The continued importance of DNA evidence
Aug. 5th, 2010 07:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_archfiendAnyone dumb enough to insist that DNA is unimportant as exculpatory evidence in criminal trials should read up on how Jerry Hobbs got shafted by the Lake County (IL) prosecutor's office even after they shoud've known better:
"Basically, they sat there for all those years in which they knew there was a DNA exclusion (of Hobbs as a suspect), and they made up tall tales about why that didn't mean a thing," said Rob Warden of Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions, which has tangled with Waller's office over DNA evidence in another case.
Not to be outdone in whatever chutzpah award he's in the running for, Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller was a bit less than apologetic:
Asked repeatedly if prosecutors owe Hobbs an apology, a visibly irritated Waller said, "No." He insisted that police did nothing wrong in the investigation, which included an all-day interrogation that culminated with Hobbs signing a confession that had been typed out by police.
"Good-faith decisions were originally made in this case charging Jerry Hobbs based on evidence that pointed to him," Waller said. "New evidence now points to another individual."
How is that when these alleged "good-faith decisions" get examined more closely, they end up looking quite a bit like outright cases of prosecutorial misconduct? I'm sure that Rolando Cruz and Alejandro Hernandez could tell you all sorts of fun things about getting railroaded in the Jeanine Nicarico case, for example.
"Basically, they sat there for all those years in which they knew there was a DNA exclusion (of Hobbs as a suspect), and they made up tall tales about why that didn't mean a thing," said Rob Warden of Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions, which has tangled with Waller's office over DNA evidence in another case.
Not to be outdone in whatever chutzpah award he's in the running for, Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller was a bit less than apologetic:
Asked repeatedly if prosecutors owe Hobbs an apology, a visibly irritated Waller said, "No." He insisted that police did nothing wrong in the investigation, which included an all-day interrogation that culminated with Hobbs signing a confession that had been typed out by police.
"Good-faith decisions were originally made in this case charging Jerry Hobbs based on evidence that pointed to him," Waller said. "New evidence now points to another individual."
How is that when these alleged "good-faith decisions" get examined more closely, they end up looking quite a bit like outright cases of prosecutorial misconduct? I'm sure that Rolando Cruz and Alejandro Hernandez could tell you all sorts of fun things about getting railroaded in the Jeanine Nicarico case, for example.
