Texas Issues Its First Posthumous Pardon

[Niels Bohr 72]

(March 2) – Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has granted the state's first posthumous pardon to a man who spent 13 years in jail for a wrongful rape conviction following a campaign by his family to clear his name.

The man, Tim Cole, died in prison in 1999 at age 39 while serving a 25-year sentence. He was cleared by DNA evidence in 2008, and was pronounced innocent in 2009 by state district Judge Charles Baird, who said Cole had "suffered the greatest miscarriage of justice imaginable in our criminal justice system."

Cole's mother, five brothers and sister expressed their happiness at the decision announced yesterday.

After receiving a phone call from Perry, Cole's mother, 73-year-old Ruby Session, said Monday: "I'm so happy. I knew it would come. I just didn't know when."

"To say the wheels of justice turn slow was an understatement when it came to Tim," said one of his brothers, Cory Session, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

Session, who is policy director for the Innocence Project of Texas, which pushed heavily to clear Cole's name, added, "The question is: How many more Tim Coles are out there?"

The project's Web site, which says Texas has more verified wrongful convictions than any other state, lists the names of 40 people, including Cole, who have been exonerated of crimes in DNA testing.

In a statement, Perry said he had been looking forward to the day he could call Session and tell her he'd pardoned her son. He had earlier been uncertain whether he had the legal right to grant a pardon, but the state attorney general clarified the law in January.

Perry's move came on the eve of today's primary election for governor. Perry, who is running for an unprecedented third four-year term, faces a tough challenge from a fellow Republican, the three-term Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

There were no comments on the pardon from Perry's opponents in today's primaries.

[Darnell 8,478]

I hope Perry isna getting racial or ethnic.

Sorry.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

At least they didn't fry him first. That would have been a game changer.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

The pardon is fine, but when Perry didn't isn't...

He purposefully did it yesterday to try and give himself an edge politically.

Playing politics with that is so ugh.

[The_Dude 1,142]

The pardon is fine, but when Perry didn't isn't...

He purposefully did it yesterday to try and give himself an edge politically.

Playing politics with that is so ugh.

You're stuck with Perry. The only sane candidate running (Hutchison) has thrown in the towel.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

You're stuck with Perry. The only sane candidate running (Hutchison) has thrown in the towel.

Hutchinson sane?

She's the same political hack that Perry is....

[The_Dude 1,142]

Hutchinson sane?

She's the same political hack that Perry is....

Her public and printed comments seem much more based in reality than Perry's imbecilic teabag rhetoric.

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Her public and printed comments seem much more based in reality than Perry's imbecilic teabag rhetoric.

You mean the rhetoric he jumped on board so he would get re-elected and for no other reason?

[Nagishkaw 510]

That's so fvcked up.

[The_Dude 1,142]

You mean the rhetoric he jumped on board so he would get re-elected and for no other reason?

So he's not really a teabagger? What would be the qualifications of a real teabagger?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

So he's not really a teabagger? What would be the qualifications of a real teabagger?

Someone who actually believes what spews out of their mouth and not just saying it to appease people?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Someone who actually believes what spews out of their mouth and not just saying it to appease people?

Are you a mind reader, Paul?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Are you a mind reader, Paul?

depends on the day and the person.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

depends on the day and the person.

clearly, you are a man of many skills.