Posted on 04/01/2019 5:55:15 PM PDT by Theoria
Kathy Gonzalez knows that many people across the cornfields and cattle ranches of eastern Nebraska believe she is a murderer. It doesn’t change the fact that they owe her millions of dollars.
Ms. Gonzalez was one of six innocent people who collectively spent 77 years in prison for the murder of a 68-year-old woman named Helen Wilson, whose death haunted this rural county for decades. Now, years after DNA evidence exonerated the defendants, they are about to collect a $28 million civil rights judgment against Gage County, which prosecuted them based on false confessions.
But because the county has limited financial resources and a dwindling population, nearly all of its 22,000 residents must foot the bill by paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in higher property taxes. County leaders have pleaded for help from state lawmakers, and even flirted with declaring bankruptcy.
“Do I think it’s fair these people are going to have to pay us off?” Ms. Gonzalez asked. “No. But it wasn’t fair what they did to us, either.”
The $28 million jury award is one of the largest judgments ever levied against such a small place, say experts who study wrongful convictions. It has stirred resentment in the coffee shops and bars of Beatrice, a small town where suspicions about the defendants — known as the Beatrice Six — still linger like an oil stain on the road.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Just give them the entire county.
Thanks Theoria. It would be much cheaper just to cap all six of them, and their lawyers.
“property taxes”
Why don’t they start by taking it out of the pensions of those who screwed up?
Dissolve the country Government. Sell all of the buildings and equipment. Pay up. Put the country under the control of the state.
Let the citizenry install (on their own dime) water wells and septic system. Let them form groups if they desire and grade roads.
After they make themselves solvent again, they can look at becoming incorporated.
Speaking from Grayson County, Texas this absolutely needs to be done with McLennan County.
If any one of them didn't want to pay out, they would have moved heaven and earth to make sure they had a scrupulous Government.
How did any of them benefit from it?
I live in Gage county about 7 miles from Beatrice, personally I think 28 million divided by 6 people who spent in excess of 20 years in prison each for a crime they didnt commit isn’t really enough. The county probably spent 5 million in legal fees fighting this.
There are people who will never believe these people aren’t guilty no matter the evidence. There people like that even when someone else confesses. Just like with Bill Clinton. A woman was told that Clinton had admitted he’d had an affair with Jennifer Flowers. Her response? “I still don’t believe it.”
And cops and DA’s will NEVER admit they had the wrong guy.
"How can you be wrongly convicted when you plead guilty?"
The trouble with Americans is that they don't know how their "justice" system works.
They're like children.
The false confessions were obtained with the threat of the death penalty.
Well, at least prosecutors don't have a blank checkbook to defend against having to admit they had the wrong guy.
Oh, wait... ;-)
“It would be much cheaper just to cap all six of them, and their lawyers.”
Actually they should strip every law enforcement official involved in the case of all their assets for a start. Surely you’re not suggesting murdering these people who were falsely convicted. Are you?
Voters are ultimately responsible for the people they put into office, one way or another. It’s just in this case the bite on the ass was particularly severe. I feel zero sympathy for them.
L
In 2008 DNA evidence implicated in the murders Bruce Allen Smith, an original prime suspect who had died in 1992, and all of the Beatrice Six were exonerated the following year.[4][5]
Correct, I actually worked with 2 of the people involved when I worked at the Sheriff’s office on 05 to 07. Dr. Price and Deputy Sandersfeld. We were not allowed to even discuss the subject amongst coworkers.
“How did any of them benefit from it?”
The question is irrelevant. They voted for a bunch of crooks. Now they can reap the consequences.
Zero sympathy.
Zero.
L
This case happened in the early 80s, many people werent born yet or didn’t live in the county at the time.
When the tax bills go out I bet there will be plenty of discussion.
So, we need to rely on your ESP as to who they voted for, and why the defendants gave false confessions? No thanks.
Ohh believe me, there already is.
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