At this juncture, I wonder if even the most compelling evidence in the history of the U.S. criminal justice system can alter opinions regarding the police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Those who feel certain Brown died unnecessarily and those who feel certain police officer Darren Wilson justifiably killed Brown seem closed to new evidence. Im always open to new evidence; its a significant part of my job as an investigative journalist. The new evidence uncovered by investigators at the well-established Web site TheSmokingGun shocks me. It does not prove anything about the fatal shooting itself. But it DOES PROVE that a woman who testified to the grand jury to back Officer Wilson lied. Known only as Witness 40 to us outsiders studying the evidence, she claimed to view the entire altercation up close. It turns out Witness 40, unmasked through skillful sleuthing as Sandra McElroy, resides about 30 miles from the shooting, was not in the vicinity when the shooting occurred, is a documented racist, a documented spinner of fables previously, possesses a criminal record, and suffers from diagnosed mental illness. Furthermore, the facts seems overwhelming that St. Louis County prosecutor Robert McCulloch and/or his assistants presenting information to the grand jury knew McElroy is a liar, but chose to present her account to the grand jury anyway. I previously led a team that studied illegal and immoral conduct by prosecutors in more depth than any other journalistic investigation ever, as far as I know. That research, published during 2003, indicated McCulloch and his staff of lawyers played inexcusable roles in convicting innocent suspects, while the actual murderers and rapists remained unpunished. After all those years of research, I believed nothing could again surprise me about how low some prosecutors will stoop. I was mistaken--the conduct surrounding Witness 40 ought to lead to McCullochs resignation as the elected district attorney, and the disbarment of the assistant prosecutors inside the grand jury room. I have no confidence that will occur. But it should occur.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 04:49:28 +0000
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