"A panel of three judges has found two North Carolina men innocent of a murder to which they had once pleaded guilty.
The judges announced their decision this afternoon in Asheville after nearly two weeks of testimony in the cases of Kenneth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxsin."
REPORTER MITCH WEISS; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS;
Photo: Kenneth Kagonyera;
(SEE MOUNTAIN XPRESS STORY BELOW);
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"ASHEVILLE (AP) — A panel of three judges has found two North Carolina men innocent of a murder to which they had once pleaded guilty," the Associated Press story by reporter Mitch Weiss published earlier today under the heading, "3-judge panel finds 2 men innocent of murder," begins.
"The judges announced their decision this afternoon in Asheville after nearly two weeks of testimony in the cases of Kenneth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxsin," the story continues.
"Both men had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of Walter Bowman of Fairview at his home in 2000. They claimed they agreed to the pleas to avoid the possibility of getting the death penalty or spending life behind bars.
The case was referred to the judges by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission — the country's only state agency dedicated to investigating claims of innocence.
Before this, the commission had heard just three other cases."
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The story can be found at:
http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/09/22/article/3_judge_panel_finds_2_men_innocent_of_murder
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MOUNTAIN XPRESS STORY:
NC Innocence Inquiry Commission releases Kagonyera and Wilcoxson
By Margaret Williams;
Two men found guilty of the 2000 murder of Walter Rodney Bowman were exonerated by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission today, Sept. 22, in Asheville.
After news came of the Commission's findings, the Durham-based nonprofit Center for Death Penalty Litigation released this statement:
Today’s exoneration by the NC Innocence Inquiry Commission of two men who spent a decade in prison for a murder they did not commit highlights the grave dangers of our capital punishment system. Despite repeatedly declaring their innocence, both men pled guilty to the 2000 murder of Walter Rodney Bowman because they were threatened with the death penalty and feared execution.
“Along with executing an innocent person, coercing a guilty plea with the threat of lethal injection underscores the terrific risk associated with having a death penalty,” said Ken Rose, an attorney with the Center for Death Penalty Litigation.
After seven days of testimony, the three-judge panel found by clear and convincing evidence that Kenneth Kagonyera and Robert Wilcoxson were actually innocent of the murders for which they pled guilty in 2003. Evidence presented to the panel included the confession of the murder by another man and DNA testing pointing to other suspects.
“This case highlights the substantial threat that the use of the death penalty poses to innocent persons,” said Rose. “In North Carolina in just the last several years, three innocent men - Edward Chapman, Levon Jones and Jonathon Hoffman - were exonerated from death row. And just last night, the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis despite substantial questions about his guilt.”
The story can be found at:
http://www.mountainx.com/article/35560/NC-Innocence-Inquiry-Commission-releases-Kagonyera-and-Wilcoxson
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
For a breakdown of some of the cases, issues and controversies this Blog is currently following, please turn to:
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=120008354894645705&postID=8369513443994476774
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
