Shining a Spotlight on Tim Cole's Conviction
Bump and Update: As noted in the comments, Tim Cole was exonerated. Grits for Breakfast was there.
original post:
Kathy Gill examines the case of Timothy Cole, convicted of rape in Lubbock, Texas in 1985 on almost nonexistent evidence. Ten years later, the actual rapist confessed in writing to the District Attorney who prosecuted the case. The DA ignored the confession and Cole died in prison.
Cole's only "crime" was flirting with an undercover cop. Flirting. The audacity, a black man flirting with a white woman. That's what put him in a line-up.
Cole's family is seeking a posthumous exoneration. Whether or not they succeed, Gill points to the need for political action to reform the criminal justice system in places like Lubbock. [more ...]
First, we need to keep a bright spotlight on Texas, which is a poster child for how poorly minorities fare in the criminal justice system. Second, we need to educate the public about witness misidentification, so that jurors are knowledgeable enough not to be swayed by rhetorically-gifted prosecuting attorneys. Witness misidentification is a factor in 75% of convictions overturned through DNA tests, according to the Innocence Project.
Gill makes a good case for federal action.
Rather than pouring millions down the rat hole that is the war on drugs, why not put that federal money into DNA testing? Better yet, use the power of the federal government to implement system-wide change in eyewitness identification procedures. Is it over-stepping federal authority to force jurisdictions to abandon a flawed system for one that is supported by research?
Are you listening, Eric Holder?
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