A 14 yr old coerced into a murder confession spent 14 years in prison.

[pnwmom]

He was finally released due to DNA evidence and now, two years later, he's filed a civil suit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/22/us/forced-confession-lawsuit.html?module=WatchingPortal®ion=c-column-middle-span-region&pgType=Homepage&action=click&mediaId=thumb_square&state=standard&contentPlacement=3&version=internal&contentCollection=www.nytimes.com&contentId=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2016%2F06%2F22%2Fus%2Fforced-confession-lawsuit.html&eventName=Watching-article-click


Lawrence Montoya was 14 when he was questioned for nearly three hours at the Denver Police Headquarters as a suspect in the killing of a schoolteacher.

There, detectives screamed at him, banged on the table and told him he would be going to prison for the rest of his life, a lawsuit says. Finally, Mr. Montoya, an eighth-grade student, confessed.

That was in 2000. In 2014, he was released from prison after new DNA tests raised doubts about his involvement in the murder. Mr. Montoya, now 31, is suing the police and city of Denver for $30 million in damages over the “coerced interrogation” and false arrest, the lawsuit says.

“He basically grew up in prison for something that he didn’t do,” said Jane Fisher-Byrialsen, one of Mr. Montoya’s lawyers. “He has tried to get used to living in a world of internet and cellphones and stuff that he did not have access to before.”

The civil rights complaint, filed June 14 in United States District Court, seeks a jury trial.

SNIP

[TexasProgresive]

1. bbbbutttt the cops and DA were able to close the case.

So sad. I feel so much pain for this young man. And he is just the tip of the iceberg. They never let me on a jury because I question the system too much. Just this one thing puts my hackles up; "How is a court appointed attorney able to mount a proper defense against the resources of the police/prosecutor team." My next is "Would a defendent choose O.J.Simpson's dream team or a court appointed attorney?" How does the DA's office ensure that the accused will get a fair trial? Is the DA's office more concerned with the DA being reelected than actual justice?

I don't have to ask any of those it somehow comes out in the voir dire. Maybe I've watched too much TV and have become overly cynical of the justice system

[pnwmom]

2. They need more people like you on juries. Try to answer truthfully

without saying more than you have to.

[TexasProgresive]

4. I think they read my face more than my words.

[Iggo]

3. Cops. That's who they are. That's what they do.