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Tonight, the state of Missouri executed Walter Barton.
SCOTUS denied his final appeal this evening, because evidence that established his innocence had been available to his defense counsel - ignoring the fact that said counsel were woefully inadequate. https://www.innocenceproject.org/walter-barton-innocent-stay-execution-missouri/
SCOTUS denied his final appeal this evening, because evidence that established his innocence had been available to his defense counsel - ignoring the fact that said counsel were woefully inadequate. https://www.innocenceproject.org/walter-barton-innocent-stay-execution-missouri/
Mr. Barton was almost certainly innocent.
He was convicted of killing Gladys Kuehler, an elderly woman who ran an Ozark trailer park, found dead in a pool of blood in 1991. Ms. Kuehler's granddaughter and Mr. Barton discovered her body. https://theappeal.org/missouri-set-to-execute-walter-barton-tonight-despite-claims-that-he-may-be-innocent/
He was convicted of killing Gladys Kuehler, an elderly woman who ran an Ozark trailer park, found dead in a pool of blood in 1991. Ms. Kuehler's granddaughter and Mr. Barton discovered her body. https://theappeal.org/missouri-set-to-execute-walter-barton-tonight-despite-claims-that-he-may-be-innocent/
The only physical evidence linking Mr. Barton to the crime was a spot of blood on his shirt, which he testified got there when he pulled the victim's granddaughter off her body. This was corroborated by the victim.
The state introduced so-called expert testimony on blood spatter analysis - a notoriously unreliable and discredited forensic technique, claiming the blood spot could only have gotten on Mr. Barton's shirt if he had stabbed the victim, not through rubbing against her.
