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Reader comment on:
Exonerated of Rape Conviction, Man Is Freed After 26 Years

Submitted by Ben, Jan 4, 2008 16:49

The article portrays this case as a racially biased, or even racist, jury and an overzealous and possibly racist prosecutor who picked out a convenient scapegoat. That may well be the case, but DNA testing doesn't prove that it is. The prosecutor, judge and jury probably thought that they were doing their best for a victim of a heinous crime.

What the defense has proven is that there is reasonable doubt that Mr. Chatman is guilty. He's legally exonerated, and should never have been imprisoned, but that doesn't mean he's legally innocent either because there is no such thing as an "innocent" verdict. That's an inherent aspect of our justice system: once a person is accused of a crime, the accusation is always there. Just as there's really no way to compensate Mr. Chatman for 27 years of his life.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.

Other reader comments on this article

Comment By Date

I am not suprised about this article becaUse it is happening all over our nations particulary to the poor who... [MORE]

firefighterb

Jan 9, 2008 20:14

I find it difficult to understand why the State should not be liable for very severe financial damages - in... [MORE]

Victor Galindo

Jan 6, 2008 15:06

Hey, does anybody know if wrongfully convicted people are compensated? A bunch of money isn't going to give somebody back... [MORE]

Matt

Jan 6, 2008 12:40

Unless she was raped by two men and only one ejaculated, then mismatched DNA does indeed mean innocent (although the... [MORE]

Tom

Jan 5, 2008 13:16

So once again we realize many years later than some women lied and falsely accused some innocent man of raping... [MORE]

Kevin

Jan 4, 2008 20:10

Perhaps this woman thought she identified the right man, I'm not defending her because this type of identification (relying of... [MORE]

Nancy

Jan 6, 2008 10:56

The article portrays this case as a racially biased, or even racist, jury and an overzealous and possibly racist prosecutor...

Ben

Jan 4, 2008 16:49

I simply do not trust police or prosecutors blindly. We need reforms. Evidence should be preserved for at least 100... [MORE]

Chipper

Jan 4, 2008 16:17

Everything wrong with government today, and all of its facets, is directly attributable to politicians who have 'served' before today.... [MORE]

Willys

Jan 4, 2008 10:44

Anybody heard anything from the woman who identified him? [MORE]

Richard Aubrey

Jan 4, 2008 10:42

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