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BUT FIRST..THE MICHAEL MORTON
WILLIAMSON COUNTY COULD LEAD
TO CHANGES IN STATE LAW.
LAW.MORTON SPENT 25 YEARS IN
PRISON FOR KILLING HIS WIFE-
YEAR THAT HE DID NOT COMMIT
THE CRIME.NEW AT NINE TONIGHT,
WE'RE DIGGING IN TO HOW TWO
NEW BILLS WOULD CHANGE THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM IN TEXAS- IF
LAW.
3
WHEN MICHAEL MORTON WALKED OUT
OF THE WILLIAMSON COUNTY
COURTHOUSE A FREE MAN LAST
FALL...SENATOR RODNEY ELLIS
HAD TO BE DONE.ELLIS SAYS IT'S
TIME TO MAKE SOME VERY
MEANINGFUL REFORMS IN TEXAS.
TEXAS.AS THE 83RD LEGISLATIVE
SESSION APPROACHES- ELLIS HAS
FILED TWO BILLS HE HOPES WILL
KEEP WHAT HAPPENED TO MORTON
FROM HAPPENING TO ANYONE ELSE.
AIRPLANE GOES DOWN, WE DON'T
SORT OF TAKE THE POSITION-
WELL THINGS HAPPEN- YOU PUT
TOGETHER AN INDEPENDENT GROUP
OF EXPERTS- NOT WITH AN EYE
TOWARDS POINTING AN ACCUSATIVE
FINGER- BUT TO ASK HARD,
PROBATIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED - WHY DID IT HAPPEN,
SO YOU CAN TRY TO KEEP IT FROM
HAPPENING AGAINELLIS CITES 47
CASES IN TEXAS WHERE DNA HAS
FREED AN INNOCENT PERSON.SO
ONE OF HIS BILLS WOULD CREATE
A TEXAS INNOCENCE COMMISSION
TO INVESTIGATE EXONERATIONS.
EXONERATIONS.EXONERATIONS.
3EXONERATIONS.
EXONERATIONS.GRAVES SAYS MY
MOTHER WAS ON DEATH ROW, MY
CHILDREN WAS ON DEATH ROW-
SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU GOT IT
WRONG AND PUT ME ON DEATH ROW.
ANTHONY GRAVES SPENT 18 YEARS
ON DEATH ROW- CONVICTED OF SIX
MURDERS HE DID NOT COMMIT.
UNTIL THE OTHER MAN CONVICTED
OF THE CRIME-- CHANGED HIS
TESTIMONY- AND SAID GRAVES WAS
NOT INVOLVED.GRAVES SAYS WE
NOW KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD
INNOCENT PEOPLE ON TEXAS'
DEATH ROW- YOU'RE TALKING TO
ONE NOW AND TO THINK THAT WE
FOUND THIS OUT AND WE CONTINUE
TO EXECUTE WITHOUT PAUSING TO
SET UP SOME TYPE OF COMMISSION
TO FIND OUT HOW DID THIS
HAPPEN, IT JUST KIND OF BLOWS
ELLIS SAYS PROSECUTORS HAVE A
TOUGH JOB TO DO ((CUT)) BUT
THAT JOB IS NOT JUST TO GET
SOMEONE- IT'S TO GET THE RIGHT
SOMEONE.ANOTHER BILL FILED BY
ELLIS WOULD CREATE A UNIFORM
STANDARD FOR SHARING EVIDENCE-
ALSO CALLED DISCOVERY- BETWEEN
PROSECUTORS AND DEFENSE
ATTORNEYS IN TEXAS- SOMETHING
THAT DID NOT HAPPEN IN THE
MORTON CASE.GRAVES SAYS IT'S A
THE HEART OF JUSTICE
PREVAILING WHEN WE RECOGNIZE
THAT WE HAVE A SITUATION AND
THEN WE GO ABOUT TO TRY TO
MEANS SOMETHING TO US ALL.
SEVERAL STATES- LIKE FLORIDA,
CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT AND
LOUISIANA AMONG OTHERS- HAVE
ELLIS SAYS IT WILL BE
THESE BILLS FROM HIS
REPUBLICAN COUNTERPARTS.HE
SAYS THIS ISN'T A PARTISAN