Family seeks to clear man who died in prison

jillio

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From Ed Lavandera
CNN


DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- The family of Timothy Cole, a Texas man who died in prison nearly a decade ago while serving a sentence for a rape he swore he did not commit, is hoping a court will issue the state's first posthumous exoneration.


Timothy Cole died in prison while serving a sentence for a rape DNA tests show he did not commit.

1 of 2 Cole was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 1985 rape of 20-year-old Michele Mallin. He maintained his innocence, but it was not confirmed by DNA until years after his 1999 death, when another inmate confessed to the rape.

"Everybody thinks he died a felon, a hardened criminal," Cole's brother, Cory Session, told CNN. "That's what hurts."

The court hearing on the exoneration began Thursday afternoon, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

Mallin, who has spoken publicly about the case, will join Cole's family in the Austin, Texas, courtroom. They want a judge to clear Cole's name, according to the Innocence Project of Texas, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the wrongfully convicted.

Among those expected to testify are Mallin and Jerry Wayne Johnson, her confessed rapist.


Family seeks to clear man who died in prison - CNN.com
 
Sentence to death or hold in prison make no different as there is innocent or not.
 
hope he is exonerated. wish DNA test existed years ago. Such a powerful tool that can prove both guilt and innocence, the DNA and confession should to clear him.
 
hope he is exonerated. wish DNA test existed years ago. Such a powerful tool that can prove both guilt and innocence, the DNA and confession should to clear him.

Agreed. This innocent man deserves to have his name and reputation cleared, and his family deserves to see this happen.
 
Here is proof why we should NOT execute any convicts!

If had Texas executed this guy, this would mean double jeopardy justice. That is BAD!
 
That really sucks big time.

It's bad enough that the DNA testing were fairly new years ago and there were no supporting cause to it back then.

Today - It's more than the common to use it for anything and it is a wonderful tool to salvage every evidence that is possibly given.
 
He should be exonerated.

Posthuman names and reputations are still left behind to family members to deal with.

Court records needs to be changed for the sake of recording accurate records.

Once the man is exonerated. I'm sure the family can get a sense of peace.
 
That's good to know. Now the family can have a sense of relief and also to start the healing process. But then, of course, it is easier said than done.

Yes, but at least this will give them a start. The whole situation is tragic.
 
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