In February 1992, 24-year-old Lorie Lance died in a fire in Old Hickory, Tennessee. Her boyfriend, Claude Garrett, awoke to find his and Lorie’s living room on fire. He woke Lorie up and ran for the door, but Lorie suddenly turned and ran toward the back of the house....
appeals
Minnesota AG pushes for limits on jailhouse witness testimony
As a result of the protests after George Floyd’s murder, the state of Minnesota and many other governments have been making changes to our criminal justice system. The changes are intended to make the system more fair, transparent, accurate and just. One of the...
Supreme Court: Shooting a suspect is a constitutional ‘seizure’
Roxanne Torres didn’t know what was happening when men in dark tactical vests began chasing her car. She thought she was being carjacked. She fled in her Toyota FJ Cruiser, but the men shot her twice in the back. She still managed to get away. She went to a hospital...
Can police follow you into your home over an alleged misdemeanor?
Arthur L. was playing his music loudly and honking his horn. That got the attention of a California highway patrol officer, who began following Arthur from a distance. The officer intended to initiate a traffic stop but didn’t take any action like activating his...
Can your lawyer say you’re guilty if you insist you’re innocent?
Louisiana death penalty defendant Robert McCoy insists on his innocence in the crime of murdering his mother-in-law, her husband and her 17-year-old grandson. However, there is substantial evidence against him, including claims that the victim's cellphone and the gun...
Imprisoned for 45 years, Michigan man may soon be exonerated
For decades, Richard Phillips has insisted upon his innocence in a 1971 murder in Detroit. Now 71, Phillips may finally be released from prison after his co-defendant admitted Phillips played no role in the crime. A judge recently dismissed his conviction, although he...
Federal prosecutor seeks ‘therapeutic polygraphy’ for sex offender
In 2004, the American Psychological Association said that there's "little evidence that polygraph tests can accurately detect lies." There simply isn't sufficient proof that the physiological responses measured by the so-called "lie detector" machine are actually...