Cook County State's Attorney Demanding Full Disclosure From Northwestern's Medill Innocence Project In The Anthony McKinney Case

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Avi Kamionski

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Cook County State's Attorney's Office has subpoenaed Northwestern "students' grades, notes and recordings of witness interviews, the class syllabus and even e-mails they sent to each other and to professor David Protess of the university's Medill School of Journalism." These students claim to have uncovered evidence which exonerates Anthony McKinney, a Harvey man, accused of killing a security guard with a shotgun blast in 1978.  

McKinney is seeking a new-trial based on the students evidence, but the Cook County State's Attorney is seeking to uncover how this "so-called" new evidence has surfaced. Northwestern is fighting back against the subpoena, claiming it is is harassing and irrelevant.   "I don't think it's any of the state's business to know the state of mind of my students," Protess said.

Why is Northwestern getting all defensive? What are they hiding? The State's Attorney is trying to figure out if there is any motivation on the students part to "uncover" exonerating evidence.  The Innocence Project has been quick to criticize the over-zealous prosecutor or police officer for "doing what ever it takes" to secure a conviction.  Well now the shoe is on the other foot.  Students on university campuses are motivated by "the cause" and frequently do whatever it takes - because in their minds the ends justify the means.  Its nice to finally see the State's Attorney's Office question the students motivations.  We don't know the details and truly hope that the students motivations and actions are legit. 

 

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Robert Wilson Released From Prison After June Siler Recants Her Identification

Posted on December 5, 2006 by Andy Hale
On Monday, December 4, 2006, Robert Wilson was released from the Logan Correctional Center. Cook County presiding judge Paul Biebel, Jr. vacated Wilson's conviction after Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Celeste Stack advised the judge that her office would not be seeking a new trial. June Siler, the victim of a throat slashing in 1997, recently recanted her prior testimony that Wilson was her attacker. Wilson had been convicted of attempted murder and had served 9 years of his 30 year sentence. Wilson signed a written confession but claimed at his criminal trial that the confession was false. Last month, Chicago Tribune reporter Maurice Possley wrote that in a recent "tearful interview" Siler said that Wilson was not her attacker, despite the fact that she identified Wilson as her attacker at her criminal trial in 1997.
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