anthony graves

Finally, justice

Regarding "After years on death row, 'He's an innocent man'" Page A1,
Thursday), the exoneration of Anthony Graves is a cause of great joy for his
supporters throughout the world who have believed in his innocence for many
years. I attended an evidentiary hearing for Anthony in Galveston several years
ago, where I thought he would be released, but sadly he was not and had to
spend more years in jail.

Also, I have visited his courageous family in Brenham that has believed in his
innocence from the very beginning.

There are lots of congratulations to go around: Anthony's legal team and
particularly professor Nicole Casarez and her students at the University of St.
Thomas, who worked tirelessly to prove Anthony's innocence; Anthony's European
supporters who visited him in prison and jail for many years; members of the
Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and Pax Christi in Houston, who
attended court hearings to support Anthony; the reporting of the Houston
Chronicle on this case over several years; Texas Monthly magazine for running
that excellent article on Anthony; and, last but not least, Bill Parham, the
district attorney for Washington and Burleson counties, and former Harris
County Assistant District Attorney Kelly Siegler, who had the integrity to
investigate the case and tell the truth.

I have never been a fan of Siegler because of her zeal in seeking the death
penalty while serving as a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney's
office, but I deeply appreciate her honesty in this case.

I think this was a good day for Texas.

— DAVID ATWOOD, founder, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

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More work to do

I was very surprised to read that former Harris County Assistant District
Attorney Kelly Siegler was involved, after being hired by the district attorney
of Washington and Burleson counties, in the work that culminated with the
exoneration of Anthony Graves.

I commend her for the good work she did to prevent an innocent man from being
executed.

Now I would suggest to Siegler to go ahead and contribute some of her time pro
bono to the Innocence Project for the many innocent people that she may have
put in jail when she was working for former Harris County DA Chuck Rosenthal,
under whose judicial philosophy the only duty of a good prosecutor was to
obtain quick convictions, and not to pursue truth and justice.

— MIGUEL GOMEZ, Houston

(source: Viewpoints, Houston Chronicle)