Innocence Found
Why did Anthony Graves spend eighteen years behind bars—twelve of them on death row—for a crime he did not commit?
5 comments
Wednesday, February 16th, 2011, 10:14 pm
Eva Hobdy says:
I would like for the State of Texas to do the right thing with all due haste. And if should come to pass that the right thing is not done, we the people should march, protest, and fight to put it to a vote. This man was harmed and we must rigth what we can as much as we can. Texans we can do this, we must do this for him and for us.
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011, 4:45 pm
Mary Flores says:
I worked with Bobbie Davis and remember the murders vividly. Bobbie was a dear, kind friend. She was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to. I remember driving by what was left of her home on my way to class at Texas A&M that morning. My co-worker called me a bit later to let me know what had happened. Another co-worker who lived next door had tried to extinguish the flames on Bobbie’s home with a garden hose when he woke up in the middle of the night to her house burning. I loved Bobbie very much and still think of her.
It was a horrific crime; all the more horrific for the incarceration of an innocent man for 18 years. I am appalled to learn that he will most likely not receive any compensation for his time behind bars. How is he to build a life except for the generosity of his family?! He has been put in a position of having to live on the whims of others for too long.
Do the right thing Texas and give Mr. Graves some funds so he can make decisions in his life, an ability that Texas took away from him for 18 years.
Saturday, February 12th, 2011, 11:59 am
Beth Stier says:
Congratulations to Texas Monthly and Pamela Collolff for having the courage to print an article exposing the U.S. “Justice†System’s fatal flaw – prosecutorial abuse. What happened to Mr. Graves was, indeed, a travesty and as many readers have pointed out, his grace is astonishing and inspirational. What most Americans have yet to understand is how frequently prosecutorial abuse ruins innocent peoples’ lives and how rampant the problem is, at both the state level and at the federal level. It is time that Americans work together to solve the problem. How do we do that? We must use Congress; only Congress can limit the power of the prosecutors. It will be a long fight, but it can be done: we need more awareness, such as this brave article; we need solutions (many people have ideas – those ideas need to be coalesced and finessed into legislative bills); we need Congresspersons who will introduce legislation; we need citizens to pester their Congresspersons to vote for the bill. If we do this, then we can change the laws and the statutes that enable prosecutorial abuse. It will not be easy and it will take courage; the people who hold the power now will not want to give it up. Several websites will be of interest to those who want to learn more. www.Ungagged.net explains the evolution of prosecutorial abuse and presents ideas about what might be done to curb it (see the “The Epilogue - Why Should I Care?†Modules in the “Behind the Scenes†section). And along with stories similar to Mr. Graves’, www.Innocenceproject.org has a section titled “Fix the Systemâ€. www.lawmail.com/abuse has tips for fighting prosecutorial abuse in your individual case, and in your town. Prosecutorial abuse will not be addressed by those in power; the only people who can generate the changes are we, the people.
Monday, December 20th, 2010, 10:44 am
ELINOR says:
Congratulations to Texas Monthly and Pamela Colloff for pursuing and revealing this terrible miscarriage of justice. I hope you feel proud to have a hand in reversing Mr. Graves’ all-too-probable fate. I am in awe of his equanimity, and I hope that he is compensated and helped in this transition. I further hope that justice is done to those who abused their power.
Saturday, December 4th, 2010, 10:45 am
Warmhoneyeyes says:
This article highlights the roles that officials in the Justice system played in attempting to ensure Mr. Graves’ execution. It’s frightening. It’s sickening. It’s abuse of power at its worst. It’s corrupt beyond description. It’s utterly cruel and lacking in any values whatsoever. The term “gross misconduct†becomes a misnomer. I trust that those who deliberately took 18 years of Mr. Graves life will be accountable to the Justice System.
But more pressing is the matter of State compensation – and was horrified to learn that his “.odds of actually receiving money looked slimâ€. If the matter rests solely on wording, then I am sure that Bill Parnham will – with all the power of his Office, ensure that he moves to right the terrible losses Mr. Graves has endured. Dismissing charges was the first step – but his job in this case is not over yet. He has a moral obligation to leave no stone unturned in assisting Mr. Graves’ compensation claim, based on his own words a day after Mr Graves’s release.
Thank you Pamela and Mr. Graves for sharing your story.
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