Texas Bar sues ex-DA in wrongful murder conviction

Oct 21, 2012 - 0 Comments

DNA cleared the man who was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of his wife

By Michael Graczyk Associated Press

HOUSTON — The State Bar of Texas is suing a former prosecutor who is now a state district judge, accusing him of withholding memos and other written evidence in the case of a man who served nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit.

Ken Anderson was the prosecutor in 1987 when Michael Morton was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of his wife at their home in Williamson County, just north of Austin. A year ago, DNA evidence cleared Morton and he was freed. Another man now faces a murder trial in his wife's death.

A disciplinary panel for the state lawyers' association contended in a lawsuit filed earlier this month that Anderson, now a judge in the Central Texas county, knew about the evidence but didn't disclose it to Morton's lawyers.

"Before, during and after the 1987 trial, (Anderson) knew of the existence of several pieces of evidence and withheld same from defense counsel," according to the lawsuit, which also serves as a disciplinary petition. Read More

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