Marty Tankleff, whose coerced false confession led to 17 years of incarceration, has been admitted to the bar in New York! He plans to represent people falsely accused of crimes. A tragic story with a wonderful turn.
Henry Lee Lucas
I recommend Netflix new documentary series on Henry Lee Lucas, who gave hundreds of false confessions.
Lawsuit
Reid and Associates is suing Netflix over allegedly defamatory remarks in their drama about the Central Park Jogger case. Here’s a good account, featuring several quotes from myself and other false confessions experts. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/oct/15/when-they-see-us-ava-duvernay-netflix-lawsuit-reid
Acquittal
Last week I testified in the highly-publicized trial of Skylar Richardson, an Ohio teenager accused of killing her newborn baby. She was acquitted, an encouraging sign that juries are coming to understand false confessions. It was my 34th case testifying as a false confessions expert witness.
Podcast
I am at work on what I hope will be a regular podcast about false confessions. Stay tuned!
More Central Park
Way back when, Donald Trump demanded the execution of the Central Park 5. Earlier this week, when asked about the case, Trump did not back down, noting that “they admitted their guilt.” The president is hardly a false confessions expert, but he should know better. Neither he nor anyone else should promote the dangerous and discredited idea that innocent people would never confess to a crime.
Central Park Jogger
Be sure to watch the new Netflix mini-series, “When They See Us,” about an amazing case involving five false confessions.
