2024/08/06 Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
A murder in Dallas -- The day after -- Defying gravity -- A break in the case -- No excuse -- Entering the tunnel -- Witness for sale -- Alternatively -- A noble cause -- In the shadow of Henry Wade -- The shell game -- What the jury saw -- The defense rests -- A brief history of innocence -- No harm, no foul -- The priest of justice -- Bringing Ben home -- Double helix -- A punitive turn -- Inside straight -- Batman and robbery -- Down to the studs -- A new story -- Lost in space -- A second bite at the apple -- Judgment day redux -- Ground truth -- No way out -- The surge -- Innocence deniers -- No justice for some -- Fresh eyes -- And then there were none -- Reprieve -- Limbo -- State of play.
Summary:
"In 1989, Ben Spencer was convicted of murdering businessman Jeffrey Young-a crime he didn't commit. Spencer to spent more than half his life in prison until independent investigators, the foreman of the jury that convicted him, and a new district attorney convinced a judge that Spencer had nothing to do with the killing. He was released from prison in 2022. Journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty spent years immersed in Spencer's case. She combed police files and court records, interviewed dozens of witnesses, and had extensive conversations with Spencer. In Bringing Ben Home, she weaves together two narratives: how an innocent Black man got caught up in and couldn't escape a legal system that refused to admit its mistakes; and what Texas and other states aredoing to address wrongful convictions to make the legal process more equitable for everyone"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.