Post by Maggie on Sept 1, 2006 8:02:22 GMT -5
Aug. 25, 2006, 12:49PM
Ex-death row inmate paroled in Houston
By DALE LEZON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
A former Texas death row inmate whose conviction was overturned, partly because of problems in the Houston Police Department's crime lab, walked out of the Harris County Jail today after being paroled.
Martin Allen Draughon did not comment before getting into a state-owned car and being driven away from the downtown jail.
Michelle Lyons, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said Draughon was being taken to Livingston, where he will live with a friend, identified as Joy Weathers.
Draughon, who was sentenced to death for killing a man in 1986 while fleeing a botched robbery in Houston, was released from prison on a program called intensive mandatory supervision.
He could be eligible for release from the program in 20 years, Lyons said.
His conviction was overturned in September 2004 when U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ruled that a ballistics expert had presented evidence showing that the victim, Armando Guerrero, was killed by a bullet that had ricocheted.
Draughon had maintained that he had fired several shots only to frighten people and prevent them from chasing him as he fled after the failed robbery of a restaurant.
Rosenthal ruled that Draughon's attorney had failed to hire a ballistics expert to present evidence about the bullet in the trial.
She also cited "serious questions" about the accuracy of analysis in the HPD crime lab, which is still the subject of an independent investigation because of problems in several divisions, including ballistics.
Rather than put Draughon on trial again, prosecutors reached a plea agreement with him that called for a 40-year sentence.
That period is based on a combination of the time he has served and the "good time" he accumulated while in prison.
The conditions of his mandatory supervision include reporting to a parole officer nine times a month, Lyons said.
He also will be fitted with a global positioning system monitor so that parole officials can track his movements.
While living in Livington, Draughon won't be far from the Polunsky Unit and his former home on death row.
dale.lezon@chron.com
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/4141485.html
Ex-death row inmate paroled in Houston
By DALE LEZON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
A former Texas death row inmate whose conviction was overturned, partly because of problems in the Houston Police Department's crime lab, walked out of the Harris County Jail today after being paroled.
Martin Allen Draughon did not comment before getting into a state-owned car and being driven away from the downtown jail.
Michelle Lyons, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said Draughon was being taken to Livingston, where he will live with a friend, identified as Joy Weathers.
Draughon, who was sentenced to death for killing a man in 1986 while fleeing a botched robbery in Houston, was released from prison on a program called intensive mandatory supervision.
He could be eligible for release from the program in 20 years, Lyons said.
His conviction was overturned in September 2004 when U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal ruled that a ballistics expert had presented evidence showing that the victim, Armando Guerrero, was killed by a bullet that had ricocheted.
Draughon had maintained that he had fired several shots only to frighten people and prevent them from chasing him as he fled after the failed robbery of a restaurant.
Rosenthal ruled that Draughon's attorney had failed to hire a ballistics expert to present evidence about the bullet in the trial.
She also cited "serious questions" about the accuracy of analysis in the HPD crime lab, which is still the subject of an independent investigation because of problems in several divisions, including ballistics.
Rather than put Draughon on trial again, prosecutors reached a plea agreement with him that called for a 40-year sentence.
That period is based on a combination of the time he has served and the "good time" he accumulated while in prison.
The conditions of his mandatory supervision include reporting to a parole officer nine times a month, Lyons said.
He also will be fitted with a global positioning system monitor so that parole officials can track his movements.
While living in Livington, Draughon won't be far from the Polunsky Unit and his former home on death row.
dale.lezon@chron.com
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/4141485.html