PUBLISHER'S NOTE: My experience in helping Rodricus Crawford get off of Louisiana's Death Row was an eye-opener. Louisiana's justice system is brutal, racist, stacked terribly against the usually black Death Row accused, and hungry to kill, kill, kill kill. That's why I was so thrilled to read Jim Brown's syndicated column with the blunt message, "Bad justice is good reason to hang up the Louisiana death penalty, " I am singling out a few paragraphs that deal with the outrageous John Thompson case - and invite our readers to read the entire column at:
https://www.bayoubuzz.com/issues/item/1063519-bad-justice-is-good-reason-to-hang-up-the-louisiana-death-penalty (Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous
newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.. Jim Brown is a Louisiana legislator, Secretary of State and Insurance Commissioner.)
COMMENTARY: "Bad justice is good reason to hang up the Louisiana death penalty," by syndicated columnist Jim Brown, published by The Bayoo Buzz on July 26, 2018.)
GIST: "For years, the Bayou State has held the title of having the highest
incarceration rate in the world. It now has taken on the dubious title
of having case after case of death row inmates being convicted based on
the withholding of evidence that would prove their innocence. New Orleans has become the cesspool for the innocent being convicted
of capital crimes and sentenced to death. One of the most egregious is
the case of New Orleanian John Thompson, who was convicted back in 1982
of first-degree murder and given the death sentence. He came within
days of being executed after spending 14 years on death row and 18 years
total in prison. Five different prosecutors were involved in the case
and all knew that a blood test, and other key evidence that showed
Thompson was innocent, had been withheld by the prosecution. On his deathbed and dying of cancer, one of the prosecutors confessed
to a colleague that he had hidden the exculpatory blood sample. The
colleague waited five more years before admitting that he too knew of
the hidden evidence. Thompson, after 18 years, received a new trial,
and his lawyers were finally able to produce ten difference pieces of
evidence that had been kept from Thompson’s defense attorneys, that
overwhelming showed he was innocent. The new jury took less than 35
minutes to find him not guilty. Hiding evidence that can find the accused innocent is nothing new for
prosecutors in New Orleans, both in state and federal court as well as
with the FBI. The Innocence Project of New Orleans reviewed a number of
convictions over the past 25 years in the city and concluded that
prosecutors have a “legacy” of suppressing evidence.
The entire column can be found at the link below:
https://www.bayoubuzz.com/issues/item/1063519-bad-justice-is-good-reason-to-hang-up-the-louisiana-death-penalty
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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/
The entire column can be found at the link below:
https://www.bayoubuzz.com/issues/item/1063519-bad-justice-is-good-reason-to-hang-up-the-louisiana-death-penalty
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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/
