RIP Randall Dale Adams
in the past several years we have become used to seeing reports of inmates who were released and exonerated after spending years in prison. The most recent was Johnny Pinchback in Dallas. Most of those cases – as was Pinchback – were the results of DNA evidence. Far more rare are the cases where there is no such evidence to conclusively prove innocence.
Years ago an exoneration for actual innocence was almost unheard of. Cases were few and far between. One of the first was out of Texas – Randall Dale Adams. Many simply know that case is the result of the film The Thin Blue line.Adams was convicted in 1977 of killing a police officer. He was released from prison in 1989, largely due to the efforts of a filmmaker who took an interest in the case, and the work of a lawyer who never gave up. They were finally able to establish that the real killer was the person who testified against Adams at trial. The speculation was that prosecutors went after Adams because he was eligible for the death penalty, whereas the co-defendant was not because he was only 16 at the time.
The case of Adams has long been an inspiration to me. Although I had already been out of law school for almost 10 years when he was finally exonerated, I knewf that's what I wanted to do. My idea of a lawyer was someone who pushed back against the system, and took on cases like that. The ability to undo an and injustice – especially one that was the product of blatant misconduct – was the epitome of a lawyer. So it was with sadness that I saw today that Randall Dale Adams diedin October 2010. Perhaps it was reported at the time, or more likely not. I only saw it because of an article in the New York Times on Sunday, by reporter Douglas Martin.
Randall Dale Adams most likely died in obscurity, which is probably what he wanted. It's a shame though that more people don't know about his case, and what he went trhough. I would imagine there is a whole generation of lawyers who have never even heard the name. That's a shame, because it's an important piece of history every lawyer should know.
Rest in Peace Randall Adams - you certainly deserve it.
Amen, this case should be required reading in law school.