Tag Archives: innocence

Kerry Max Cook declared innocent

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. Kerry Max Cook is innocent of the 1977 murder of Linda Jo Edwards, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found, citing stunning allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that led to Cook spending 20 years on death row for a crime … Continue reading →

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Ogg’s second ask

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how this goes. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg is planning to head back to county leaders with another request for more prosecutors in light of the massive case review sparked by fallout from last month’s botched Houston … Continue reading →

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The Innocence Project and the prosecutor

Posted on November 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating case. Attorneys with the group that helped exonerate Texan Michael Morton two decades after he was wrongly convicted of killing his wife were back at the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday. But this time, instead of uncovering prosecutorial misconduct, … Continue reading →

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Ogg to review Temple case

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how this goes. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Wednesday she will personally lead a review of the case of David Temple, whose conviction of murdering his pregnant wife was overturned by the state’s highest court amid … Continue reading →

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David Temple released on bond

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what happens next. More than 17 years after the shooting death of his pregnant wife, former football coach David Temple walked out of the Harris County jail Wednesday and into the waiting arms of his family, ready to … Continue reading →

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David Temple granted new trial

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. The state’s highest criminal court on Wednesday granted a new trial to David Temple, a former Katy football coach accused of killing his pregnant wife in 1999. In an opinion posted online Wednesday morning, the court of criminal appeals … Continue reading →

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Roadside drug tests

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. A Houston police officer pulled Barry Demings over as he headed to work in Beaumont and plucked a spot of white powder off the floorboard of Demings’ year-old Ford Explorer. Demings had just … Continue reading →

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America’s deadliest prosecutors

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Fascinating. In anticipation of the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark death penalty decision, Gregg v. Georgia, today the Fair Punishment Project released a new report called America’s Top Five Deadliest Prosecutors: How Overzealous Personalities Drive the Death Penalty. The report identified America’s … Continue reading →

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Darlie Routier, 20 years later

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on one of the more notorious murder cases in recent history. If it hadn’t been for that crazy Silly String, Darlie Lynn Routier might be a free woman today. At least, that’s what many people believe about … Continue reading →

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Sonia Cacy

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

A long-time-coming story of actual innocence. A judge has ruled that Sonia Cacy, a West Texas woman convicted of setting her uncle on fire, is innocent of murder, basing his decision on new analysis of evidence presented at her 1993 … Continue reading →

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Sebesta remains disbarred

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The disciplinary board of the Texas State Bar on Monday affirmed the agency’s decision to disbar Charles Sebesta, the former prosecutor who oversaw the wrongful death sentence of Anthony Graves. Graves, who spent 18 years in prison, including 12 … Continue reading →

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Sebesta appeals disbarment

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

This saga that I thought was over still has another chapter in it. Lawyers for Charles Sebesta, the ex-prosecutor who secured the wrongful death sentence of Anthony Graves, told a panel of the State Bar of Texas on Friday that … Continue reading →

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John Bradley does John Bradley things

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Grits for Breakfast: Former Williamson County District Attorney and Texas Forensic Science Commission Chairman John Bradley – who left Texas to become Attorney General of the island nation of Palau after facing national disapprobation, losing reelection, and struggling to … Continue reading →

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Another view of the Temple case

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The Press devotes a cover story to the David Temple case and the allegations that then-Assistant DA Kelly Siegler withheld evidence from the defense. In July 2015, visiting Judge Larry Gist issued his damning decree: 36 findings of prosecutorial misconduct … Continue reading →

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DA’s office responds to Temple case allegations

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Their view differs, to say the least. Three months after a judge ruled that a Katy man convicted of murdering his wife did not get a fair trial and excoriated the prosecutor who handled the case, saying she withheld evidence, … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission to examine bite mark evidence

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The board charged with ensuring that reliable scientific evidence is used in Texas courtrooms agreed on Friday to investigate cases in which bite mark analysis was used to secure a conviction. “We’re talking about the whole field, the validity … Continue reading →

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Siegler gets sued

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Oy vey. Prominent former Houston prosecutor Kelly Siegler built a 20-year career out of securing convictions in tough murder cases, especially those that for years had been unsolved. It was that reputation for tenacity and pluck that landed the local … Continue reading →

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Siegler responds to Temple case allegations

Posted on August 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

She comes out swinging. Legendary former prosecutor Kelly Siegler for the first time has responded to allegations of 36 instances of prosecutorial misconduct during an infamous 2007 murder trial. In a statement to the Houston Chronicle by her lawyer, noted … Continue reading →

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The David Temple case

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I have not followed this very closely, but it definitely deserves all the attention it has received. There’s a 1,300-page offense report detailing the investigation into the fatal shooting of Belinda Temple in 1999. There are audio tapes of witnesses … Continue reading →

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Sebesta disbarred

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

A fitting end to this story. The former prosecutor who won a wrongful conviction of Anthony Graves for capital murder, sending him to Texas death row where he was nearly executed twice, has been disbarred. In a ruling released Thursday, … Continue reading →

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Fraser and Ratliff to step down

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There’s good news: State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, announced Tuesday that he is not running for re-election, ending a tenure at the Capitol that has spanned four decades. “There comes a time when leaders must take a look at … Continue reading →

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State Bar accuses Willingham prosecutor of misconduct

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. In a major turn in one of the country’s most-noted death penalty cases, the State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against the county prosecutor who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man executed in … Continue reading →

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Michael Morton still has work to do

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

We should be glad he’s doing it. Michael Morton, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, said Monday that under current DNA testing requirements, he wouldn’t have had access to the evidence that led … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: State Senate

Posted on October 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes another curious choice. District 17: Joan Huffman In District 17, which includes parts of Harris County and counties to the east, Republican incumbent Joan Hoffman has a credible Democratic opponent in Rita Lucido, 58, a family law … Continue reading →

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The slow decline of the death penalty in Texas

Posted on August 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe a little. Perhaps nothing symbolizes this state’s swagger over being tough on crime like “Old Sparky,” an electric chair that was used to execute 361 inmates and is now the centerpiece of a prison museum. It sits just minutes … Continue reading →

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Palau catches a little heat for hiring John Bradley

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. The president of Palau has defended appointing a US lawyer who left his previous role as Texas county prosecutor amid controversy over an innocent man who spent almost 25 years behind bars. President Tommy Remengesau confirmed former Williamson County … Continue reading →

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Charles Sebesta may finally have to face responsibility for his actions against Anthony Graves

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Very good news. It’s been eight years since the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals found that the DA who prosecuted Anthony Graves for capital murder had done something unconscionable : withheld favorable evidence and used false testimony to secure a … Continue reading →

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John Bradley’s second act

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg brings a fascinating and unexpected update to the story of John Bradley, the former Williamson County DA and Texas Forensic Science Commissioner who served as one of the main villains in the Michael Morton case. Since losing elected … Continue reading →

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Some things are worth paying more for

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

How much would you pay for fewer faulty convictions? Prosecutors say the state’s new Michael Morton Act, a measure designed to prevent wrongful convictions by forcing district attorneys to be more transparent in criminal cases, is driving up evidence costs. … Continue reading →

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How much will science advance in the courts?

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s up to the CCA to decide. Texas’ highest criminal court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that could affect how evolving scientific evidence is used in courtrooms across the state. For Neal H. Robbins, the high court’s decision … Continue reading →

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State Bar investigating Charles Sebesta

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The State Bar of Texas has opened an investigation into Charles Sebesta, the former Burleson County District Attorney who prosecuted death row exoneree Anthony Graves. The organization that oversees lawyers is investigating alleged professional misconduct by Sebesta, which, if … Continue reading →

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More evidence of Cameron Willingham’s innocence

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The scientific evidence against Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 for the arson deaths of his three children, has long been discredited. The other piece of evidence used against him at trial was the testimony of a jailhouse … Continue reading →

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More details on the rape kit backlog results

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

HPD reports to Council about the progress of testing done on the backlogged rape kits. No false arrests by Houston police have been uncovered during an ongoing $4.4 million testing of thousands of old rape kits, but new suspects have … Continue reading →

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Not just DNA

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There are a lot of other exonerations that happen around the country, for crimes major and minor, that don’t involve DNA. In September 2006, [Corey] Love was charged by Houston police with possession of between one and four grams of … Continue reading →

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