alibi

Many of my conservative friends believe in capital punishment. They believe in their core that it is the right thing to do. In contrast, I hear stories like Alton Logan’s and I know that we are fallible, that we make mistakes. I know that good lawyers can get their guilty clients off and bad lawyers have trouble keeping their innocent clients out of jail.

So, this brings us to Mr. Alton Logan, whowas accused of shooting and killing a security guard in 1982. It is unclear from reports how Logan came to the attention of the police, but he was arrested and tried for this murder. His mother and brother were his alibis, saying that he was at home asleep in bed. His defense was that he was asleep. Heck, I know the end of this tale and even I don’t believe he was asleep. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Logan always said that he didn’t do it.

Twenty-six years later, two lawyers came forward with an affidavit from the time of his trial. Their client, Andrew Wilson, told the lawyers that he committed the crime. But because these lawyers represented Wilson, they were ethically bound not to say anything. They were quiet for 26 years.

Although Bob Simon tries to beat up the lawyers for not coming forward before now, they did do the right thing.