[PAA-Discuss] Texas Observer -Possibly Innocent Man Loses Another Appeal

[Juli3 at aol.com]

_http://www.texasobshttp://wwwhttp://www.http://wwhttp://wwhttp://wwwhttp://
w_ 
(http://www.texasobserver.org/contrarian/possibly-innocent-man-loses-another-) 
appeal
Thursday,  February 11, 2010 

Possibly Innocent Man Loses Another Appeal
by  Dave Mann

Larry Swearingen lost another appeal yesterday.

This  wasn't all that surprising. For one, The Court of Criminal
Appeals-which  turned down
<_http://www.statesmahttp://www.http://www.statehttp://wwwhttp://www.stateht
t_ 
(http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/condemned-killer-of-college-student-los) 
es-appeal-226592.es-a>  his request for more DNA testing before the state
executes him-is  notoriously hostile to defendants, especially those on  
death
row.

Second, Swearingen has lost many appeals. In fact, he's  nearly been 
executed
twice. His case received quite a bit of attention in  January 2009, when a
federal court stayed his execution just one day before  he was scheduled to
die.

And, third, Swearingen isn't an angel. He  has a criminal history, including
a conviction for rape, according to news  reports.

Still, there's some compelling evidence that Swearingen may be  innocent.

He was sentenced to death for murdering Melissa Trotter, a  19-year-old
college student, in Conroe in December  1998.

Swearingen's defense team, which includes the New York-based  Innocence
Project, has contended that Swearingen couldn't have killed  Trotter 
because,
at the time of the murder, he was sitting in jail for  outstanding traffic
tickets.

Six forensic experts have now studied  the evidence in the case and 
concluded
that Trotter's body was dumped in  the woods a good while after Dec. 11, 
when
Swearingen was put in  jail.

Swearingen's defense team has repeatedly asked courts to allow  them to test
DNA samples in the case-tests that might prove Swearingen's  innocence or
confirm his guilt. So far, they've been turned down every  time.

For more on this case, read Lisa Falkenberg's two excellent  columns on
Swearingen a year ago in the Houston Chronicle. (You can read  them here
<_http://www.chron.http://wwhttp://wwwhttp://www.chhttp://www.http://www.c_ 
(http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/falkenberg/6223834.html) >
and  here
<_http://www.chron.http://wwhttp://wwwhttp://www.chhttp://www.http://www.c_ 
(http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/falkenberg/6231712.html) >
.)

Having  lost in the state's highest criminal court, Swearingen can take his
case  back to federal court. The question is, will any judge give Swearingen
the  chance to prove his claims of innocence before the next execution  
date?


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