Once again, prosecutors in St. Louis County under the tutelage of Ferguson prosecutor Robert McCulloch, discounted the ethical challenges the autism diagnosis presents. Since persons diagnosed with autism are highly suggestive to any intimidation or coercion; the confession obtained by police under alleged coercion, should have been thrown out of court, the initial proceedings declared a mistrial, with a new trial ordered. Autistic persons, especially with Aspergers can be told that what comes out of Donald Trump's ass is pure spun gold, with few qualifiers, and believe it as literal fact. These are not people who can aid in their own defense.
It is the height of pure corruption for police to interrogate such individuals without benefit of council. If Edwards displayed autism most probably since early childhood as Dr. Logan wrote, then his symptoms would have been apparent to lay persons. To put it bluntly, Edward's incompetency to understand the situation would have been obvious to police and the prosecution team. Unfortunately, an autistic black man in pre-Ferguson, St. Louis County, was little more than an easy win and another notch in a prosecutor's belt.
Under the ADA or Americans with Disability Act; Edwards was entitled to specialty advocates in addition to any attorneys. It is ironic that the courts building in St. Louis County has legally required wheelchair ramps to provide accessibility to the physically disabled while violating the rights of intellectually and emotionally disabled persons.
Racial bias looms over jury".
Edwards was convicted by an all white jury. Since this case was tried by the same prosecution team which spurred the Ferguson riots after the death of Michael Brown; accusations of racial bias and exclusion of blacks from the jury pool have recently surfaced. (Source: Associated Press, Sept. 28, 2015)
Edwards' attorneys from the Midwest Innocence Project challenged the monolithic jury pool, alleging that county prosecutors unduly disqualified black jurors. An op-ed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explained
""One black candidate was struck because he was divorced, even as a divorced white juror was seated." (Source : St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 09/30/15)
Main prosecution witness recants his testimony"alleges his perjury was coerced by police"
The prosecution's main witness, Orthell Wilson did not actually testify in court. Out of court statements collected by St. Louis County Prosecutors were introduced into evidence. The jury was never told about Wilson's confession, or his 1st degree murder conviction and subsequent plea agreement. Prosecutors failed to disclose the main condition of the plea; namely that Wilson, the confessed murderer would escape the death penalty in return for implicating Edwards. Wilson had to claim that Edwards concocted and engineered this 'murder for hire' conspiracy in order to save his own skin. The jury never knew they were witnessing the alleged suborned perjury instigated by St. Louis County Police and accepted by the 'Ferguson prosecutor.' All of that changed in May of this year when Wilson recanted his testimony and confessed to the murder in a witnessed affidavit.
""In an affidavit in May, Wilson said he was "coerced by police to implicate Edwards" by threat of the death penalty. Wilson now says he acted alone. Weis said Wilson and Cantrell were in a relationship and he killed her after an argument."
"Kimber Edwards is completely innocent," Wilson said in his affidavit.
(Source: Associated Press, Sept. 28, 2015)
Unfortunately court records show that Wilson's recantation was ruled inadmissible. Prosecutors in McCulloch's office have not publicly commented on Wilson's confession to the murder. Though Wilson's recantation was declared inadmissible; his confession is new legal territory. Wilson's confession states clearly that he alone murdered Cantrell. Edwards had no involvement.
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