3 Responses

1. Patty Schrein says:

   September 1, 2009 at 5:02 pm

   Yes, the man was innocent. Reading the article would convince anyone except George Bush and Alberto Gonzales… on second thought they wouldn’t read this article because they already signed off on the execution, and do not care.

   This particular case will have little, if any effect on the future of the death penalty. Anyone who has practiced criminal defense knows that the story in the New Yorker is not that unusual.
2. John Cochran says:

   September 2, 2009 at 9:36 am

   How will we ever know for sure? All the experts cited in the publication never had a chance to make a personal inspection of the actual scene. Had they put all their scientific knowledge into the investigation of the actual home, they could just as well have reached the very same conclusion as the investigators at the time. The author did an excellent job inpugning just about everyone associated with the case except the volunteer who apparently became emotionally involved.
3. Ryan says:

   September 10, 2009 at 6:15 pm

   to John Cochran -

   That is a very valid point, but one can use the Lime Street Fire investigation and valid proof that the evidence presented by the original inspectors are easily dismissible. Now since the validity of the evidence is in question it’s impossible to make a judgment beyond a reasonable doubt