Texas judge faces inquiry on wrongful conviction
Feb 16, 5:46 PM EST
Texas judge faces inquiry on wrongful conviction
By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press
investigation will be launched to determine if a former prosecutor who is now a judge hid evidence in a trial that sent a man wrongly convicted of his wife's murder to prison for nearly 25 years, Texas' chief justice ordered Thursday.
A proceeding known as a "court of inquiry" will determine whether Judge Ken Anderson, when he was a district attorney, failed to turn over all documents that would have supported the defendant's claims of innocence and whether he tampered with evidence and court records, according to the order signed by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson.
Courts of inquiry can be convened when legal officials and other public servants are accused of wrongdoing, and have the power to hear evidence and summon witnesses. It is similar to a grand jury proceeding, but Anderson will have the chance to defend himself against evidence presented.
Attorneys for Michael Morton say they hope the process results in criminal charges against Anderson. Morton, 57, spent 24 years in prison before new DNA testing showed he didn't kill his wife, Christine, who was beaten to death in the couple's bed on Aug. 13, 1986. He was freed in October.
More:
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Judge Ken Anderson (l) and Michael Morton (r)[/center]
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