Brenton Butler was defended by two veteran Jacksonville Public Defenders, Patrick McGuinness and Ann Finnell. It was among the first states to give prosecutors the right to file juvenile cases directly in adult court. Instead, the Butler family are forced to defend their slain son's reputation: people question how Brenton could afford his BMX bike and whether his death was an outcome of gang warfare. Eliot (1951) has written his own intention concerning its style: "As for the versification, I was only aware at this stage that the essential was to avoid any echo of Shakespeare…Therefore what I kept in mind was the versification of Everyman" (p. 27). Eddie Joe Lloyd: confession obtained while in a mental hospital and on medication. Murder in the Cathedral An Analysis of Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral is certainly a uniquely dramatic work. Instead, he said, suspects are given a break or a way to avoid the death penalty if they agree to the interrogator's version of the crime. All charges dropped June 9, 2009. "Murder on a Sunday Morning", the winner for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Award ceremony, premiered on Home Box Office on March 31st. "'Murder on a Sunday Morning' is a 'must see' for everyone, no matter where they live," said Tom Becker, State Public Defender for Iowa. Jacksonville City Hall and the family of falsely accused teen murder suspect Brenton Butler settled the Butler's civil lawsuit this … Far better people than those who have shaped a justice system in which officers played so fast and loose with the rights of their son that they questioned him without telling them he was in custody. ", [Related: Butler Lawyer Patrick McGuinness], "The movie's more important lesson," Becker continued, "is that it accurately portrays the dedication and skill of public defenders, who are the first line of defense in this country against the wrongful conviction of the innocent." That's very often when all the stops come out and the worst forms of combat are displayed.". Hours later, a then-15-year-old Butler was walking nearby in the same neighbourhood to a local Blockbuster. But later that day a man chasing his dog discovers the boy and police converge on the crime scene. ", State Attorney Harry Shorstein labeled allegations of police abuse "erroneous," even as he promised to investigate them. But by the time the trial was over, Eddy and her 11 fellow jurors were convinced of his innocence -- so convinced they took less than an hour to acquit him. False confessions are more common than people think, particularly when juvenile or mentally handicapped suspects are involved, said Richard Ofshe, a sociologist at the University of California at Berkeley who is familiar with Butler's case and has testified in two other Jacksonville trials. "First, the imperfections of the criminal justice system are revealed, especially prosecutors' overreliance on badly done eyewitness identification procedures and so-called 'confessions' obtained without reliable safeguards that they are true." But again, it's the show trying to tell an unbiased story about perception. It's also stated that no one has had a conversation with the parents yet. Butler had been identified as the killer by the victim's husband and later confessed. Most of the time, kids just want to get it over with. Brenton Lenard Butler was charged with murder and armed robbery in the death of MaryAnn Stephens, of Toccoa, GA. At age 15 Brenton Butler, Could have faced life in prison without Parole if he was convicted of first -degree murder. Sustains. That example is Brenton Butler and his parents. You can watch the entire season of Seven Seconds on Netflix now. With the trend going that way, Jenni Gainsborough, a researcher with the project, said more children like Butler could wind up being unjustly prosecuted. The plot begins as Brenton Butler, a Black teenager from Jersey City, is accidentally hit by a white police officer, Peter Jablonski, in a hit-and-run. Seven Seconds isn’t about his story directly – rather, it’s a fictional account that represents the faces of the many black men splashed across the American news each week. By Jim Schoettler and Paul Pinkham, Times-Union staff writers, April 29, 2002. Justice for 15-year-old black teenager Brenton Butler, who was left to die in the snow by a white New Jersey police officer. 21 YEARS IN PRISON - EXONERATED The same week the local news- paper ran a story stating that a Jacksonville boy, Brenton Butler, had confessed to the crime. MASSACHUSETTS WITCHUNT Shorstein further requested that Butler's criminal record be formally expunged, meaning all records of the case will be removed from police and court files. If you're not already a Mamamia member, sign up (it's easy, we promise). 30 YEARS - FRAMED BY FBI When 15-year old Brenton Butler is picked up by the police after the brutal murder of a tourist in the parking lot of a Jacksonville Ramada Inn, he spends hours in custody without his parents or legal representation. Butler's family went on to sue the city of Jacksonville for the alleged racial profiling that led to their son's wrongful arrest. DNA proved his innocence. EXECUTED in TEXAS Although Butler didn't match the description Stephens initially gave police - 6 feet tall, between 20-25 years old - police found the teen walking along a nearby road 2 1/2 hours after the shooting and brought him to the hotel where Stephens was waiting. According to the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, approximately 75% of all felony defendants are presented by court-appointed lawyers. 5/20/2015 By Reinhold Law Firm. Two weeks later, Laura L. Starrett, lead prosecutor for the case, wrote a letter to the Florida-Times Union calling the teen's claims of abuse and intimidation "clearly ... not credible. Regardless, we also know that Brenton is alive at this point, but we don’t know what his long-term condition will be. According to Becker, the movie carries two important messages. ", Starrett further suggested the teen had gotten away with murder: "The victim's husband was, and still is, emphatic in his identification of Butler as the person who killed his wife. Sud is not subtle with her metaphors. As told in the film, Butler made a confession which he claimed was coerced, and he was eventually acquitted. In 1998 alone, those cases amounted to 6,525. Brigham cited a Justice Department report that nearly all the cases overturned by the advent of DNA evidence initially involved eyewitness testimony. The victim's purse, found in a North Main street Dumpster by a homeless man, did not have Butler's prints on it, and the only money police found on the teen could be traced to a paycheck from his job at Burger King. Butler testified that police detectives beat it out of him. For instance, he said, the presence of a gun causes the witness to focus more on the gun than on the perpetrator's face, leading to a faulty memory when asked to identify the perpetrator. Al Sharpton. ", "It really hurts to know that they would handle a child in that manner," Andre Butler said. Given that he identified the murder weapon as "an over-under double-barrel Derringer," Finnell says, there is real doubt as to whether Stephens saw his wife's killer at all. More importantly, Butler - a high school freshman with no prior record (and "not particularly sophisticated," says McGuinness) - withstood nine hours of police interrogation without once faltering in his claim of innocence. Speaks out about judicial system. Only a few hours after the shooting took place, James Stephens identified Brenton Butler as the suspect. Justice Coalition member R. O. Braendle wrote a follow-up letter to Starrett's, saying he remained "convinced of Butler's guilt," in large part because the teen's claims of mistreatment were "so outlandish. "There has never been any evidence that this office was or is aware or that Brenton Butler was physically abused in order to obtain a confession," State Attorney Harry Shorstein said Wednesday. "If a face is observed under poor witnessing conditions ... [that] can increase the chances of very poor memory traces. “It’s like the Red Sea,” one of the cops mutters of the bloody carnage in the snow but the boy, Brenton Butler, who is black, is somehow still alive, taken to hospital with severe head injuries. However, McGuinness and Finnell's investigation revealed that the identification procedure had been suggestive and Butler's confession coerced. Steven Manning: former Chicago cop framed by FBI agents for a murder and kidnapping that put him on Death Row. The decision to detain Brenton Butler as a murder suspect, McGuinness believes, sprang from this "pressure." But did you know there’s a real-life Brenton Butler with his own story of police corruption and racial bias to tell? Framed Salvati to protect snitch. Butler's attorneys said the problem could be eliminated if police taped confessions. Bernard Baran was convicted of molesting five children at a Pittsfield day care center in 1984. "Without public defenders and other high-quality court-appointed counsel, the American criminal justice system would have zero credibility.". Butler's parents, in fact, said the stress of their child being tried for murder drained their finances. Sylvester Smith: child molestation charges nixed. The officer says, "Brenton Butler, black male, 15 years old." Steven Truscott: was found guilty by a jury based on circumstantial evidence and sentenced to death at age 14.Gets 6.5M in 2008, 14 YEARS - FRAMED BY FBI ON DEATH ROW - FREED BY DNA But though jurors often are impressed by a confident eyewitness, that testimony can be tainted by trauma, adrenaline, lighting or a host of other factors, said Florida State University psychologist Jack Brigham, who has authored 45 studies on the subject. Butler was freed. Have you watched Seven Seconds? DNA tests show he didn't commit the crime. The experience has changed Eddy's view of the criminal justice system. He does respond to people touching him. He said beatings are rare these days. Carlos DeLuna:Probe says wrong man executed in Texas, 22 YEARS - WRONG FORENSICS Although the cause to protect black children might seem dead, it’s still alive, waiting for someone to deem the cause worthy enough to save. Assistant Public Defender Patrick McGuinness speaks these words, leans back in his chair and waits. It's about compassion. Here at Mamamia we are always looking for ways to make Mamamia even better. He and his parents showed that character is more than just conservative code. At least this time, though, there was a happy ending. Arnold Abbott:Miami chef, 90, faces jail and fines for feeding homeless. Watch the trailer for Seven Seconds below. Jury foreman Vernon Young immediately asked for an investigation "into issues of concern" - specifically "the JSO's homicide office procedures and individual behavior." “It never happened” stated a victim 20 years later. Shorstein said earlier the decision to prosecute also was bolstered by the fact that Butler was identified by the victim's husband after police arrested the youth and brought him back to the motel. ", For Butler attorney Tom Fallis, this claim is like salt in the wound. 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