[Vision2020] One More "Killer" Released Because of DNA

[Tony]

Nick, I was heartened to see you change your mind with regard to abortion. 
You are absolutely correct that the state should not be in the business of 
premeditated murder, especially in the case of those who are innocent in 
EVERY case.

It is such a joy to see reason and compassion prevail.

Best,   -T
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nickgier at adelphia.net>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:57 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] One More "Killer" Released Because of DNA


> Greetings:
>
> Fortunately, most DNA exonerations are happening with prisoners who are 
> still alive.  The real injustice, however, is those, now over 100, who 
> were executed before the tests could be done.
>
> The state should not be in the business of premeditated murder, especially 
> if it cannot be sure of that its victims are guilty.
>
> Nick Gier
>
> January 24, 2007, NY Times
> With DNA From Exhumed Body, Man Finally Wins Freedom
> By FERNANDA SANTOS
>
> AUBURN, N.Y., Jan. 23 — Roy Brown, who spent 15 years in prison on a 
> murder conviction and uncovered evidence while there that linked another 
> man to the crime, was released from prison on Tuesday after DNA tests on 
> the other man’s exhumed body matched saliva on a nightshirt at the crime 
> scene.
>
> After 15 years behind bars, Mr. Brown stepped out of court into a light 
> snowfall and gently pushed his way through a cluster of relatives who vied 
> for his attention. The reception was fine, he said, but he is too sick 
> with liver disease to stand on his feet for long.
>
> “Changes have got to be made, man,” Mr. Brown said later at a lawyer’s 
> office across the street, answering questions in a monotone as he rested 
> awkwardly in a black swivel chair. “They say the wheels of justice move 
> slowly, but you know what? The wheels of justice are flat.”
>
> Mr. Brown, 46, is the eighth person in New York State exonerated through 
> DNA evidence in the past 13 months, more than in any other state during 
> the same period.
>
> The DNA tests that freed him confirmed the results of his own jailhouse 
> investigation, in which he discovered documents that incriminated Barry 
> Bench, a volunteer firefighter, in the murder of Sabina Kulakowski, 49, a 
> social worker who had lived with Mr. Bench’s brother until months before 
> her death. Earlier DNA tests conducted by Mr. Brown’s lawyers linked Mr. 
> Bench’s daughter, Katherine Eckstadt, to the genetic code lifted from the 
> saliva on Ms. Kulakowski’s nightshirt.
>
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