DNA Tests Clear Wrongfully Convicted Half-Brothers After 30 Years

[FreedByte]

"Henry Lee McCollum: "Since I have been here, I have never stopped believing that one day I would be able to walk out that door. I never stopped believing that. A long time ago, I wanted to find me a good wife, I wanted to raise a family, I wanted to have my own business and everything. I never got a chance to fulfill those dreams, never got the chance, because the people took 30 years away from me, and they destroyed my life. Now, I believe that God is going to bless me to get back out there."


Over the years, death penalty supporters have cited the brothers’ case in order to back capital punishment. In 2010, the North Carolina Republican Party pasted McCollum’s mug shot on campaign mailers. In 1994, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia pointed to McCollum as an example of why the death penalty is just. Henry Lee McCollum was North Carolina’s longest-serving death row prisoner until Tuesday. Today, along with his half-brother Leon Brown, he will walk out of prison after 30 years behind bars for a crime they did not commit."

-DNA Tests Clear Wrongfully Convicted Half-Brothers After 30 Years | Democracy Now!




This is yet another reason why the death penalty must be abolished and maximum prison sentence for any crime set under 25 years (possibly even lower). Innocent people are sent to prison and are murdered by the death penalty, and that is absolutely unacceptable.

The bolded part highlights the barbaric nature of the pro-death penalty side, since they were using these innocent men as an example of why capital punishment is just.


I will end this post with the following from Benjamin Franklin:

"That it is better 100 guilty Persons should escape than that one innocent Person should suffer, is a Maxim that has been long and generally approved." - [SIZE=-1]Benjamin Franklin,[/SIZE] letter to Benjamin Vaughan, March 14, 1785.

 

[GarfieldJL]

Well, since the DNA evidence exonerates them, I believe the state government of North Carolina, should be making sure that these two individuals are looked after for the rest of their days. They lost 30 years of their lives because the justice system screwed up and had 2 innocent men incarcerated.

 

[FreedByte]

Well, since the DNA evidence exonerates them, I believe the state government of North Carolina, should be making sure that these two individuals are looked after for the rest of their days. They lost 30 years of their lives because the justice system screwed up and had 2 innocent men incarcerated.

Of course, no one is going to argue against that, but no amount of money can ever repay for 30 years of someone's life. That's the real issue here, that prison sentences over 25 years (or maybe fewer) and especially the death penalty are indefensible given the fact that so many innocent people are sent to prison and sentenced to death. Conservative estimates put the percent of inmates on death row that are innocent above 4 percent. [source] That is an absurdity and an outrage. Even 1 innocent person on death row is enough to warrant a stop to the death penalty.

 

[MachZer0]

Well, since the DNA evidence exonerates them, I believe the state government of North Carolina, should be making sure that these two individuals are looked after for the rest of their days. They lost 30 years of their lives because the justice system screwed up and had 2 innocent men incarcerated.

The DNA evidence doesn't really exonerate them. It only indicates that another person dropped a cigarette butt in the near vicinity

 

[cow451]

The DNA evidence doesn't really exonerate them. It only indicates that another person dropped a cigarette butt in the near vicinity

And, let's see....what about all the physical evidence they were guilty....
District Attorney Johnson Britt said a motion will be filed today on behalf of 50-year-old Henry Lee McCollum, who is on death row, and 46-year-old Leon Brown, who is serving a life sentence, showing that their DNA does not match DNA found where Sabrina Buie’s nude body was discovered and that exculpatory evidence may have been ignored.


Oh, goodness, there wasn't any physical evidence.......

Go find a dictionary.

 

[KarateCowboy]

This is yet another reason why the death penalty must be abolished and maximum prison sentence for any crime set under 25 years (possibly even lower). Innocent people are sent to prison and are murdered by the death penalty, and that is absolutely unacceptable.

By contrast, guilty people are let free and justice is left to rot. That is also absolutely unacceptable.

 

[Belk]

By contrast, guilty people are let free and justice is left to rot. That is also absolutely unacceptable.

The basis of the American justice system is unacceptable to you? I suppose I don't find that overly surprising.

 

[KarateCowboy]

The basis of the American justice system is unacceptable to you? I suppose I don't find that overly surprising.

Why do you think the basis of the American justice system is to let justice rot, and let guilty people run free? That's not what I learned in social studies class.

 

[bhsmte]

And, let's see....what about all the physical evidence they were guilty....
District Attorney Johnson Britt said a motion will be filed today on behalf of 50-year-old Henry Lee McCollum, who is on death row, and 46-year-old Leon Brown, who is serving a life sentence, showing that their DNA does not match DNA found where Sabrina Buie’s nude body was discovered and that exculpatory evidence may have been ignored.


Oh, goodness, there wasn't any physical evidence.......

Go find a dictionary.

Didn't Justice Scalia hold this guy up as an example of why the death penalty is ok, or something along those lines?

Has to be a bit embarrassing for him.

 

[Belk]

Why do you think the basis of the American justice system is to let justice rot, and let guilty people run free? That's not what I learned in social studies class.

Then you were not paying attention. It was a large part of the reason for the presumption of innocence.

‘Better 10 Guilty Men Go Free’ | twisting truth

 

[KarateCowboy]

Then you were not paying attention. It was a large part of the reason for the presumption of innocence.

‘Better 10 Guilty Men Go Free’ | twisting truth

But I wasn't referring to one versus the other. That's a false dilemma.

BTW, thanks for the flame.

 

[Belk]

But I wasn't referring to one versus the other. That's a false dilemma.

One what versus another what? I can't tell what you mean when your sentences do not contain proper nouns.

BTW, thanks for the flame.

Please, if I was going to flame you I would be more creative then simply implying that you were not paying attention during a class at some point. You damn me with faint praise.

 

[cow451]

Didn't Justice Scalia hold this guy up as an example of why the death penalty is ok, or something along those lines?

Has to be a bit embarrassing for him.

I doubt he is capable of such an emotion. Or, admitting to error.

 

[OGM]

Over 20-years of exonerations... It is amazing people still want the death penalty. Plus it is so expensive. Some say it is expensive because of the number of appeals. Without those appeals, many would have been unfairly executed.

 

[GarfieldJL]

I doubt he is capable of such an emotion. Or, admitting to error.

He's just as human as you are, the fact he disagrees with you on the topic doesn't make him any less capable of feeling emotion. You need to stop dehumanizing people you disagree with.

 

[bhsmte]

I doubt he is capable of such an emotion. Or, admitting to error.

He would never show the emotion outwardly, but it had to be a blow to his ego, internally.

 

[cow451]

He's just as human as you are, the fact he disagrees with you on the topic doesn't make him any less capable of feeling emotion. You need to stop dehumanizing people you disagree with.

If Scalia apologizes, as a human being would, then I will retract my criticism. I am not holding my breath, however.

 

[MachZer0]

And, let's see....what about all the physical evidence they were guilty....
District Attorney Johnson Britt said a motion will be filed today on behalf of 50-year-old Henry Lee McCollum, who is on death row, and 46-year-old Leon Brown, who is serving a life sentence, showing that their DNA does not match DNA found where Sabrina Buie’s nude body was discovered and that exculpatory evidence may have been ignored.


Oh, goodness, there wasn't any physical evidence.......

Go find a dictionary.

REgardless, they were found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The current situation not having to endure the same scrutiny as that in the trial. Evidence like CONFESSIONS

 

[bhsmte]

REgardless, they were found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The current situation not having to endure the same scrutiny as that in the trial. Evidence like CONFESSIONS

I hate to break it to you, but many have confessed to crime's they have not committed.

 

[MachZer0]

I hate to break it to you, but many have confessed to crime's they have not committed.

In his confession, McCollom gave very specific details that matched the crime scene evidence. The only DNA evidence I've heard that was presented now was a cigarette butt. Hardly exculpatory