Criminal Justice Reform

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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I recently finished reading an excellent book called 'The Innocent Man', a nonfiction account of the trial and capital sentencing of an Oklahoma man. It was enlightening reading, and I've done a variety of research afterwards.

What came to my mind as particularly shocking, is that Ron Williamson, an ex-pro athlete and mentally troubled individual, was prosecuted under the shadiest imaginable circumstances, and the prosecutor never even apologized for his evil and incompetence.

Some major facts about this case :

(1)- Zero physical evidence to place Williamson at the scene.

(2)- Alibi witness placed Williamson at his home for the entire evening during the perpetration of the crimes.

(3)- Bloody handprint found on the scene did not match Williamson or the Victim, nor the co-defendent (I won't delve into that here)

(4)- Williamson's mental health was largely ignored during his illegal incarceration, causing permanent and debilitating damage to his mind and body.

(5)- Police and Prosecutors ignored SERIOUS warning signs about a much more likely killer, Glen Gore, whose stories changed dramatically during his talks with authorities.

(6)- Nearly 17 YEARS after the crime, Williamson was finally freed when DNA excluded him entirely from the scene, and the samples from the crime scene (semen/blood) matched, you guessed it : Glen Gore!

So, this rotten bag of shit, the Prosecutor, Bill Peterson, and his keystone cops in the small town of Ada (one of which was later convicted of a staggeringly large Methamphetamine distribution scheme) charge an innocent man with first-degree murder, rob him of half his life, keep him in chains while his mother dies, and waste an epic amount of taxpayer money prosecuting and incarcerating the WRONG people.

Williamson sued after his release, and the small down of Ada payed dearly for the arrogance and incompetence of Bill Peterson.

Anyway, getting to the bottom of all this, I'm shocked and dismayed that ZERO disciplinary action was taken against Peterson. I think, at minimum, someone who is responsible for the incompetent and incorrect capital prosecution of an innocent man should be barred PERMANENTLY from the field of law.

Further, I think he should be charged with a crime. Something to the equivalent effect of kidnapping someone by force for well over a decade. He should probably do 25 years to life for his part in this mess. But no, he's STILL the DA of the county? This country truly is fucked up.

Bill Peterson has a huge, rambling website that reads like the twisted psychosis of a deranged man, yet to his credit, he does admit this on the site :

"I cannot change the reality that two men were convicted of a crime they did not commit. To that extent, John Grisham's book is based upon actual events"

So, basically, he's an asshole who fucked up royally, and doesn't even have the common decency to do something about it. I think it should have been done for him. He should be locked up.
 

Jaskalas

Lifer
Jun 23, 2004
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17 years later he is still running the show?

He should have been fired the moment Williamson was set free. Not sure jail is a fitting place, unless you can prove he knew the man was innocent. I mean 12 jurors had to agree with him, no?

Don?t know how you repay a man for losing much of his life.
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
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I'm fairly convinced this is far more common than officials would ever admit. The US justice system isn't about justice, it's about scapegoating.
 

Arkaign

Lifer
Oct 27, 2006
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Thanks for your responses. I was genuinely shocked by the whole story, and profoundly angry at the arrogance, incompetence, and hubris of the prosecutor and corrupt local law enforcement. By and large, I still believe that most D.A.s and Police (particularly at the Detective level) are good and generally honest people, who perform an invaluable and often thankless service. That's what makes the bad apples so disgusting and dishonorable.

What are your other views on such cases? I would fully support a system that punished such irresponsible and reprehensible actions by such important officials. I also support a full re-alignment of criminal justice priorities. Our court and jail/prison systems are deluged with non-violent drug offenders and cases, which will obviously dilute finite resources, taking time, money, and expertise away from focusing more clearly on clear dangers to the public such as violent/sexual offenders.