortly after leaving Kanas City Dick and Perry were aressted and sent in for questioning. During the intaragation Dick refuses to give any details on the murder. Agent Dewey trying very hard to get the evidence he needs to take them to court lies to Perry to see if he will say any thing about the murder. Perry cracks and tell Agent Dewey every thing about the murder from who they killed first and who they killed last to what they wanted from the Clutters. This is what Agent Dewey had been waiting now he could take them to court and bring justice to the Clutters.
Another conflict he faces is near the end of the book when he confesses to the murders. He at first told the detective that he had killed only Mr. Clutter and Kenyon, and then later before signing his written statement, he wanted to make it right and confessed that he had indeed killed Mr. Clutter, Kenyon, Nancy, and Mrs. Clutter. His strengths are that he is sensitive, creative, smart, and thoughtful. His weaknesses are that he comes from a troubled background, and that he has been in and out of jail. Mr. Richard Eugene Hickock is the other main character in this novel.
The book To Kill a Mockingbird is directly comparable to the movie 12 Angry Men. Both Texts show the theme that true understanding takes time, study, and effort, but To Kill a Mockingbird shows what happens when people do not take the time to obtain a true understanding. In the book Tom Robinson is convicted for allegedly raping a teenage girl even though there was sensible doubt that Tom did not rape the girl and there was no concrete evidence. In the film a teenage male Puerto Rican was accused of murdering his father. All the evidence and the defendant weak testimony made him look so guiltily that 11 out of 12 jurors voted guilty in the preliminary vote.
Robert Latimer : Morally Wrong Robert Latimer murdered his daughter who was suffering from cerebral palsy. Latimer claims that the time he killed his daughter, he was acting out of mercy . Was Robert acting out of mercy or discrimination ? Robert claims the Tracy’s disabilities had nothing to do with her death, yet Tracy’s disabilities had everything to do with her death. If Tracey did not have cerebral palsy and other disabilities would Tracy have undergone several surgeries and been in pain?
After being let out to the general prison cafeteria, he stabbed Rufus with a spoon to his throat. Henri was sitting beside death as he was going to be given a life sentence. As a formality, this had to be decided in court with Mr. Young given a legit lawyer to defend himself. The lawyer he was given was a rookie, it was his first case, Mr. James Stamp hill. He knew the man was guilty as there were an uncountable number of witnesses, however as he became a friend of Henri Young, he realized it was not Henri’s fault.
Calley wound up spending three and a half years under house arrest at Fort Benning Georgia, where a federal judge ultimately ordered his release.” (Powers, 2013). Even though these two men were obeying orders they were both tried and found guilty of committing murder. These men regardless if they opted to obey the orders or not would have been tired. Either as murderers or as violating UCMJ Articles. It is an ever losing situation and these cases are still going and murderers from this ending war will eventually be brought to trial for killing innocent by