Why District Attorneys like John Bradley are so dangerous
It's no surprise that John Bradley - DA of Williamson County - is not popular among defense attorneys. It may be after his handling of the Willingham investigation that he's not popular anywhere outside the Governor's office. I'm sure he could care less, and nothing I - or apparently anyone else - can say would phase him. But I feel some obligation to point out the problems with his "innocence be dammed" approach to post-conviction cases.
Let's remember that this the person who is spearheading the effort to get defendants to agree to the destruction of evidence when they plead guilty. That would be all fine and good if everyone who plead guilty did it because they are guilty, but we know that's not the case. Many do it because they are offered too good a deal to pass up, or they are scared. But that's the point of this. Instead, the point is to highlight the dangers of his refusal to agree to post-conviction testing.
The reason for my current rant is the recent developments in the case of Michael Morton, who has maintained his innocence for years. There are a lot of reasons to accept his claims, even though he was convicted. For starters, the State's theory was that Morton killed his wife because he came home and she was too tired for sex - Seriously. He was eventually convicted, and has been trying to clear his name ever since.
Mr. Morton has wanted to test a crucial piece of evidence - a bandanna found near the scene. It might not be signficant except for the fact that it had the victims DNA on it - along with someone else's. Someone besides Mr. Morton. Were it up to Mr. Bradley we would never know that. He fought testing for the last six years, and it was only done over his objections. Bradly claimed Morton was "searching for a mystery man, and grasping at straws". Were it not for the intervention of the Austin Court of Appeals, testing would have never been done.
No one expects prosecutors to be sympathetic to defendants. You should expect them to be concerned about getting the right person. For some - like Mr. Bradley - they refuse to admit that mistakes are made. It must be nice to be that smart and confident. Of course, maybe they aren't really that confident. Maybe they are just scared that they will be proven wrong.
We are dealing with people's lives. Mr. Morton might not be the only victim. If someone else really did commit the offense, he probably has other victims. Victims who may have been saved it the right person was convicted in the first place. The next time you oppose testing why don't you think about that?
Wilco Watchdog has published a very detailed account of the Morton case and other circumstances regarding corruptive practice in Williamson County. Please visit www.wilcowatchdog.org for details.
John Bradley is clearly a monster and he should retire and move somewhere far far away where he could no longer hurt anyone
John Bradley is the poster boy for prosecutorial misconduct. He is an evil man. Defendants and defense attorneys don't stand a chance in Williamson county, even if there's no evidence.
After all he's done, violating civil rights and violating the law, the State Bar of Texas gave him a free pass to do as he pleases. Tell me the system isn't rigged.