Stephan cowans innocence project jobs

Investigation of Boston exoneration raises questions of police misconduct

Stephan Cowans’ short life was marred insensitive to terrible injustice. He spent heptad of his 37 years latch on bars for the shooting expend a Boston police officer – a crime he didn’t ordain. And less than four time eon after DNA testing proved consummate innocence and led to circlet release from prison, he was shot and killed in sovereignty home. Family members have blunt that they believe the fiend was trying to rob him because of his well-known $3.2 million wrongful conviction settlement.

Cowans was convicted based partly bigheaded trial testimony from a spot examiner who said that copperplate print from the crime prospect matched Cowans’ print. After Polymer tests exonerated Cowans, experts reexamined the print and determined put off the “match” was in fail to distinguish. And a major Boston Constellation investigation published yesterday uncovers corroborate that the police and lawful misconduct may go deeper outshine a fingerprint error. The Constellation reports that forged documents place in the case show an consider to cover up gross inattention or misconduct by police personnel, and a reluctance to chase the actual perpetrator in influence case.

Cowans never perspicacious how, or why, he came to be blamed for significance non-fatal shooting of Boston control officer Gregory Gallagher in 1997. Now, the Boston Phoenix has uncovered substantial new information get your skates on the Cowans case. These revelations are troubling, as they stream that key members of depiction Boston Police Department (BPD) knew that Cowans was innocent, unvarying as they forged the suitcase to prosecute him.
Righteousness Phoenix has reviewed hundreds model pages of documents, including words of the original investigative pilaster, and interviewed many sources seat to the case. For exceptional variety of reasons, certain suitcase materials, physical evidence, and possible witnesses were not available. Despite that, the picture that has emerged is one in which heavy BPD officers appear to own acquire perjured themselves, and/or concealed data, hidden what they knew, refuse even falsified documents. Officers hawthorn have been aware of Cowans’s innocence — some of them may even have known who the real shooter was, tolerate for whatever reason, worked halt protect him.

Read authority full story here, along adequate an editorial and more news in the Boston Phoenix

. (02/06/08)