Telling what he knew was “ethically permissible and morally imperative” 22 years ago. Some stupid made-up bar association “ethics” rules are no excuse for sitting quietly by while a man you know is innocent is spending the prime of his life in prison. I wouldn’t blame either one of these men released after 20+ years, if they went out and murdered the sorry excuse for a human being who kept mum about their innocence all that time. If I was on a jury I would vote “not guilty” in a heartbeat. Anyone who lets being an ethical, truthful human being take a back seat to being a lawyer, at the expense of 20+ years of someone else’s life doesn’t deserve to live.
Even under these stupid bar association rules, the only penalty one of these lawyers would have suffered for piping up was having to find a different job that didn’t require being a member of the bar. They’ll let an innocent man spend 20+ years of his life in prison, so they don’t have to give up their precious career practicing law??? Sick, sick, sick!!
There was another case in Chicago recently where the lawyer came forward after the guilty client had died.
But in this NC case, the guilty client was already sentenced to life for the crime and could not suffer any further legal consequences if the lawyer came forward. Very very hard to justify keeping silent then.