WE NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OF INFORMING THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT THOSE ‘INNOCENT’ DEATH ROW DENIZENS ACTUALLY DID

None of those on California’s death row whose appeals have been exhausted have claimed to be innocent

By a San Francisco police captain

PACOVILLA Corrections blog
June 15, 2015

Responding to the fact that California death penalty abolitionists Gov. Jerry Brown and Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris have been dragging their heels in applying the death penalty to those whose appeals have been exhausted, a San Francisco police captain wrote:

When stories like the Anthony Graves case in Texas come out, it causes people to re-think their support for the death penalty, and not take issue with the machinations of Jerry and Kamala. After seeing those rare cases where innocent people like Graves spent years on death row, it should not come as a complete surprise that the majority of Californians do not share our outrage at the delay in executions.

The anti-death penalty media makes sure that stories like the Graves case make front page news. However, it is nearly impossible to find out the horrifying details of what the likes of Michael Morales, the Killer of Terry Winchell, actually did to get on death row. When the media does mention the details of these murderous bastards, we hear things like Tookie Williams writing children’s books, or how Jaturun Siripongs, since arriving on death row, has become a Buddhist monk, and is respectful to the employees at San Quentin. We don’t hear anything about his un-monkly behavior in slaying a few folks in a robbery.

The public needs to realize that of all of those on death row that are cleared for execution (Their appeals are exhausted), not a single one makes a claim of innocence. Some claim that the Jury should have been told they had a tough or less than idyllic childhood, but the information wasn’t conveyed. Some claim that if they would have had a really good lawyer, they would have gotten a life without parole sentence. Others claim the prosecution used their preemptory challenges to exclude Hispanics [and blacks] from the jury etc etc.

Those of us in the know need to do a better job of conveying these facts so we can inform the public about what’s really going on, and force Jerry and Kamala to carry out their constitutionally mandated duties.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I’m glad the San Francisco police captain brought up the Graves case. There is a false public perception that needs to be corrected. It seems as though the cops get blamed for wrongful convictions when in fact overzealous prosecutors hungry to have a sterling conviction record are really to blame in most instances.

Anthony Graves spent 18 years in prison with 12 years on death row for killing six people, a crime he did not commit, because prosecutor Charles Sebesta withheld evidence and falsified testimony to obtain a capital conviction. Graves was released from prison in 2010, but it took the Texas bar association until this month to disbar Sebesta. That bastard should have been disbarred nine years ago when the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a retrial for Graves because of what this sorry-ass excuse for a prosecutor did.

In this case, us Texans cannot be proud, we should be ashamed!