Lab report hidden in '85 murder trial
Saturday, February 10, 2007
By Susan Finch
A federal court jury on Friday ordered the Orleans Parish district attorney's office to pay $14 million to a former death row inmate who claimed he was wrongly convicted for the 1984 murder of local hotel executive Ray Liuzza.

The verdict capped a five-day trial in 44-year-old John Thompson's lawsuit claiming his rights were violated because a prosecutor on then-District Attorney Harry Connick's staff hid information that could have helped exonerate him.

District Attorney Eddie Jordan, whose office will have to deal with the $14 million bill, said he will appeal because the financial burden it imposes "will seriously affect our ability to execute our present functions and serve our city."

Full Story

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-7/117109242222560.xml&coll=1

Excellent....now if they would simply garnish the wages of the court personnel responsible, perhaps the message sent would be stronger. And if that "seriously affects their ability to execute their present functions"....well, we'll find out if these folks are truly needed, won't we?

I hope he donates a good chunk to an organization that works on behalf of innocent inmates. Situations like that are so sad.

Excellent....now if they would simply garnish the wages of the court personnel responsible, perhaps the message sent would be stronger. And if that "seriously affects their ability to execute their present functions"....well, we'll find out if these folks are truly needed, won't we?

I don't think they have to. One of the things the DA's office takes into consideration is lawsuits like this if they are wrong.

It sends tremendous pressure on them.

I hope they have to pay the money! Maybe this will help to make them understand that it's wrong to hide evidences and facts just to get the sentence they want! Do we need attorneys who work like this? No!

Excellent that is a step in the right direction!

There SHOULD be tremendous pressure on people who have demonstrably been given the power to incarcerate or sentence to death people against whom there is no tangible evidence, or who are in fact innocent of any crime. Accountability is the balance to every authority--there is absolutely no excuse for anyone in a prosecutorial or law enforcement role to be above the law. If a civil fine is considered unreasonable, how about criminal charges for false arrest, kidnapping, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, etc. etc.? Those are crimes, nothing less, and a significant number of the people on the prosecutor's side of the bench commit them almost routinely. There must be a guard upon the guards.

-how did he know the report was hidden?
-my son received life without parole in NO for 2nd degree murder he did not commit
-no physical evidence
-1 "eye" witness that was previously diagnosed paranoid schizo and was taken from a mental hospital to the trial
-my son had no prior arrest, a perfect credit rating, a respectable job
-when he was arrested he insisted we pay his cell phone bill that day so that his credit would not turn bad, asked that we pick up his books from his apartment ...
-this was 9 years ago
please, any information is appreciated about how to find out anything to get our son out of there

Sounds as if perhaps he had one of those public defenders. Were any of the points you mention brought out at your son's trial? At the very least, he needs a better attorney. As soon as possible.

You would be stunned if you knew who his attorney was. No, he did not have a public defender.

Something happened there and we still do not know what. I read the victim's autopsy report and the most telling thing to me as a person who knows my son so well, was that the victim's hands were tied with 3 "granny" knots.

That's a woman's knot, 3 of them is a frustrated/panicked woman's knot. Also the victim had multiple nonlethal wounds. My son was extremely fit, if he had committed this murder there would not have been multiple wounds.

Many other issues here.

Apart from paying the damages, I wonder what happens to the lawyer/s who do this? Surely it must be some sort of criminal act to suppress evidence?
Peaceful Mom, I hope you find some answers (and a better lawyer)

Sadly all the money in the world is not gonna give him back what he has missed out on while he has been in prison is its?? Isn't it amazing that they think that they can throw a few dollars around and it will be all OK?? Why don't they instead realise that they do make mistakes and get rid of the death penalty?? That would be more of a fair trade off if u ask me!