9.22.2010

Texas Justice

I bet this is going to make the news today. The guy above was convicted of murder and sentenced to 75 years in prison. The first appeals court affirmed the conviction.

Today, Texas' highest criminal court, which is sickeningly conservative, actually reversed the conviction and ordered him set free.

The opinion ends with: "It cannot be denied that the jury and the court of appeals found the dog-scent lineup evidence in this case to be compelling. In 2004, two different dogs alerted only to the scents of appellant's son and daughter. In 2007, three different dogs alerted only to appellant's scent. But, the question essentially presented in this case is whether dog-scent lineup evidence alone can support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. And, while this evidence may raise a strong suspicion of appellant's guilt, we nevertheless decide that, standing alone, it is insufficient to establish a person's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt."

A "dog-scent lineup"? That was it? Really? How scary.