Anthony Graves reflects on Morton case
Fellow exoneree recalls his release
Updated: Wednesday, 05 Oct 2011, 9:02 AM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 04 Oct 2011, 7:52 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 04 Oct 2011, 7:52 PM CDT
AUSTIN (KXAN) - As a judge set Michael Morton free after 25 years behind bars, Anthony Graves reflected on his own 18 years on death row.
A jury convicted Graves for the murders of a Somerville, Texas grandmother, her daughter, and four grandchildren in 1992. A judge released him in October, 2010.
"I lost 18 years of my life. If they had just done any kind of investigation I would’ve never spent a night in jail, but that’s not the case," said Graves.
Graves said his case and the Morton case are proof of serious problems in the Justice System.
"If you don’t have DNA in your case, it’s like no one wants to hear it," said Graves. "[Morton's] case is just another example of how bad our system is and you think that’s 25 years ago and nothing’s changed in our system."
Graves spent the last year travelling the world talking about his experiences. He now helps counsel prisoners still behind bars. He said his time behind bars gave him a sense of purpose.
"I'm out here living my life trying to save life. I'm trying to educate people about this injustice known as the death penalty and our system," he said.
Graves works for the Texas Defender Service, where he advocates for reforms to the death penalty. Among them: stiff criminal penalties for prosecutorial misconduct, and institution of a review board for death penalty sentences.
"Anybody in whatever county who wants to seek the death penalty has to take that case in front of that panel ," he said. "That is the kind of safeguard that needs to be there. Because when you allow one man to make that decision you don’t know why he's making that decision."
He remembered his release, calling the experience "surreal."
"There are a lot of things he doesn't have to do unless he wants to now, that he didn't have the choice for the last 25 years," he said of Morton."This guy is on top of the world right now, but he is scared"
"It’s not going to really hit him probably until he hugs his mother and he feels her tears running down his neck and realizes that he’s home," Graves added.
