The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed today to toss out Michael Morton’s 1987 conviction and life sentence for the murder of his wife, Christine, in Williamson County.
‘I just called Michael and told him the news. He was thrilled,” said Nina Morrison, a lawyer with the Innocence Project of New York. “This is the first time in almost 25 years he has not had a wrongful conviction on his record and hanging over his head, and obviously it’s a great day for him.”
Noting that recent DNA tests indicate that another man, unidentified in court documents, was the killer, the state’s highest criminal court unanimously declared: “We determine that (Morton) is entitled to relief on his actual innocence claim.”
Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley said today that he will “immediately” present Harle with a motion to dismiss Morton’s indictment. With the indictment dismissed, Morton would be eligible for compensation from Texas — $80,000 for each year he was wrongly imprisoned, totaling about $2 million, with another $2 million annuity that will earn 5 percent interest and pay out monthly.
Related article:
Oct 05, 2011Bradley did not try the original case against Morton. But the New York-based Innocence Project, which specializes in using DNA testing to overturn wrongful convictions, has accused him of suppressing evidence that would ...
