Editorial: Case against death penalty gets stronger

[BillieJo]

Ione Cyshosz, 62, of Milwaukee was brutally murdered in 1985. She was beaten, stabbed and bitten and her body was dumped in a vacant lot behind her home. Last week the man convicted of her murder walked out of prison, a free man after serving 23 years behind bars.

Robert Lee Stinson’s murder conviction was overturned by a Milwaukee County judge in part because of evidence uncovered by the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
Stinson had steadfastly proclaimed his innocence even when a behind bars admission would have improved his chances of parole. His release is the latest headline grabbing story from around the nation of convicted killers being set free because of improved forensic science.


full article available at http://www.thenorthwestern.com/artic...SH06/302040032

[JJS811]

This is what concerns me, with every execution that takes place, there is a chance innocent people could be dying. What astounds me, is that quite often DNA is not tested as routine, also as another poster on another thread rightly pointed out, even when DNA is tested, often it is done so, only at the inmates expense. Seriously, how many inmates could afford the thousands of $$$ it costs to test DNA evidence? The state should test ALL DNA as a standard part of every investigation, where is present. In some cases, vital DNA has simply "vanished" as has other evidence. This cannot be allowed to continue!

Originally Posted by BillieJo

Ione Cyshosz, 62, of Milwaukee was brutally murdered in 1985. She was beaten, stabbed and bitten and her body was dumped in a vacant lot behind her home. Last week the man convicted of her murder walked out of prison, a free man after serving 23 years behind bars.

Robert Lee Stinson’s murder conviction was overturned by a Milwaukee County judge in part because of evidence uncovered by the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
Stinson had steadfastly proclaimed his innocence even when a behind bars admission would have improved his chances of parole. His release is the latest headline grabbing story from around the nation of convicted killers being set free because of improved forensic science.


full article available at http://www.thenorthwestern.com/artic...SH06/302040032

[DaveMoff]

It won't happen until someone wealthy ends up serving life on or death row (I know, unlikely), but what is necessary is a Supreme Court ruling to the effect that any inmate who has not had the benefit of all of the testing possible on all of the evidence in his or her case has not received due process.

This is true even when the fingerprints, hair, or what have you "magically" appear after the person has been convicted. But thus far, our court system does not seem to agree.

If significant untested evidence exists in a criminal case, "reasonable doubt" exists as to a defendant's actual guilt, whether he or she has been convicted or not.

[machomacho]

stop death penalty