Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald's Fight for Innocence Debated as one of the most misrepresented cases in American legal history, Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald still fights for innocence. Contrary to infallible evidence, prosecution intentionally withheld crucial information aiding MacDonald’s alibi. Such ratification included proof of an outside attack that would have played a major role in Jeffrey’s case. Convicted for the murders of his wife and two kids, thirty-four years ago, Dr. MacDonald still endures the agony of being accused of killing his family. Even after twenty-four years of imprisonment and several unlawful court hearings, additional documentation continues to up hold Dr. MacDonald’s testimony. It happened on a rainy night on February 17, 1970 at the base of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Military police were responding to a call from Green Beret surgeon Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, which they thought was a routine call. When the military police arrived they discovered the slaughtered bodies of MacDonald’s wife, Colette, who was twenty six, and his two daughters Kimberley, five, and Kristen, two. A MP who preformed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation revived Dr. MacDonald. He told the police he and his wife stayed up drinking some orange liquor. She went to bed and he stayed up to finish watching the Johnny Carson show. MacDonald fell asleep on the sofa. He was awakened by screams of his wife and daughters. MacDonald claimed that three men standing over the sofa started to attack him with a bladed weapon and a baseball bat. He identified the person holding the bat as a black man with an army jacket with E-6 stripes and two white men, one carrying the bladed weapon. Before he was knocked unconscious he said that there was a lady in the back with a large floppy hat, holding a candle and was saying “acid is groovy” and “kill the pigs.” When MacDonald woke back up he found his wife lying on the ground, and tried to revive her with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with no success. He then found his daughters and tried to help them. This is when he called for an ambulance. The Army CID sent a new, inexperienced investigator named William Ivory to investigate the scene. Ivory decided after looking around the house that MacDonald made up the story of the killers. He also persuaded everyone that he was the culprit. This meant that everyone in Ivory’s chain... ... middle of paper ... ...t his the evidence in front of a jury. Still believing in his innocence Jeff is filing for parole after fourteen years of eligibility. He is hoping to meet parole board criteria so he can be released on parole. This is a good case to show how it isn’t always the poor, black, or Hispanic groups getting tried for something they haven’t done. It shows that a white doctor could get his life destroyed by an unfair Judge and prosecutors. Works Cited Briscoe, Daren, MacDonald Wants Out. Newsweek, January 24, 2005. Vol. 145, Issue 4, p8, 1/4p, 1c. Retrieved from EBSCO database on the World Wide Web: http://web3.epnet.com/ Briscoe, Daren, The Green Beret Murders Haven’t Given Up. Newsweek, August 30, 2004. Vol. 144, Issue 9, p6, 4/5p, 1c. Retrieved from EBSCO database on the World Wide Web: http://web3.epnet.com/ Http://www.themacdonaldcase.org/case_overview.html Http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/family/jmacdonald/2.html?sect=12 The Associated Press, DNA Tests for Jeffrey MacDonald/ Former Physician Seeks Evidence in 1970 ‘Fatal Vision’ Slayings. Newsday. March 24, 1999. Retrieved from eLibrary on the World Wide Web: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/
Throughout the trial, defense attorneys attempted to argue Salvi was suffering from psychological disorders that would make him incompetent for trial. Ultimately, however Salvi was found competent to stand trial. After reading Salvi’s full psychiatric interview, the official court transcript of the four-day competency hearing, and the day-to-day summary; I have come to agree that the defendant, John Salvi was competent to stand trial.
In July of 2008, one of the biggest crime cases devastated the United States nation-wide. The death of Caylee Anthony, a two year old baby, became the most popular topic in a brief amount of time. Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony, became the main suspect after the child supposedly was kidnapped and went missing. To this day, the Casey Anthony case shocks me because justice, in my opinion, wasn’t served. I feel as if the criminal conviction system became somewhat corrupted in this case. The entire nation, including the court system, knew that Casey Anthony was behind this criminal act, but yet she escaped all charges. I chose this case not only because it’s debatable, but also to help state the obvious, this case was handled the wrong way. Clearly the legal system was biased, which worked in Casey Anthony’s favor, freeing a murderer.
Dr. Elizabeth Loftus paints a vividly dark side of the law. While not every case is nearly as false as some that she has described, even she has spoken for the guilty, the system will not be justified until sufficient evidence is truthfully found for every case. Memory is not strong enough to stand on its own. What makes her job worth it is the one person that gets to go home free due to the jury’s consideration of her
Another powerful opinion yearning to be exposed, is the one held by Henry Drummond, the defense’s attorney. The lawyer undoubtedly came to d...
Garcia, M. (2007, Nov 28). Lawsuit filed in wrongful conviction; DNA cleared man in prison 10 years. Chicago Tribune Retrieved from http://ezproxy.uhd.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/420674321?accountid=7109
Tim O’Brien book really shines light on how little everyone knows about the Green Berets. The Green Berets are the elite, they hold a very mysterious origin, and the folklore is outrageous. The propaganda about the Berets that was told to the American public was all a public relation stunt to gain support for the Vietnam War. Now many decades later we can grasp who the Green Berets are, but it’s astonishing that we still know very little about them.
Wrongful convictions in Canada is a very sensitive and disturbing topic that has created concerns as to why individuals are being wrongfully convicted. As people in Canada read about cases involving wrongful conviction, such as Guy Paul Morin, Rubin Carter and David Millguard, it often undermines their faith in the criminal justice system. Tunnel vision, the use of questionable DNA evidence, and eyewitness misidentification are the three main causes of wrongful convictions in Canada. Recognizing and addressing these concerns has led to a reduction in cases of wrongful convictions in Canada.
The one good thing that I believe comes from this case is that it educated America on the mistakes being made by a law enforcement entity. The attitudes portrayed by these officers are terrible and, regretfully, most likely common. What it did was wake us up by showing us how biased criminal investigations can be and that bigotry has no place in the criminal justice system.
Anatomy of Injustice is the story of the homicide indictment of Edward Elmore. The author, Raymond Bonner, displays a convincing argument that the state of South Carolina indicted a guiltless individual when Elmore was sentenced for
In the years following the acquittal the Canadian legal system was tested to its limits, Morin’s acquittal was reversed and a new trial was ordered. In 1992 Morin was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to twenty-five years with no chance of parole. In the years following new DNA evidence surfaced proving that Morin was a convenient fall guy in a badly botched investigation. There were a lot of questions, which needed to be asked of both the investigation and the centre of forensic investigation.
A) The condemnation of James Earl Ray has been a cover up has deceived the public for over 30 years, James Earl Ray is an innocent man who was caught in the web of a government conspiracy.
You can imagine my surprise then when his voice rises to a crescendo, a peak of flamboyant outrage and, standing right in front of me, he spins and stretches out a finger and declares the murder to be none other than...Great Uncle Philip? Really? That decrepit old codger in the wheelchair? Can he be
Quinsey, V. (2009). Are we there yet? stasis and progress in forensic psychology. Canadian Psychology, 50(1), 15-15-21.
An old proverb states “laughter is the best medicine”. After Randall McMurphy arrives into the hospital, most of the men start to laugh for the first time in many years. The more time McMurphey spends there, the men that are starting to laugh multiplies. They find the littlest things to put a smile on their face, but no one can take this away from them.
Innocent until proven guilty is a daily motto in our governing societies that can either deliver freedom or harsh punishment. While reading and watching doubt it seemed as though the thought of innocence never crossed sister A’s mind. The evidence that has been presented to sister A includes, meetings with Father Flynn, alcohol on his breath and many others. However in my opinion I see Father Flynn as righteous and just man and that is what I’m going to argue in this paper.