Naturally, you did NOT mention the WHOLE story...
A Case Full of Holes
On the night of June 4, 1983, three members of the Ryen family and a houseguest were murdered in San Bernadino County. Eight year-old Josh Ryen survived to
tell police that three white or Hispanic men had killed his family and attacked him. Kevin Cooper, an African-American man, now sits on death row for this crime. Kevin could face execution despite the fact that the case against him is full of holes.
The authorities claim that recent DNA tests link four pieces of evidence to Kevin and the crime. But this evidence has been mishandled and very susceptible
to tampering. Police destruction of evidence and general misconduct have played a part in the case from the beginning, but neither Kevin nor his attorneys knew
the extent of the mishandling of evidence prior to signing the DNA testing agreement. Kevin's defense attorneys are attempting to bring this information
to light. Despite the numerous problems with the evidence, the state is refusing to do further testing on blond hair that was found in one of the victims' hands or other tests that would show if the evidence had indeed been tampered with.
The Case:
*Josh Ryen, sole survivor of the attack, has always maintained that three white or Hispanic men killed his family. Josh and his grandmother have never believed that one person could have committed the crime, and agree that the further tests should be done.
*Clumps of long, blonde hair were found in the hands of one of the victims. Photographs of this hair (which is definitely not Kevin Cooper's, as Kevin is
African-American) were never shown to the jury. The hair could be tested using
different DNA technology, which could identify someone other than Kevin as being involved in the crime.
*At least three weapons were used in the brutal murders, indicating multiple perpetrators. A member of the American Board of Pathology said it would be "virtually impossible" for one person to have committed this crime. Prosecutors were unable to account for this, claiming that Kevin Cooper acted
alone.
*Hostile, racist demonstrations were held near the courthouse after Kevin Cooper was taken into custody. At one demonstration a toy gorilla was hung in effigy.
*A pair of bloody coveralls was submitted to the police by a woman claiming that they had been left at her house by her boyfriend, who she believed was
involved in the murders. Police records show that the coveralls were deliberately disposed of in a dumpster by the police without any testing. The woman was never brought in to testify.
*A prison inmate confessed to the crime, providing his cellmate with accurate information about the crime that was not in the newspapers. The man who confessed was also a friend of the woman who provided the bloody coveralls. The prosecutor's investigator took steps to make sure this confession would not be
investigated.
*Kevin Cooper had no motive for committing these brutal murders and none was established at trial. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, having
just escaped from a minimum-security institution where he had been serving a sentence for a nonviolent offense. Police found him an all-too easy target.
The Evidence:
*In 1983, a single, isolated drop of blood was found in the Ryen's house at some distance from the murders. During the original trial, prosecutors said the
blood came from an African-American and suggested that it provided a link to Kevin Cooper. Criminalist Daniel Gregonis subsequently altered initial lab test results to fit Kevin's profile. He also made a number of serious errors and failed to follow proper procedure while conducting his initial tests.
*In 1999, several pieces of evidence from Kevin Cooper's case were released to
Gregonis without a court order or the knowledge of Kevin's legal counsel. The reason for checking out the evidence for 24 hours was never explained. Evidence tampering would have been very easy during this time. These events, combined with previous mishandling, raise great concerns about the integrity of this evidence.
I assume that this makes no difference to you people at all? And I was under the impression that Schwarzenegger was anti-DP?
