Today's Austin American-Statesman reports, "Anderson says Morton accusations are false." It's by Chuck Lindell.
Former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson violated no laws and hid no evidence to secure Michael Morton's murder conviction in 1987, according to a legal brief filed Monday by Anderson's lawyers.
Offering their most detailed defense to date, Anderson's lawyers praised Morton's legal team for establishing his innocence last fall after he had served almost 25 years in prison for the brutal murder of his wife, Christine, in the bedroom of their home.
But their brief accused Morton's lawyers of employing falsehoods, incomplete facts and an incorrect reading of trial records to accuse Anderson of hiding evidence that could have spared Morton from a receiving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit.
"It is wholly inaccurate and inappropriate for anyone to characterize Mr. Anderson's conduct as violating laws or standards of conduct," said the brief for Anderson, now a district judge in Georgetown.
Morton's lawyers have asked District Judge Sid Harle to seek a court of inquiry to examine allegations that Anderson violated state law by hiding four pieces of evidence favorable to Morton, including a police interview indicating that the Morton's 3-year-old son witnessed his mother's attack and said his father was not home at the time.
Courts of inquiry are fact-finding ventures, overseen by a district judge, typically used to examine allegations against public officials
And:
After Morton was released in October, his lawyers conducted a two-month investigation that was aided by court-ordered depositions of Anderson and other former county officials.
According to a Dec. 19 report to Harle, the investigation concluded that Anderson used several ploys — such as moving to bar the Morton child from testifying and working to deny access to an investigator's notes — to ensure that Morton's lawyers never saw evidence that could have helped the defense.
"Morton Prosecutor Objects To Misconduct Inquiry," by Brandi Grissom at the Texas Tribune.
Allegations that former Williamson County prosecutor Ken Anderson committed criminal misconduct in the wrongful prosecution of Michael Morton 25 years ago are "unjustified and insupportable," his lawyers argued in a court document filed today.
"It is unfortunate that the Innocence Project has attempted to leverage the good work done by it and others on Mr. Morton's behalf — to secure his exoneration — into unjustified and insupportable allegations of criminal conduct by Ken Anderson," wrote Anderson's lawyers, including Eric Nichols, a former deputy attorney general.
And:
Anderson's lawyers went to great lengths in the filing today to underscore the importance of the exoneration, the former prosecutors' regret over the conviction and the 25 years Morton remained wrongfully imprisoned. But they argue that Anderson, who is now a state district judge appointed by Gov. Rick Perry, is not criminally liable for his role in the case.
"With greatest respect for Mr. Morton's counsel and what they have accomplished on behalf of their client... the requested court of inquiry has no foundation," they wrote.
Earlier coverage of Michael Morton's exoneration and its aftermath begins at the link.
Comments