Community standards? I.e., culture?

(I've been to Texas just as I've been everywhere else, and will defend it against wrongful attacks, but…)

Actually, I was illustrating the real subject when it comes to what's wrong, which is the Texas justice system, and the set of problems encompasses more than just miscarriage of justice in capital cases.

That there are separate issues or degrees of concern with capital cases because of objections to the death penalty (or merely to the fact that the worst mistakes cannot be corrected or retracted afterward), is not in dispute.

Why I left law school: no kidding. I learned a lot and love the law; it is essentially the study of stories of human beings since time immemorial, and interesting. But, it takes a certain kind of highly trained and deeply disciplined mind to argue ONLY the law, and hold oneself away one's own emotional biases that might erupt re guilt/innocence/ punishment.

To me, this particular case about replacement of four committee members (investigating a particular case,) by the Governor, seemingly all of a sudden, is far more curious than even a lawyer who put their license on the line by breaking the ethics rules about, incidentally… it is often written this way… even giving the APPEARANCE of impropriety.

Having been the appointee of two different governors' myself, I cannot imagine either of our Gov's removing half my investigatory board– just like that. I wondered, as former chair of our State board, why the chair of the Texas committee didnt refuse to surrender members to the Governor's seeming rash order.

Perhaps Mr. Sweete will find out for us.

Thanks Ghost.

dr.e

If that was my argument I would of made it. What is yours? “Because there was other evidence involved”. What does that mean? There are specific reasons trials get overturned. What reason are you trying to espouse? Because accomplices got away isn't a reason to have another trial. Maybe at best the judge should have allowed psychiatric evidence in to the trial that would have kept them from giving the death penalty. That's the big claim. So maybe he should or shouldn't die. Don't really care and won't feel bad for him. This is no railroaded innocent it's a bad guy who may have gotten a raw deal. There has to be a better poster boy. Same with Willingham, his kids were cooking and the first cop shows up to Willingham pushing his car away from the house. His Kids Were Still Inside. Yeah cry a river for that POS, I think not.

Now see, I heard a whole different story .. I heard that there were two other sets of fingerprints that were found at the scene.
I read that there was blood from a third party found at the scene and that the safe was broken into AND that the fingerprints on the safe (the safe WAS broken into) were NOT Hood's fingerprints.
I also read that the gun used in the murders was never found.
I then read that threatening messages on the message machine came from an individual who owned a gun of the same type that killed Williamson and Wallace.
How about the fact that Hood literally begged to have a voice analysis done to compare his voice with the 911 recording? That 911 recording was the best real evidence the DA had to prove that Hood was there at the time of the murders.
(example: the forensics expert says that Mr Jones died at 9 pm and at 9 pm the police received a 911 call reporting that Mr Jones is dead – THAT would tell us that the person making the call must have at least been present at the time of the murder).
For me, these questions add up to massive doubt about what really happened that night.
The fact that the DA and judge on the case were having an affair, the refusal to truly makes it difficult for me to feel that Mr. Hood received a fair trial.
Perhaps Hood did commit the murders but considering the affair, then the refusal by the judge to put off his execution, etc?
This make the whole case a sham in my mind (and I'm not alone) so …what should have been the obvious thing to do?
Hold off on the execution would be the very least but I would vote for a retrial.
If your argument is, “Why should the tax payers have to pay for the trial twice?” …
Because there was other evidence involved and two of the major players in the trial got caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. The same two people that made sure Hood got convicted and given a death sentence.

My two cents worth.
Ghost

I'd have to say to you Mr Sharp, Fact checking is important. Please try it.

This article is not written by me nor are the links provided by me. Your “facts” are dead wrong.

dr.e

Mr. Sharp is a pro-death penalty advocate promoting his own website. You can go there, as I did, and find his contact info if you'd like to join his cause. It's the propinnc site. Companion sites to which his site refers include such “unbiased” sources as prodeathpenalty.org and yesdeathpenalty.org.

The info on DPIC is much more reliable than the links Mr. Sharp provides. Five natiopnal experts have reviewed the Willingham case and agree unanimously that the forensic evidence used to convict and exevcute Willingham was seriously flawed.

The point, which Mr. Sharp doesn't care to address, is that Gov.Perry is actively obstructing an independent investigation. If there is nothing to worry about re: Willingham's conviction, why the extraordinary effort to keep the investigation from going forward.

Does Mr. Sharp also think that prosecutors sleeping with judges during trial is ok ? That neither should recuse themselves?

By the way, the reports on the Willingham case, and Perry's interference with the investigation do not come from DPIC, which Mr. Sharp wishes to denigrate. Those reports come from the Fort Worth Star-Tribune, and are cited at at DPIC. I note that Mr. Sharp does not trash the Star-Tribune or question the accuracy of its reporting.

Perhaps Mr. Sharp would also like to provide support for the prosecution withholding critical evidence in the Toney case mentioned in the post.

Fact checking is important. Please, try it.

“A Broken Study: A Review of Liebman's 'A Broken System' “
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/10/broken-st…

“Death Penalty Sentencing: No Systemic Bias”
http://prodpinnc.blogspot.com/2009/07/death-pen…

The site you referenced, http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org
may be the most inaccurate and misleading anti death penalty site.

There is not one credible claim that Cameron Todd Willingham is innocent. Please review:

1) “Cameron Todd Willingham: Media Meltdown & the Death Penalty:
“Trial by Fire: Did Texas execute an innocent man?”, by David Grann
http://homicidesurvivors.com/2009/10/04/cameron…

As more reality comes to light, the more into disrepute run's Grann's article.

My article, above, was written and released prior to the Corsicana Fire Marshall's report, below

2) EXCLUSIVE: City report on arson probe:
State panel asks for city response in Willingham case
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/news/local_sto…

3) No Doubts
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/thewillinghamf…

For a collection of articles, go to:

Corsicana Daily Sun, The Willingham Files
http://www.corsicanadailysun.com/thewillinghamf…

OTHER REPORTS: There is the potential for, at least, 3 more, official, reports on this case: the Texas Fire Marshall's office, which will give an official and requested reply, the Corsicana Police Dept. and Navarro County District Attorney's office, both of which, I speculate, may only contribute to the TFM report, but could issue their own reports.

There is an official “report” which, it appears, few have paid attention to – the trial transcript.

I find that rather important because, at least five persons, who were involved with the trial, the prosecutor, defense attorney, two surviving fire investigators and a juror have all voiced support for the verdict, still, in the light of the criticism of the arson forensics.

One of those original fire investigators is, now, an active certified arson expert.

Perry also “vetoed a ban on the execution of mentally retarded inmates in June 02″. . .I had forgotten about that controversy. . .

I am still left with the question as to what causes a majority of people to support someone like this? So much easier to understand one than the greater whole of a State. . .

Job training, tuition credits, and medcal/dental treatment for the wrongfully executed (dead) like Willingham?

DLS, this is about the death penalty, not someone wrongfully convicted of robbing the local Circle K.

Well, the state is admitting that the system is, at least sometimes, screwed up. Hence payments:

“Exonerees will get $80,000 for each year they spent behind bars. The compensation also includes lifetime annuity payments that for most of the wrongly convicted are worth between $40,000 and $50,000 a year — making it by far the nation's most generous package. …

Exonerees also receive an array of social services, including job training, tuition credits and access to medical and dental treatment. Though 27 other states have some form of compensation law for the wrongly convicted, none comes close to offering the social services and money Texas provides.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32692576/ns/us_news…

That's not accurate. From the link provided in the post:

“The affair had been rumored for years but was only confirmed last year when Hood's lawyers took depositions under oath from the judge, Verla Sue Holland, and the procescutor, Thomas S. O'Connell, Jr. Hood's lawyers said they had not been able to prove that the rumors of the affair were true until the court ordered depositions.”

As to your second point, there are many ways a fingerprint can get in someone's blood, but if Hood did it, even the guilty deserve a fair trial…& I don't see anyone saying Hood is innocent, though I do see how my last comment could have been interpreted that way (my apologies if I was unclear that I was talking about two cases, Willingham – likely innocent, and Hood – affair between judge and prosecutor).

http://www.texasmoratorium.org/

but don't forget the other crimes and the other problems Texas has now.

http://www.caller.com/news/2009/sep/13/texas-ju…

http://ipoftexas.org/texas-cases/

Could be, yes. Certainly it merits more time and attention by Eric Holder and Justice than going to Chicago to score quick Obama-related city-style political points, and raise the ugly specter of federal gun control measures, et cetera.

If not Eric Holder and Justice (the sensible example), then what? Well, what would I reserve for failed Blue Nation-states that probably re-emerges here? Demote Texas to territorial status (removing its Congressional representation in the process, naturally) and administer it under federal control. Imagine the carpetbagging possibilities and what could be done with pre-arrangements related to redistricting prior to eventual return to statehood. Maybe, while amused people are at it, do some historical scholarship on the extremes to which the Radical Republicans wanted to go after the Civil War ended, in order to punish the re-conquered former Confederate seceded territories. (“Reconstruction” on steroids, with massive doses of PC possible as another “bonus”)

So the second point would be if you can get people off because of screw ups, that's the system. When you portray a man as inocent who clearly is not you lose your credibility with me.

to readers, link #1 now works. Thank you for pointing it out to us and thank you for your patience while we went underground into the furnace room with the wrenches and such.

Thanks to those who gave accurate links too.

dr.e

I have fixed the third link, which now works. For some reason wordpress keeps turning a II into a ii, just enough difference apparently not to read right.

Stay tuned, hopefully will be able to fix link #1 soon.

Thanks,
Dr.e

I actually agree with that. But, when innocent people are being executed, when prosecutors are sleeping with judge's during capital trials, and when the state government is obstructing investigations and state courts aren't addressing the issues, that is precisely the time for the last resort. Killing innocent people, state won't correct, and obstructs…that's not last resort time?