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Snitch who walked for his testimony turned out to be real killer, rapist; prosecutor became judge, and soon elected DA

As DNA evidence sorts out errors made in old cases, sometimes it also reveals examples of official misconduct from decades past, in this case by a lawyer who's about to become elected District Attorney in Cooke County, a rural county along the Oklahoma border (Gainesville is the county seat).The prosecutor in question cut a deal for the testimony of Gerald Pabst back in 1986 to gain his assistance prosecuting rape-murder charges against his brother-in law, Clay Chabot. This fact was never disclosed to the defense, but last year DNA evidence proved Pabst himself was the rapist, and last week Pabst was convicted of the murder, though Chabot may still be recharged.However Chabot's case turns out, it's fascinating the way DNA evidence sheds light on the the specific causes of wrongful convictions...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on September 28, 2008 (boomark / email).