Friday Quick Clicks…

A Final Farewell to Greg Wilhoit, Who Survived Oklahoma’s Death Row
New book released: I am Troy Davis
A Pittsburgh man serving three life terms deserves a new trial in the death of three city firefighters, but the retrial will be delayed while prosecutors appeal the judge’s decision. When Greg Brown was convicted of arson in a 1995 blaze that killed three Pittsburgh firefighters, prosecutors said no witnesses were promised money in exchange for testimony. Allegheny County Judge Joseph Williams on Wednesday ruled 36-year-old Gregory Brown Jr. deserved the new trial because prosecutors didn’t reveal that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms paid one witness a $5,000 reward. That witness testified he wasn’t promised any money for his testimony, which Williams said could have been used to impeach his credibility had Brown’s defense known about the reward. Full story….

lynne0312 | February 22, 2014 at 9:23 am | Reply

I think paid informants and jailhouse snitches are more common than people realize and it’s always difficult for the defense to discover this. It seems easy to hide these pay-offs. It really is disgusting that they convict people based on bribery or the incentive of an early release from prison or threats.