Evidence of Innocence

Evidence of Innocence attests to the reality that the more serious the charge, the harder it is to prove innocence-even with strong evidence that the accused was nowhere near the scene of the crime when it occurred. Among other disservices, Edward Clark's court appointed an attorney in the small town that did not assist in jury selection, leaving Clark to choose jurors from a local population he knew nothing about and with documented jury tampering. The prosecution introduced false testimony through investigators and witnesses claiming to be forensic experts and withheld evidence obtained through illegally eavesdropping on attorney-client conversations that supported Clark's defense. Altered court documents impeached the key defense witness. The names of those claiming responsibility are revealed. Ed Clark was convicted of two related murders in 1974 and has been in prison since. According to the National Institute of Justice, nearly 250,000 factually innocent Americans are currently behind bars. The reader's lesson? There, but for the grace of God, go I.