Exonerated Death Row Inmate to Get $2.25M

Exonerated Death Row Inmate to Get $2.25M - Yahoo! News.

Let me say two things first.

1. I'm for the death penalty.
2. We have a mildly retarded son at home who is 12 years old.

Then there is this case linked above about Earl Washington Jr.

Earl Washington Jr., who came within nine days of being executed, had sued the estate of the state police investigator, Curtis Reese Wilmore, who died in 1994. Jurors awarded Washington damages upon finding that Wilmore deliberately fabricated evidence that led to his conviction and death sentence.

It's one thing to make a mistake.  I know, it's a hell of a mistake to make, but we are humans and subject to the imperfections our Maker saddled us with.  It's quite another to fabricate evidence in order to get a conviction or just throw away a life.

"BT" is our autistic son.  He's smart.  He can tell you all about Greek and Roman mythology.  We were watching a show on the history channel the other night about super weapons in ancient times.  As they would display a picture (with no caption) of a weapon or contraption such as a siege tower, he would announce to the room the name of the weapon or machine.  He knows this stuff.  He can read at a level beyond his age and do simple math.  The problem is, he has a hard time knowing the difference between fantasy and reality.  We have to remind him some times that mythological creatures such as the Cyclops do not exist.  They are just made-up stories.

BT is a gentle child.  He loves his baby nieces and treats them with care as not to hurt them.  He loves our cats and dog.  One of our cats, Milo, loves to curl up and sleep on him.  However, we can get BT to say anything.  We can get him to admit to anything  It's not hard.  He wants to please us.  That is why he is home schooled. We don't want him to be around some of the kids in school.  I'm betting Mr. Washington is very similar to BT.

I'm not against the death penalty for mildly retarded people if you can absolutely prove they did it.  I believe it requires a higher standard of proof such as a smoking gun or caught in the act.  In the case of a confession, it should be reviewed and the person be interviewed by at least two disinterested experts.

I also believe those who work in law enforcement, the cops,  the prosecutors, the judges and even the defense attorneys should be held to a higher standard.  If they knowingly lie or fabricate any evidence, there should be stiff penalties. 

In the case of Officer Wilmore, I believe his estate is liable and I also believe that the state is culpable as well.  He deserves every penny and more.0

Thanks to Wizbang for open Trackbacks!

VW

Comments

[Just another republican]

Agreed, accept I don't find the state liable. Becasue I am the state. What you have is people who abuse their positions in authority and then get the state(me) to pay for the ****-ups, it makes me sick. Cops who foul up and then the state pays for his mistake becasue the state hired him, no the state didn't somebody hired them. A person did. Usually an idiot repaying a favor or hiring a freind. Time to start making those bastards pay.

This just makes me remember the Blame case, The city manager, the Chief of police and the assitant CoP were all in on the abuse, but it was the city that was sued for 75 million, not the three a-holes who should be drug out into the street stripped of every penny, item, and article of clothing and then have it handed over to the Blame kids.

I read in the news a few months back about a cop who harrassed and ultimately arrested a minor for giving him icorrect change ata fast food joint the camera caught everything and the city was sued for 60k (successfully) and the cop didn't even get a slap on the wrist. The police agency came out saying while the girl was entitled to her money there was no wrongdoing on the cops part, and he contiued being on the force. This crap is rampant.

Blaming the employer works in corporations where stockholders and CEOs stand to lose millions when there corp loses money. CEOs get fired stockholders lose money, there is an inccentive to hire and train a respectable professional worforce. No such incentive for city and state authorities and officers If someone they hire screws up they can get the state or city to pay for it.

State money is my money, and while I feel Mr Washington is enititled to every penny from Wilmore's estate, tax dollars are not a slush fund for corrupt authorities.