State rejects compensation for wrongly convicted man

[sonias]

Bastards!!! They know this is wrong on every moral level but they're operating like a business and just trying to cut costs. :mad:

Houston Chonicle 2/14/11
State rejects compensation for wrongly convicted man

GALVESTON — The Texas Comptroller’s Office has denied compensation to Anthony Graves, who spent 18 years on death row before a special prosecutor determined he was innocent and authorities dropped capital murder charges against him.

The state determined that Graves, 45, who could have received as much as $1.4 million had he been deemed eligible, should receive nothing because the words "actual innocence" didn’t appear in the document ordering his release, according to a letter the office sent to Graves’ attorney, Nicole Casarez.

Graves said he will continue to press for compensation.

"Nothing has ever been easy for me on this road to justice," Graves said. "I haven’t given up on it and I hope justice will prevail and I’ll be compensated."

Casarez said she was informed of the refusal Friday after phoning the comptroller’s office to find out why she hadn’t received a response even though the 45-day limit to act on Graves’ request had lapsed.

Susan Combs makes me sick. :puke:

[tammywammy]

1. I'm going to agree with you 100%

She makes me sick too. :puke:

[sonias]

2. Perry pledges to help Graves get compensation

Houston Chronicle 2/16/11
Perry pledges to help Graves get compensation

GALVESTON — Gov. Rick Perry said that Anthony Graves' capital-murder conviction was a "great miscarriage of justice" and pledged to assist in the effort to win the state compensation denied to Graves by the Texas Comptroller's Office.

Perry said he would help Graves, who spent 18 years behind bars before charges were dropped in October, either through legislative action or "directly with the comptroller's office."

In a Houston appearance Tuesday to discuss the importance of small business to the economy, Perry said he would support efforts to "get this individual the appropriate reimbursement for years that he has spent incarcerated for something that he did not do."

Governor's office spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said Perry could not pardon Graves because a federal appeals court had thrown out the original conviction, and a governor could only pardon a convicted criminal.

The governor's office has been consulting with Graves' attorneys, Nashed said.

Oh it's obvious Rick Perry is still in election mode (running for President) and he doesn't want any bad press. Graves is lucky that Perry is actually doing his job on this issue. Let's hope he really follows through and gets this wrongly convicted man his compensation. It doesn't even begin to make up for destroying this man's life.

Color me surprised that Perry is pledging to do the right thing.
:wow: