Last night I completed “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham. It is the first work of non-fiction by Grisham and it really is a shocking book. The book is about the false conviction of two guys on the charges of a murder. The cooked testimonies, the fabricated evidences, and some junk science led to two guys being falsely imprisoned for 11 years. One of them was just days away from being executed and the death row made him insane.
Ron Williamson was arrested only because he was a shady figure, and had got in trouble with police earlier. The other guy - Dennis Fritz was involved only because he was a “drinking buddy” of Ron. The actual killer Glen Gore had supplied the name of Ron Williamson, and while all circumstantial evidence pointed to Glen Gore (he was the last person seen with the girl who was murdered) he was allowed to go free. His hair & blood samples were taken but never tested. Later on he testified that he was peddling drugs and sharing his profits with the police that time, so he was never checked upon thoroughly.
If such a thing could happen in the world’s most developed country, where the law and order conditions are exemplary imagine what could happen in some other place where such conditions are at best mediocre. This book shook my faith in the judicial system.
Technorati: Review, Book Review, The Innocent Man, John Grisham, Ron Williamson, Dennis Fritz, Glen Gore
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