POST: Innocence Project: December 17, 2021; "For 23 years, Prosecutors hid evidence that could have exonerated Rodney Reed."
PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In their application, Rodney’s attorneys also detail how the State illegally suppressed statements from Stacey’s neighbors about loud, violent arguments between Stacey and her fiancé, Jimmy Fennell, a police officer who was the prime suspect in her murder for nearly a year. Under the U.S. Supreme Court case Brady vs. Maryland, prosecutors had a legal duty to turn over all of this evidence that was favorable to Rodney’s defense. Instead, they deliberately hid evidence that could have helped prove his innocence for more than two decades."
---------------------------------------------------------------
GIST: "In 1998, Rodney Reed, a Black man, was convicted of the 1996 murder of a white woman named Stacey Stites in Bastrop, Texas. Rodney has maintained his innocence for more than 20 years. He and Stacey were having a consensual relationship, but the prosecution told the jury that they had searched everywhere and no one ever said Rodney and Stacey knew each other.
However, it was recently discovered that the prosecutors at Rodney’s 1998 trial illegally concealed Because of this, his attorneys filed a Request for Grant of Application for Writ of Habeas Corpus this morning to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
“The prosecution’s concealment of statements from Stacey Stites’ co-workers and neighbors is a textbook example of a Brady violation. The constitutional violation is as crystal clear as the remedy: Rodney Reed’s conviction and death sentence must be overturned,” said Jane Pucher, senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project, and one of Rodney’s attorneys.
In their application, Rodney’s attorneys also detail how the State illegally suppressed statements from Stacey’s neighbors about loud, violent arguments between Stacey and her fiancé, Jimmy Fennell, a police officer who was the prime suspect in her murder for nearly a year.
Under the U.S. Supreme Court case Brady vs. Maryland, prosecutors had a legal duty to turn over all of this evidence that was favorable to Rodney’s defense. Instead, they deliberately hid evidence that could have helped prove his innocence for more than two decades.
The entire Innocence Project post can be read at:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGllVmNJMfpxBlNDdxljprKrDNw
------------------------------------------------------------------
Click on the link below for background:Take a moment to read the details about Rodney’s case.
------------------------------------------------------------------:
Click here for the Innocence Project Press Release: "December 17, 2021."...""New filing: For 23 years prosecutors hid evidence that could have exonerated Rodney Reed." Contains a link to the habeas corpus application.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ntGWrpVXK2XEiv0A1DBtQI3OWubgo5aC/mobilebasic
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
