Md. official says ex-prosecutor withheld proof

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Review urged on city cases


By Melissa Harris | Sun reporter
August 14, 2008

The state's top public defender is calling on Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy to review closed homicide cases handled by one of her former prosecutors after it was discovered that evidence favorable to the defense was withheld or not turned over in two murder cases in 2001.

State Public Defender Nancy S. Forster said that she also has asked lawyers on her staff to search for any of Cassandra Costley's cases that are on appeal or before a judge for "post-conviction relief" - a last-ditch effort by defendants to have guilty findings overturned. Forster said she would personally review those cases, if any were found.

She said she would like to do more, but any unrevealed evidence that could exonerate someone would be in the hands of prosecutors or city police, not the public defender's office.

"I would hope would do a pretty exploratory review of cases while was in the homicide division to make sure that everything that is in the file that should have been turned over was, in fact, turned over to the defense," Forster said. "And I hope that any police officers involved in those cases, given that police withheld information from Miss Costley in one of them, will be asked whether they turned over everything to prosecutors."

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. That was an awful thing to do!

Why did the prosecutor do it? To "earn points" via multiple convictions? Was racism or some other form of bigotry involved?

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2. Yes, in many ways, its a point system. When they take a case, its for the win and advancement.

Unfortunately, stories like this appear daily in the news.