Woman that pleaded guilty to murder released after evidence cleared her of involvemnet.

[gerogie2]

Of course, she had a public defender that didn't want to do any work so he talked her into a plea deal in which she spent the last ten years in jail.

http://koin.com/2014/06/03/da-no-retrial-for-woman-cleared-of-murder-by-dna/

[Heidi]

1. Kick!

[Mnemosyne]

2. K&R nt

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. America, where you can get all the justice you can afford.

[pnwmom]

4. Why do people falsely plead guilty, even with the best attorneys?

Because of the death penalty. As long as that is on the table, innocent people --even people with the best attorneys -- will accept plea bargains that keep them alive. I'm sure that is what this woman did. Oregon is a death penalty state.

This happened to someone we know, who lost his wife in a terrible accident. The state didn't have a chance of proving first degree murder, but they charged him with it anyway, and kept the possibility of the death penalty on the table till the very last minute. They finally took it off when they realized he was determined to go to trial anyway. (And he had the financial means to do so.) And then they tried to convict him with no credible physical evidence, no motive, and no witnesses -- just based on the suspicions of the police and early responders who thought his "affect" wasn't appropriate after the death, along with his shocked, confused, and rambling statements (without a lawyer) after her accidental death. (He never said anything indicating guilt of any kind, but since his statement was confused and he couldn't remember everything, they said he was lying -- and that in itself proved guilt in the prosecution's eyes.)

No innocent person should ever ever ever talk to the police without a lawyer.

[WhiteTara]

8. Correction...no one should talk to the police

without an attorney.

[hobbit709]

9. If you've ever been interrogated for hours on end you would know why.

[Luminous Animal]

5. What we need is robust public defenders offices. Adequate funding, staffing and sufficient pay.

[davidn3600]

6. The problem with public defenders is their caseload is incredibly high

Most public defenders are working so many cases they cant dedicate the time necessary to properly defend every single one of them....Compared to a private defense attorney who can dedicate far more time and resources to specific cases.

PDs are normally just as competent as a lawyer as a private attorney is. They have the same qualifications. They both have to pass the bar exam. They both went to law school. etc..

[pnwmom]

10. And that they have almost no budget compared to the prosecutors.

Little money for witnesses, lab tests, etc.

[Skittles]

7. don't smear all public defenders

I watched the trial of a gal who ran a red light, causing an accident that killed a friend of mine - I was so impressed with the vigorous and competent defense from her public defender I spoke with that lawyer in the parking lot and let her know (she was very touched)