Two mentally disabled North Carolina men were finally exonerated this week, after being wrongfully convicted over three decades ago as a result of flawed police interrogation techniques.
From the NY Times:
The two young defendants were prosecuted by Joe Freeman Britt, the 6-foot-6, Bible-quoting district attorney who was later profiled by “60 Minutes” as the country’s “deadliest D.A.” because he sought the death penalty so often.
A combination of overzealous, bloodthirsty prosecution and demonstrably flawed police procedures resulted in another tragic miscarriage of justice — one that should have been obvious thirty years ago, before two innocent, mentally disabled men spent more than half their lives in prison for a crime they didn’t commit.
For more information on the widespread use of improper interrogation techniques and the wrongful convictions that continue to result from those techniques, check out the Innocence Project’s False Confessions project.
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Durham and Raleigh criminal defense lawyer Ben Hiltzheimer is an attorney in Durham, North Carolina, who represents individuals charged with DWIs and the full spectrum of misdemeanors and felonies. Contact us for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation at (919) 899-9404.
