Michael Morton '60 Minutes' Interview Exposes Power Of Prosecutors (VIDEO)

Back in 1987, Michael Morton was convicted of murdering his wife. Upon being led to prison, he vowed that he was innocent, telling onlookers "I did not do this."

After almost 25 years in prison, DNA evidence proved that Morton was innocent, with samples connecting a different male to his wife's slaying. Morton was freed on Oct. 4, 2011, and "60 Minutes" brought his case into the national spotlight on Sunday.

Morton sat down with CBS correspondent Lara Logan, and called attention to the argument that prosecutors are given too much power. He explained how he came home in the summer of the 1986 to find his 3-year-old son Eric alone in the yard, and the body of his wife Christine in the bedroom. Right away, police suspected him.

Michael Morton: I didn't really have the opportunity to grieve for her, because it-- everything changed so rapidly away from her to me.

Lara Logan: So were you a suspect from the very first moment?

Michael Morton: Yeah, if-- all the questions were adversarial, accusatory. It became clear to me that the sheriff showed up, looked around, and "Okay, husband did this."

As the case wore on, Morton and his attorneys sensed that there was evidence that would have exonerated him. But they were never given full access to the police reports in the prosecutor's file.

Morton and his original trial lawyers always suspected there was evidence that would have helped establish his innocence, that [Williamson County District Attorney Ken] Anderson wasn't telling them about. But they were never given full access to the police reports in the prosecutor's file. It wasn't until recently, after years of legal wrangling, that lawyers Barry Scheck and Nina Morrison of The Innocence Project, and John Raley, a private attorney in Houston, finally got a look at Anderson's file from the original trial.

John Raley: It was one of those moments where you almost f-- you almost faint. To hold in my hand a copy of a document that the district attorney at the time had and didn't tell anybody about it on the defense side...

Lara Logan: That document would've proved what?

John Raley: Would've proved that Michael Morton is innocent.

For a full transcript of the "60 Minutes" interview, click here. WATCH the segment above.

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Comments

[EchoesX]

10:58 AM on 08/21/2012

2 million dollars is not enough. Try 25 million dollars, and put Ken Anderson in prison. Disagree with me? Don't care. Your opinion is worthless.

[Jan D Farmer]

03:50 PM on 04/13/2012

Immunity for prosecutors absolutely needs to be changed! omg seriously, that gives them a license to do what ever they want to win cases (including convicting ppl wrongfully) with no consequences! If this was changed they might not be so quick to prosecute ppl unfairly...I am just appalled at this!

[BelindaSuva]

12:09 PM on 03/30/2012

i like how he says that: if you're not accountable..you can do anything"..that is exactly spot on the problem in our societies..there's certain powerful people and organizations who are above the the law. Accountability is needed to prevent corruption.

[Johnny Phillips]

03:53 PM on 03/27/2012

http://phillipsinnocence.blogspot.com/
I am fighting the same fight

[cincinnati]

01:31 AM on 03/28/2012

looked at your site....good luck...paragraphs please, no more than 5-8 lines at a time
would help a lot....and perhaps restate your basic facts at the end of each comment...

I think most terms are too long anyway. People do not think about how long
even 5 years really is, let alone much longer.....it's Nuts !

[racquel2012]

09:05 AM on 03/28/2012

Thank you for taking the time to look at the site. Thank you also for the feedback it was very much welcomed!

[BelindaSuva]

12:23 PM on 03/30/2012

cant wrap my mind around it. It is absolutely rediculous that you got convicted. And 30 years??? I just looked into some stories about abusive parents killing their babies and get 5, 7 lousy years. Something is very wrong. I wish you good luck and hope this craziness will end soon for you.

[BlairCase]

02:49 PM on 03/27/2012

The evidence that freed Morton wasn't evidence that was withheld at the trial. It was new evidence produced by DNA testing that wan't available when Morton was convicted. The evidence that the prosecutors are accused of withholding during the trial was hearsay evidence provided by Morton's mother-in-law. She told police that the 3-year-old boy told her that he a saw a "monster" kill his mother. The prosecutor, who is now a judge, says he thinks this statement was given to the defense during the trial, but isn't sure after so many years. It probably would not have made any difference. The coroner testified that the wife was murdered before Morton left for work that morning. To make matter worse, Morton left a message on the bathroom mirror apologising for an argument the he and his wife had the night of the murder. To police, anf the jury, it looked staged. Morton was very unlucky because all the evidence seemed to point at him. He was saved decades later by DNA left on a bandana found blocks away from the Morton home.

[Teno1971]

09:00 AM on 03/28/2012

Was there no DNA (blood) testing available in the 80's or 90's? Or did it take that long to get through the red tape of appeals?
I know that post conviction DNA testing is not available in most states and that the Innocence Project is trying to fix that issue. Is Texas one of those states that do not allow post testing or do they just make the testing to hard to get?

[Stacey Caro]

05:49 PM on 07/27/2012

There was other evidence that was left out as well. Christine Morton's credit card was used after her death, and one of her check's was cashed two weeks later. A witness statement about a green van and an unknown person entering the woods behind the Morton home was not divulged as well. While each piece on it's own may not have cleared him, all 4 pieces together could have proven reseaonable doubt.

[lblackw105]

02:03 PM on 03/27/2012

Look, we need A police force and A criminal justice system, just not THIS police force and criminal "justice" industry. When we are threatened or harmed by a criminal, we are told to go to the police, but who do we go to when the police or C.J. system harms us? The police? The average citizen is much more likely to being damaged (phisically, or financially) by the police or criminal justice industry than by any criminal element. Granted, in some cases, someone pays for the crime, but is that person the one that comitted the crime? And, is the risk starting to obliterate the reward of a safe society? If so safe from who?

[Teno1971]

01:59 PM on 03/27/2012

You should take a look at Johnny Phillips, Google the name, find him on Twitter and Facebook...we strive everyday to free my brother. We pray that the Innocence Project in NY or other states look at his case. The prosecutor, Jackie Steele withheld the actual DNA test, and Autopsy Xrays that would help the defense prove their self-defense case....but even Johnny's attorney failed to do his job...the 1142 and the Appeal to the 1142 can be found online. You attention in this matter could help bring a father, son and brother home before he has to spend 30 years of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit!

[cincinnati]

01:35 AM on 03/28/2012

no time presently to study in great detail, hope the best if really innocent...

But obviously prosecutors should be held accountable, as well as cops.
Big screw up's, especially any hint of hiding someone's innocence,
should get THEM thrown in jail !
Even if 20 years later.
At the very least a big hit to their retirement and assets.

[Teno1971]

08:11 AM on 03/28/2012

Thanks for taking the time to review the case even slightly.
In my brothers case there are many elements to the whole process, but the prosecutor did with hold vital information from the defense.
1) DNA results, in the testing Johnny was excluded as a contributor. However, Phil could not be, according to the states witness. What didn't happen, the states witness presented her report. The state never turned over the actual test, and would not testify to the acutual test results. The DNA test itself was positive for 11 out of 13 loci, the chance in it being anyone else's DNA is around 1 in 7 BILLION people. This was a partial DNA test also, that means only a current portion of the DNA was tested...out of 11 loci tested all 11 matched positive for Phil Gloda. This information was never shared with the jury. The actual test was never turned over by the prosecution, and when the witness was questioned on the test results she deliberately avoided the question.

[lblackw105]

01:27 PM on 03/27/2012

Criminal Ken Anderson's lawyer tries to assign the term "seeking justice" to prosecutors. It is evident to all but the most wilfully ignorant that today's prosecutors are about "seeking conviction" NOT "seeking justice" . Given that standard, they will try to supress any truth that would not lead to a cpnviction. I even heard one twit of a prosecutor, thinking she was cute, who said "I will put in jail anyone I can put in jail". Note no mention of whether the accused actually comitted a crime, the sole criterion being whether the accused could credibly defend himself.

[barbintheboonies]

12:05 PM on 03/27/2012

The win is the only thing this guy was thinking about When this happens prosecutors need to be jailed and spend as much time behind bars as the person they prosecuted. The reward system as this is so wrong Police do the same thing they get rewarded for how many people they pull over, even when they pull every trick in the book to do it. We will always have situations like this unless we make some changes.

[cincinnati]

01:35 AM on 03/28/2012

yup

[Christopher Kenny]

05:58 AM on 03/27/2012

I am so pleased to see the manner in which this case was reviewed by 60 minutes and the response from the public in general. Thank you. The support of the people is needed now more than ever for those of us like Michael Morton,- a real life Shawshank Redemption. His case, while sensational, is echoed by countless other's stories, each and every day that may have less interest, but whose time is just as real. For every one of these "over the top" episodes, there are many other cases of being simply 'marginalized'. However, one thing should be painfully clear.... that those we have appointed and elected to judge right and wrong for us, are not to be trusted. Hopefully that is more clear, now...

[cincinnati]

01:38 AM on 03/28/2012

yes, thanks 60 minutes ! fanned...

Frontline on pbs also has done some interesting reporting....
a drunken doctor was mistreating her baby....the father
of the family that babysit for her and others was blamed,
and has been in jail for years.....all evidence points
to the doctor !

[VPerry24]

05:36 AM on 03/27/2012

Isn't it absurd that the land with the highest incarceration rate also boasts that it is the land of the free. But the sheeples don't see that.

[BartRoberts]

10:29 AM on 03/27/2012

All future publications of The Star Spangled Banner should have ironic quotes around the phrase "the land of the free and the home of the brave," n'est-ce pas?

(BTW, great mini-bio)

[Diego Native 2012]

12:05 AM on 03/27/2012

Let me just say this. Some are thankful that at least Morton didn't get the death penalty. I'm glad he didn't, I'm happy he's out and reunited with his son. But in some respects, what happened to him is worse than death. Not only was his wife murdered, but his future, his son's future, his family's future were stolen. You cannot imagine the absolute misery and despair that comes from sitting in a cell day after day knowing that the life you could have had, the life you should have had was taken from you. The dreams he had for his son, to be with his son, to watch him grow, all gone; and to know that day by day by day. It never ever leaves your mind when you're in prison; never. Every state, every county should have its own innocence project whose sole purpose is to review every conviction to ensure justice is done, and it should be manned only be defense attorneys.

[VPerry24]

05:35 AM on 03/27/2012

A prosecutor needs to be personally held responsible. The way they decide on a person's faith today is just horrible. They don't look at all the evidence, make it easy on themselves and with a 95% conviction rate they get promoted. We have the worst justice system in the world of the industrial nations. Once the police get their claws in you there is no letting go.
I ask, how are you to come up with probation money every month when no one is hiring you and does background checks?

[ahetty2000]

11:20 PM on 03/28/2012

And we have the republicans to THANK for this!!!!

[carmidiva]

11:41 AM on 03/29/2012

I agree totally. My cousin has been wrongly imprisoned in Corcoran CA. His name is Merrick. Has no children, never been married, and has been there on a charge of kidnapping for 15 years at the age of 15. We are not able to help him. Every CITY can start their innocence project, going over and collecting as much evidence that they can. In the mean time we can only hope for the best.

[Vee Aar]

11:16 PM on 03/26/2012

I dont usually use such strong words, but I think this prosecutor guy is EVIL, if it is true that he knew about dead wife's credit card was being used while the husband was in custody and similar things.

[TedEjr]

08:53 PM on 03/26/2012

We don't have a Justice system in this country. What we have is a Legal System.

The difference is, that in a Justice system, the goal is to seek out the truth, determine who is a perpetrator of a "Crime", and see that due Justice is meted out.

The goal of a Legal System is to win your side. Regardless of whether your side is true, or is valid.

The only goal in court is to win. And to use the rules of the court to enhance your chance of winning. TV notwithstanding, it is not about determining the truth. And the motto notwithstanding, Justice is NOT blind. It does recognize a color. Although not the one you might think. That color is GREEN. Those with more money can buy attorneys who are more skilled in playing the court rules. And therefore have a better chance of winning.

And winning, or maybe a fear of not winning, is also why some cases never proceed to a hearing as well.

People do not obtain saintly characteristics simply because they hold a job title. They will lie, they will hide information, and they will do all the other things that we all do at one time or another.

Prosecutors are not necessarily saintly. Crime investigators are not necessarily saintly.

If you are not in the 1% category, pray that you are never falsely accused in this country. The odds are against you if you are.

[ahetty2000]

11:23 PM on 03/28/2012

Does anyone not see the IRONY here?? Money should NOT buy justice - especially in a nation that has the NERVE to call itself CHRISTIAN!!

[mflorian]

08:49 PM on 03/26/2012

Prosecutors that intentionally withhold evidence that could exonerate a defendant should go to prison. There is no excuse for this.

[shrinkess]

08:55 PM on 03/26/2012

AMEN

[lblackw105]

01:34 PM on 03/27/2012

Without exception, and they sould be charged at least with "accessory after the fact" in the crime that was tried, since they were instrumental in the real perpetrator being at large.