Military Criminal Defense Lawyer (Former JAG
Attorney) News:
At a time when lawmakers and
advocates are attempting to ensure prosecution victories in military
courts-martial, and military defendants are being stripped of their ability to
adequately investigate the cases against them and present their defense – another innocent man
is freed from prison after decades behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. See Fox News story here:
Joseph Sledge was cleared of the
1976 murders of a mother and her daughter by DNA testing. He was convicted of the crime in 1978 and is
now 70 years old. According to the news
story, Mr. Sledge was the third inmate to be freed in NC in the last six
months! And, he is one of eight convicts
cleared and freed by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission.
Mr. Sledge’s conviction was based,
in part, on the testimony of two jail house “snitches”…who notoriously lie to
receive a benefit from the state. One later
recanted his testimony and admitted he lied to receive a reduced sentence in
his case. He also admitted to being
coached about what to say on the stand. The
other snitch has since died, and his testimony was inconsistent with the first
snitch. None of the forensic evidence
collected – hair, DNA, fingerprints – matched Mr. Sledge.
While I know the positive aspect of
his story is that an injustice was exposed and corrected, as a defense
lawyer watching lawmakers chip away at the rights of military defendants to
transform the system into a prosecution rubber stamp…this story is a depressing
reminder of the personal cost associated with systemic errors. Why isn’t this a concern in Congress???
To see other wrongful conviction
blog posts, see, for example:
For more information about the
military justice system, see our website at:
http://militaryadvocate.com/
We offer free consultations for a
case you may be involved in. Just call
us.
Thank
you.
By:
Attorney Richard V. Stevens
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.
http://www.militaryadvocate.com
Civilian criminal defense lawyer and military defense lawyer
Military Defense Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens, P.C.
http://www.militaryadvocate.com
Blog
postscript: Attorney Frank J. Spinner and I (attorney Richard V. Stevens) are
former active duty military lawyers (JAG). Our perspectives and advice,
therefore, are based upon our experience as military defense lawyers and as
civilian criminal defense lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of
military law and military justice. This blog addresses issues in military law,
military justice, military discipline, military defense, court-martial
practice, the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other military and/or
legal topics. Nothing posted in this blog should be substituted for legal
advice in any particular case. If you seek legal advice for a particular case,
please contact The Law Offices of Richard V. Stevens and The Law Office of
Frank J. Spinner for a free consultation. These military defense law offices
are located in Northern Florida (Pensacola, Ft Walton, Destin, Eglin AFB,
Hurlburt Field, Duke Field, Panama City, Tyndall AFB areas) and Colorado
Springs, Colorado (FT Carson, Peterson AFB, Air Force Academy, Schriever AFB,
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Buckley AFB areas), but our military defense
law practices are worldwide – we travel to wherever our clients are stationed
or serving and need us.
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