Last night's Larry King Live on CNN examined the Hank Skinner case, as well as Greg Taylor's recent exoneration in North Carolina. The transcript is here; video, here. Some excerpts:
KING: Brandi, a reporter for "The Texas Tribune," this stay is only whether the court will consider it, right?
I mean they could, technically, in two days, vote as a group to not consider it, right?
BRANDI GRISSOM, REPORTER, "THE TEXAS TRIBUNE": That's right. It's an indefinite stay. So what the court is considering right now is whether or not they -- they feel there is a need for them to take up and intervene in this case.
KING: The technical question is DNA was not around at the time he was convicted and he wanted to introduce it later and that the lower courts denied that, is that right?
GRISSOM: Actually, the DNA was available at the time of his original trial in 1995. What happened was that, at that time, his original trial attorney decided not to have that DNA evidence tested. And I've spoken with that original trial attorney. His name is Harold Comer. He's still practicing in Pampa, Texas. And what he said was he was worried that having additional DNA tested at that time would further implicate Skinner in this case. And so he didn't ask for the testing on the evidence that Skinner is now asking to be tested.
KING: Well, then that's the crux of the case, right?
Why didn't Skinner...
GRISSOM: That's correct.
KING: -- since he's the client, why didn't he tell his lawyer, I want the DNA introduced?
GRISSOM: There's some dispute there about whether or not he did ask for the testing at the time. Skinner says that he did. His attorneys have a different answer. And they say that they -- that he agreed with them at the time that that testing shouldn't be done. So there's some dispute there about whether or not that testing was asked for at the time of the trial.
And:
And in New York, Nina Morrison, senior attorney with The Innocence Project. She's worked with "Hank" Skinner's legal team trying to get this DNA test. And, by the way, she just told me that The Innocence Project has gotten 251 inmates out of prison with DNA testing. That means they were incorrectly convicted.
But based on some of the evidence here, Texas authorities say that he was found close by wearing heavily bloodstained jeans and socks, bearing a gash on his right hand. Authorities also say blood on the shirt he was wearing at the time of the arrest was Twila's and her sons.
Nina, frankly, isn't that pretty incriminating?
NINA MORRISON, SENIOR ATTORNEY, THE INNOCENCE PROJECT: Well, you know, one thing we've learned at The Innocence Project through these 251 cases and counting is that no amount of speculation about a person's guilt can substitute for a DNA test. You know, people said a lot of the same things about Curtis McCarty, one of our former clients who you just saw, who is a free man today -- and innocent.
And really -- and I think that the Supreme Court stay will hopefully allow us to make clear, whether or not "Hank" Skinner is guilty or innocent, everyone agrees he should have an opportunity to prove that innocence through DNA testing before he's executed and the ultimate punishment is carried out.
And:
Greg Taylor is with us. He was convicted of murder and exonerated last month after serving 6,149 days. That's nearly two decades. Christine Mumma, Greg's lawyer, is here as well. She's director of the North Carolina Center for Actual Innocence. What freed him, Christine?
CHRISTINE MUMMA, CENTER FOR ACTUAL INNOCENCE: There was lots of evidence that we had to present to free him. We had to actually prove to the judges that he was innocent, not just not guilty, but innocent. We showed that there was some testing that was done in 1991, some evidence that was obtained from his truck that was reported to be blood. In actuality, it was not human blood. There were some witnesses who were very questionable, snitch testimony, that we had to call into question. And we had to basically relive that night with the judges. Go ahead.
KING: Has the killer been found?
MUMMA: Not yet. We're working on it. Raleigh police have reopened the investigation. We have information to share with them. We're hoping to do that next week.
KING: What was it like for you, Greg, to be in prison when you know you didn't do it?
GREG TAYLOR, WRONGLY IMPRISONED FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS: Well, it's kind of left me searching for a purpose, was the main thing. So the purpose that I found was to better myself throughout all those years and to fight my case.
KING: Did you always think you would get free?
TAYLOR: In my darkest moments, sometimes I thought I would spend the rest of my life in prison. But, for the most part, I held out the hope that eventually the truth would prevail.
KING: What do you make of the Skinner situation we've just been talking about?
TAYLOR: Well, I believe if there's evidence to be tested, that -- you know, that hasn't been tested yet, that it should be. I don't think anybody should be afraid of the truth.
King also talked with Skinner's wife, Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner:
AGEORGES-SKINNER: Hank has been denied DNA testing through the habeas process. His attorneys filed a complaint against the current Gray County D.A. because she's refusing to release the evidence to this current attorney for private testing.
Let's not forget that for 15 years, the defense has asked for DNA testing -- privately funded DNA testing. It's not going to cost the state anything.
KING: All right...
AGEORGES-SKINNER: Why would Hank be searching and asking for DNA testing for so long if he's guilty?
Earlier coverage begins with the preceding post.
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