Kirk Bloodsworth
Last night, I watched Kirk Bloodsworth on Larry King. I think he's doing the talkshow circuit in order to promote his new book, Bloodsworth: The True Story of the First Death Row Inmate Exonerated by DNA . In 1985 Kirk was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering a nine-year-old girl. He spent more than eight years behind bars, including time on Death Row, before he was cleared by DNA evidence. This same DNA implicated another man AND that man confessed.
Nonetheless, the prosecutor on the panel on TV was reluctant to admit that Kirk had been wrongly convicted. She insisted that DNA did not tell the whole picture, which is probably true, and that Kirk could have been a second party in this murder, which is patently ridiculous. The real killer's semen was found all over the young girl's body and the guy admitted to killing her! What more do we need?
Both Kirk and a representative from Project Innocence pointed out to this prosecutor that she would be quick to condemn any man that she was prosecuting if his DNA was found at the scene of a crime. In that case, DNA would be a perfectly acceptable and reliable tool to use. But when it comes to establishing one's innocence, that's another story.
This incident illustrates how difficult it is for the legal system to say that it's wrong. They made a mistake. They're sorry. In the face of concrete evidence that is often lacking in other crimes -- only a fraction of all crimes involve DNA! -- this particular prosecutor would not back down. Shameful. It only goes to show how crucial it is for the Milgaard Inquiry to push for an independent judicial panel. How long do we have to wait for a group of impartial souls to take a hard look at the people behind bars?
Sigrid Macdonald
P.S. Buy Kirk's book! We should support him and learn the grisly details behind his arrest, conviction and life in prison.
Nonetheless, the prosecutor on the panel on TV was reluctant to admit that Kirk had been wrongly convicted. She insisted that DNA did not tell the whole picture, which is probably true, and that Kirk could have been a second party in this murder, which is patently ridiculous. The real killer's semen was found all over the young girl's body and the guy admitted to killing her! What more do we need?
Both Kirk and a representative from Project Innocence pointed out to this prosecutor that she would be quick to condemn any man that she was prosecuting if his DNA was found at the scene of a crime. In that case, DNA would be a perfectly acceptable and reliable tool to use. But when it comes to establishing one's innocence, that's another story.
This incident illustrates how difficult it is for the legal system to say that it's wrong. They made a mistake. They're sorry. In the face of concrete evidence that is often lacking in other crimes -- only a fraction of all crimes involve DNA! -- this particular prosecutor would not back down. Shameful. It only goes to show how crucial it is for the Milgaard Inquiry to push for an independent judicial panel. How long do we have to wait for a group of impartial souls to take a hard look at the people behind bars?
Sigrid Macdonald
P.S. Buy Kirk's book! We should support him and learn the grisly details behind his arrest, conviction and life in prison.
posted by Sigrid Macdonald @ 9:31 PM
2 Comments:
At 5:24 AM,
Anonymous said…
I just finished the book, it was incredible. I wish Kirk and Brenda a long, healthy and happy life together. As far as I can tell, he's not benefiting from this book financially, but he probably benefits from further public awareness of what he has gone through.
-Autumn, NC
At 3:43 PM,
Sigrid Macdonald said…
Yeah, the book was really powerful. It was so much like Milgaard and all the other wrongful conviction cases in that horrific mistakes were made every step along the way. Imagine relying on eyewitness testimony of an eight-year-old or 10-year-old child, or on a composite sketch that didn't even remotely resemble the real killer. Shocking, too, that he went through two trials! Really makes me question the jury system.
I'm not sure if Kirk is keeping the money from his book. If so, he deserves it! And yes, it's crucial to continue to raise public awareness. People on too keen on criminals at the moment. There's a lot of talk about them being in Club Fed prisons.
I love your name, Autumn. I know a girl with that name and it's so different. Thanks for posting. Sigrid
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