Networked Knowledge - Media Report

[This edited version of the report has been prepared by Dr Robert N Moles]

USA homepage
Identification Evidence homepage
Article: Australian law on miscarriages of justice
Article: UK law on miscarriages of justice
Article: USA law on miscarriages of justice

On 7 July 2007 the Oklahoma Examiner and AP reported “Governor pardons man wrongly convicted in 1984 assault”

It said that  Harold Gene Weatherly always knew he hadn’t brutally stabbed a woman nearly 23 years ago. With the stroke of a pen, everyone else knows it now. On Friday, Gov. Brad Henry pardoned Weatherly, opening a new chapter in life for the husband and parent of seven children. “It was a very difficult road, but I always knew the truth in my heart,” Weatherly said.

Weatherly spent more than 15 years in prison on an assault charge stemming from the 1984 stabbing of then-20-year-old Esther Moctezuma. He was paroled from prison in 1998. Years later, an FBI agent determined testimony from fired Oklahoma City police chemist Joyce Gilchrist at Weatherly’s trial was faulty. Gilchrist’s testimony in other cases has come under scrutiny. In May, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board unanimously recommended Weatherly be pardoned of the crime.

Paul Sund, a spokesman for Henry, said after legal staff reviewed the case recommendation, the governor approved the application this week and filed the final paperwork Friday. Weatherly’s lawyer, Matt Dowling, said his client could have sued the state for what he called a blatant wrongful conviction, but Weatherly only wanted to clear his name. “This pardon is the most overdue thing I have ever known of,” Dowling said.

With the pardon, Weatherly will now be able to vote, own a gun and apply for a job without listing his criminal conviction. “It means a lot to feel like you are a part of the system you believe so much in,” he said.

Gilchrist testified that fibers found on Weatherly’s shoes matched those at the crime scene. His alibi at the time of the assault was corroborated by numerous witnesses, but a jury still convicted him on two counts of assault and battery with an intent to kill.

Source: 7 July 2007 Oklahoma Examiner / AP “Governor pardons man wrongly convicted in 1984 assault”

Top of Page