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Court examines wrongful conviction case

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Published: Feb. 5, 2013 at 8:57 AM

GEORGETOWN, Texas, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A man who spent 25 years in a Texas jail for a crime he didn't commit says he isn't seeking revenge against the person who prosecuted him.

Michael Morton said he harbors no ill will against former Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson, now a state judge, who is accused of withholding evidence that could have aided the defense, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday.

A court of inquiry is under way to determine if any laws were broken in the prosecution of Morton, who was wrongly convicted of killing his wife Christine in 1987.

"I don't want anything ill for Judge Anderson," Morton said, adding there needs to be accountability.

Rusty Hardin, who is acting in a role similar to a prosecutor, moved at Monday's opening to introduce three documents recently discovered in files kept by Anderson.

One is a transcript of a conversation with the Mortons' 3-year-old son who told police a "monster" hit his mother.

Hardin said the documents, along with other records, show a "pattern and practice" of withholding favorable information from defense lawyers.

Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project in New York, told the Los Angeles Times the inquiry could lead to judges giving more specific orders about turning over evidence.

Topics: Rusty Hardin, Ken Anderson
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