Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison

Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Off the Grid

Message

cyberdude611 -> Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 7:12:19 AM)
A perfect example of how easily the "best system in the world" can make a horrible mistake. In 1981, a rape victim identified a Texas man, Charles Chatman, in a photo-lineup as the man who raped her. The jury believed the woman, convicted Chatman, and he recieved a life sentence. 26 years later, DNA evidence was performed on a swab of semen taken from the victim at the time. It's 100% certain, the semen does not belong to Chatman. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319785,00.html

Alumbrado -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 7:14:20 AM)
And they have had DNA testing for longer than that. I'd be royally pissed.

popeye1250 -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 7:18:22 AM)
He should receive $26 million dollars tax free.

sub4hire -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 7:49:02 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Alumbrado And they have had DNA testing for longer than that. I'd be royally pissed. How long have they had DNA testing for? How long does it take to do DNA testing nowadays? It has to be quicker than it was in the past.

slaveboyforyou -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 8:14:56 AM)
They have not had DNA testing since 1981.

Alumbrado -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 8:26:39 AM)
Errrrmmm... maybe I'm reading you wrong.. they have been able to test semen for DNA matches since the mid 80s... and older methods before that... there was no reason to wait this long to clear this person.

slaveboyforyou -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 8:36:17 AM)
I should have explained that better. They didn't have the technology in 1981 to accurately exclude a suspect from such a small sample. I think the best they could do was identify a blood type.

Aneirin -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 8:54:24 AM)
Very sad about the person's freedom being wasted for all those years, and I would like to see them favourably compensated for the inadequacy of the judicial system, but in a way it is a good thing. A good thing in that they have finally been seen to be innocent of a crime and so released.This to me is a good reason why a death penalty should not be a punishment in cases where there may be a possibility that an accused is innocent i.e. no one saw the deed done. Just think, how many people have received the death penalty,(in this present age), and so been executed when in reality, they might actually be innocent of the crime they have been convicted of.The conviction being secured on poor police work which just happens to fit.

kdsub -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 8:57:16 AM)
I would like to see a National DNA database and require samples as part of the birth certificate procedures…drivers license applications…. passports…. social security applications…tax refunds…incarceration and or convictions of any crime…. holding of public offices…public service jobs like fire and police and post office and utilities…Any alien entering the country for any reason. Butch

Aneirin -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:05:52 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: kdsub I would like to see a National DNA database and require samples as part of the birth certificate procedures…drivers license applications…. passports…. social security applications…tax refunds…incarceration and or convictions of any crime…. holding of public offices…public service jobs like fire and police and post office and utilities…Any alien entering the country for any reason. Butch I can see in theory, that might be a good idea but for a few points against.Here in Britain we do not trust our authorities and even less so now since they have been tardy with our personal information, private dna information, who says the same will not happen, and would that information be free of corruption? A crime could be comitted by a person of influence and someone's dna could be made to fit that crime.The thought of this is horrendous, people totally innocent being charged and who would believe otherwise, as dna is so right and conclusive as we are led to believe.

cyberdude611 -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:07:32 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Alumbrado Errrrmmm... maybe I'm reading you wrong.. they have been able to test semen for DNA matches since the mid 80s... and older methods before that... there was no reason to wait this long to clear this person. Apparently the sample was too small to test until recently. In fact, this one test consumed the entire sample.

Alumbrado -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:10:33 AM)
Ahh... that explains the delay... I'd still be veewwwwy unhappy.

deadbluebird -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:13:03 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: popeye1250 He should receive $26 million dollars tax free. i very much agree! at least enough to live the rest of his years worry free, and maybe even a bit for any children he has ( if he has any) for missing out on all that time with their father.

slaveboyforyou -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:22:39 AM)
quote: I would like to see a National DNA database and require samples as part of the birth certificate procedures…drivers license applications…. passports…. social security applications…tax refunds…incarceration and or convictions of any crime…. holding of public offices…public service jobs like fire and police and post office and utilities…Any alien entering the country for any reason. I'll be damned if I would voluntarily give a DNA sample to the government. I really don't understand theis wilingness to give away information to the authorities. They already collect DNA from convicted felons in most states. I have no problem with that. But I have committed no crimes, and I would refuse to give away personal information like that to get a driver's license, a job, or anything else. Why don't you just allow them to put cameras in your house while you're at it?

Lordandmaster -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:27:50 AM)
Bullshit. They should have just executed the fucker when they had the chance, and then they never would have had to deal with this crap. Exculpatory DNA evidence my ass.

xAdamx -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 9:40:06 AM)
I am quite surprised that you don't. here in the United Kingdom we have the database...as an Inspector of railways, l have been spat on for daring to ask some scumbag to take his dirty shoes/feet of the seats. I wiped the spit of my face with a swab, sent it of to the police crime lab, up comes his data found at other scenes of crime. The take swab tests as a matter of course over here in Europe.

faerytattoodgirl -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 10:13:33 AM)
Life for rape??? but murderers get even as low as 1-5 years and some never see a day in prison??? makes no sense!!!!!

domiguy -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 10:28:38 AM)
I believe that he blamed his incarceration on the fact that he was black....I couldn't find out if the woman who was raped was white. Eyewitness identification is heavily flawed. It becomes even more unreliable when someone is trying to identify an individual that does not share their own ethnicity. To square things it would be nice to lock the raped bitch up for a few decades as well as the police and the prosecutors in this case. the statue of "Blind Justice" is blindfolded so that the public cannot see the blackened eyes of the scale toting bitch....This is but just another national disgrace.

meatcleaver -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 10:35:05 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: cyberdude611 A perfect example of how easily the "best system in the world" can make a horrible mistake. The US has clearly not got the best system in the world. The US system has the same flaw as the British system, it is an adversarial system in which innocence or guilt is found by winning an argument in court rather than an inquisitorial system like much of continental Europe where magistrates endeavour to discover the truth. The truth is rarely discovered in an adversarial system as it is not the main reason for a trial taking place, finding someone innocent or guilty is the point and dissembling, being economical with the truth and introducing red herrings is the norm. In such a system you would expect to find numerous miscarriages of justice and invariably do.

Aneirin -> RE: Wrongully convicted man cleared of rape after 26 years in prison (1/4/2008 10:36:01 AM)
No, it does not make any sense at all.Here one sees penalties of less than five years for crimes against people, but much longer for crimes against property.And there are people in prisons for not paying for their tv licence but thugs, rapists etc are being let off with community service. No, it makes no sense at all. Perhaps it is true, the saying that the law is in fact an ass or an arse if you prefer. quote: ORIGINAL: faerytattoodgirl Life for rape??? but murderers get even as low as 1-5 years and some never see a day in prison??? makes no sense!!!!!

Page: [1] 2 3 next > >>

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.03125