Lester Bower’s story is everything that’s wrong with the death penalty

[AUDub 11,131]

Barring last-minute interference from the U.S. Supreme Court, Lester Bower will soon be dead. And as Jordan Smith at the Intercept reports, that would be a travesty of justice. His story is everything that’s wrong with the death penalty in America.

Bower is one of the country’s longest-serving death row inmates. He was sentenced in 1984. He’s now 67 years old. There is still significant doubt about Bower’s guilt, including evidence that was suppressed at his trial. But in the three decades Bower has lived on death row, the court system hasn’t been processing the new exculpatory evidence. Rather, the court fights have been over whether it should even be considered. And they’ve decided that it shouldn’t.

Depressing.

[aujeff11 6,243]

If the prosecutors are no longer confident that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt then the defendant should be taken off of death row.

[MDM4AU 329]

It's beyond disgusting that nothing but a huge ego could keep a possibly innocent person on death row and keep them from being executed.

[AUDub 11,131]

If the prosecutors are no longer confident that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt then the defendant should be taken off of death row.

Oh, they were confident alright. Just so ridiculously confident in the idea that they have convicted the right man leads them to dismiss any and all evidence contrary to their narrative.

[homersapien 11,352]

Agree totally. As far as I am concerned, all it takes is just one such case. But you just know there have been hundreds, if not thousands.