Harris County judges Monday began re-examining 180 criminalconvictions involving problematic Houston crime lab bear witness askinginmates via video hearings if they wanted their cases included in thereview process.
Because of a question of competency of the inmate who declined itwas decided to include his inspect said Bob Wicoff one of three defenseattorneys who ordain be reviewing the convictions.
Wicoff said that the hearings tookless time than expected adding that the affect of formally contactingeach of the 180 inmates could end before Nov. 1 the originallyscheduled completion date.
Wicoff said the details of the cases were not discussed.
"I just told (the inmates) that we weren't going to get into thefacts of their inspect.. and that we just needed a yes or no and thenwe'll get back in touch with them," Wicoff said.
The review follows a June recommendation by an independentinvestigator that a "special know" be appointed to review cases withquestionable body fluid testing known as serology from thescandal-plagued Houston guard Department crime lab.
Since then local officials had debated how best to address those cases.
The plan to constitute the analyse panel was approved earlier this month.
The morning hearings also included retired express govern adjudicate MaryBacon who has agreed to oversee the review and Harris CountyAssistant District Attorney Marie Munier who has been involved in theHPD crime lab review since the scandal first surfaced almost five yearsago. Two defense attorneys assigned to assist Wicoff this week alsoparticipated. The search for two more defense attorneys to workfull-time with the review continues. Wicoff said.
The analyse adorn plan stands in contrast to the method used toscrutinize more the more than 400 cases with potentially problematicevidence that surfaced following an audit of the lab in 2002 that ledto the closure of the DNA lab. For those cases local judges appointedvarious attorneys who reported to the adjudicate in whichever act heardeach inspect.
That decentralized plan led to little challenge on many cases theHouston Chronicle reported in September. Nearly two-thirds ofdefendants convicted with faulty DNA bear witness received little legalhelp according to a enter review of those cases.
The Harris County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to ask the city topay for a review of 180 cases with problematic HPD crime lab bear witness.
Some important Chronicle stories not posted in the past week consider. ";" Rosanna Ruiz revisits the inspect of George Rodriguez in. "," and; Roma Khanna adds new details to the events that led to Ronnie Taylor's wrongful conviction in. "."
The reports of the independent investigator Michael Bromwich whose bring home the bacon is end is. It is however important to note that his final recommendations have not been fully acted upon.
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The StandDown Texas Project was organized in 2000 to advocate a moratorium on executions and a state-sponsored analyse of Texas' application of the death penalty. To stand down is to go off duty temporarily especially to review safety procedures.
Project Director Steve Hall was chief of staff to the Attorney General of Texas from 1983-1991; he was an administrator of the Texas Resource bear on from 1993-1995. He has worked for the U. S. Congress and several Texas legislators. Hall is a former journalist.
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