Posted on 04/16/2008 7:28:06 PM PDT by Strategerist
I'm not in favor of the press hectoring the victims asking about it but I always wonder how they deal with the mistaken IDs mentally. Most, as in this case, are steered towards the ID by the police, so not like it's entirely their fault.
Hang him. Slowly.
And let his blood be on their heads.
Next, we’ll learn that the rape didn’t even take place!
I am. An innocent man lost half his adult life because of this woman. I want her, the cops, and the prosecution held to account. If that means reporters camped out on their front lawns for the next 5 years, so be it.
I hope the guy sues the hell out of the woman who accused him and the prosecutor who put him in jail.
Why did it take so many years to test his DNA, when DNA testing has been around many years time now?
I’ve noticed some people get really annoyed by these stories.
There was one guy that was absolutely convinced that all these people were actually guilty but they were “chimeras” (had two types of DNA, which is beyond insanely rare.)
Er....Why did it take so many years to test his DNA, when DNA testing has been around so many years now?
Unless the victim knows their attacker, witness ID is perhaps the most unreliable evidence allowed to be introduced in a courtroom. As a coach, it took me three baseball practices to be able to tell two kids apart who weren’t related to each other. I kept calling Michael “Isaac,” and Isaac “Michael.” I still have to look really close to tell who I’m talking to.
That happens a heck of lot more (according to the recidivism rate) than the way this story turned out.
Does DNA evidence degenerate?
These things happen every day now. Not rape and 23 years in the slammer, but false, frivolous accusations of “sexual harassment” and all the consequences of such accusations that you never read about in the papers. Talk to people, ask around if you don’t believe it, I have, there is a war going on out there!
You have a woman that's suffered a violent rape. Not certain what you mean, but I've noticed people have trouble processing the idea that the rape victim wasn't deliberately lying - she made a mistake.
Based on the pic the guy released was black. I strongly suspect the victim was white.
Studies have actually shown that people have difficulty telling people of other races apart; most, but not all, of these cases are white women raped by black men, with the victim making a mistaken ID.
So you have a psychologically shaken and violent women being shown mugbooks by the police (who just want a conviction as fast as possible) who routinely "Steer" the victims to making an ID.
These victims come to genuinely believe they're certain about the IDs. They don't do this maliciously and cavalierly.
Let's face it - any rape trial where the victim IDs the attacker, the defendant doesn't have a prayer.
The people at fault are 1) the police 2) the prosecution and 3) juries, that don't understand the mountain of psychological research documenting the inaccuracy of eyewitnesses to crimes.
The rape victims end up victimized twice.
Somebody has to pay for it. The state isn't going to offer up public funds to try to exonerate somebody they paid a lot of money to convict. Therefore, it requires donations. I don't need to ask you how much you donated. It was the same amount as my donation.
Um, the rape most likely happened b/c that’s where the DNA most likely came from...
It’s also an incredibly long and involved process to appeal a conviction and get the evidence tested. DAs and such don’t exactly fall all over themselves to accomodate the process.
I trust police about as far as I can throw them.
John
D.N.A. EVIDENCE.....yes a rape took place.
Alright, fair enough. I still want SOMEBODY, like the cops or prosecutors, to suffer for this, though.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.