L.A. Murder Case Dismissed, Cop Gave False Testimony

By Jeralyn, Section Misconduct
Posted on Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 02:10:17 AM EST
Tags: wrongful convictions (all tags)

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For the seocnd time in three months, a case was dropped in LA due to false tesimony by a police officer. The latest, dismissed yesterday, involved a detective. Saul Edy, the defendnat, spent three years in jail.

Det. David Friedrich, with Los Angeles Police Department radio recordings that contradicted Friedrich's account of a stakeout.

The proseuctor's explanation:

I believe this officer did the best he could, but unfortunately mistakes were made and we lacked confidence in the persuasiveness of our case," Yglecias said. "We still have a belief in Eady's guilt, which made for an agonizing decision."

The defense lawyer's explanation: [More...]

Greg Apt, Eady's attorney, was far more critical, accusing Friedrich in court of lying on the stand.

"I expect that there will be shades of the truth told in a trial," Apt said in an interview. "But we rely on certain foundational things -- that someone is not going to tell a straight-out lie. This is very frustrating and disturbing."

The second case dismisses was a drug case:

Guillermo Alarcon Jr., a grocery store worker who was exonerated of drug possession charges last month after his lawyer turned up a security tape that contradicted the LAPD officers' account.

Congrats to Public Defender Greg Apt who made the lie come to light. Now, how does California repay Mr. Eddy for the 3 years in hell he spent inside the LAX jail?

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L.A. Murder Case Dismissed, Cop Gave False Testimony | 3 comments (3 topical)

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in a perfect world, (none / 0) (#1)
by cpinva on Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 05:30:44 AM EST

det. friedrich would be, as we speak, on his way to the LA jail, to spend 3 years.

Now, how does California repay Mr. Eddy for the 3 years in hell he spent inside the LAX jail?

in our world, that won't happen. more likely, he'll get a promotion and commendation.

Interesting case (none / 0) (#2)
by Lacy on Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 07:17:17 AM EST

Hey Jeralyn, here's a case for your book. I was foreman of a grand jury that indicted a young man in a supposed double murder 8 years ago. (Takes just 9 of 12 votes)

Greatly simplified, I warned the prosecutor that (redacted/GJ secrecy), but he proceeded anyway. I sat in on the trial, and it was very shaky, just as I had warned. So he put a police officer on the stand who gave testimony I knew was wrong about a first shot fired by one of the deceased, as they tried to assert the deceased had not fired their pistol.

[It was actually a simple self defense case occuring in the front yard of the accused, when 2 armed men with clear malicious intent approached his home late in the night!]

I personally developed a response related to the physical evidence at the scene (with photos) for the defense. The defense got me on the stand and I showed the officer was wrong and that he must have either lied or testified in complete ignorance.

Acquittal took 1 hour, which we heard later was 15 minutes followed by coffee and conversation so it didn't appear they were "hasty".

So, headline it as Indicting Grand Jury Foreman Testifies for Defendant Acquitted in Double Murder Case. Just might be a first.

I love that expression ... (none / 0) (#3)
by Peter G on Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 09:24:53 AM EST

"Mistakes were made." (By no one in particular, apparently) ... like perjury, obstruction of justice, and denial of civil rights. And "law enforcement" likes to talk about other people's "acceptance of responsibility"!