Ex-Prosecutor in Texas Is Punished for a Wrongful Conviction, A former Texas prosecutor who was charged over a wrongful murder conviction has agreed to a 10-day sentence, accepting the punishment in front of the innocent man he helped put in prison for nearly 25 years.
The former district attorney, Ken Anderson, also will be disbarred and must serve 500 hours of community service as part of a deal that is expected to end all criminal and civil cases against him.
Mr. Anderson, 61, who was the face of the law in a tough-on-crime Texas county for 30 years, never spoke in his return on Friday to the same Williamson County courthouse where he was a judge for 11 years before resigning in September.
Sitting behind Mr. Anderson in the gallery was Michael Morton, who was released from prison in 2011 after DNA evidence showed that he did not beat his wife to death in 1986.
“It’s a good day,” said Mr. Morton, surrounded by relatives.
Mr. Anderson entered a plea of no contest to contempt of court. The charge stemmed from a 1987 exchange in which Mr. Anderson, then the Williamson County district attorney, was asked by a judge if he had anything to offer that was favorable to Mr. Morton’s defense. He said no.
But among the evidence Mr. Morton’s lawyers say was kept from them were statements from Mr. Morton’s 3-year-old son, who witnessed the killing and said his father was not responsible. There were also interviews with neighbors who told the authorities that they saw another man near the Morton home before the killing.
Mr. Anderson has previously apologized to Mr. Morton for what he called failures in the system but has said he believes that there was no misconduct.
The former district attorney, Ken Anderson, also will be disbarred and must serve 500 hours of community service as part of a deal that is expected to end all criminal and civil cases against him.
Mr. Anderson, 61, who was the face of the law in a tough-on-crime Texas county for 30 years, never spoke in his return on Friday to the same Williamson County courthouse where he was a judge for 11 years before resigning in September.
Sitting behind Mr. Anderson in the gallery was Michael Morton, who was released from prison in 2011 after DNA evidence showed that he did not beat his wife to death in 1986.
“It’s a good day,” said Mr. Morton, surrounded by relatives.
Mr. Anderson entered a plea of no contest to contempt of court. The charge stemmed from a 1987 exchange in which Mr. Anderson, then the Williamson County district attorney, was asked by a judge if he had anything to offer that was favorable to Mr. Morton’s defense. He said no.
But among the evidence Mr. Morton’s lawyers say was kept from them were statements from Mr. Morton’s 3-year-old son, who witnessed the killing and said his father was not responsible. There were also interviews with neighbors who told the authorities that they saw another man near the Morton home before the killing.
Mr. Anderson has previously apologized to Mr. Morton for what he called failures in the system but has said he believes that there was no misconduct.
