HUFFINGTON
08.04.13
AP PHOTO/ROGELIO V. SOLIS, FILE
THE UNTOUCHABLES
the ODC.
Last August, Kathy Kelly of the
Louisiana Capital Post-Conviction
Office also filed a complaint with
the ODC, against Roger Jordan, the
prosecutor in the Juan Smith case.
As of this writing, she too has yet
to hear back from the office.
Plattsmier says that while he
can’t talk about specific cases, he
would be “very surprised” if his
office had taken months to confirm receipt of a complaint. “That
would indicate to me that something is very wrong, that there is
some sort of miscommunication. I
would encourage anyone who has
filed a complaint and not heard
anything back at all to contact me
directly,” he says.
Dalton emphasized that
Plattsmier is an excellent attorney
and an honorable man whom he
holds in high regard. “I wouldn’t
ever question his integrity,” Dalton says. Emily Maw at the New
Orleans Innocence Project echoed
that sentiment. “I think he’s an
ally. He recognizes there’s a problem. And he has reached out to us
for ideas on how to fix it.”
But Dalton still wonders what’s
going on with his complaints. “I
just can’t explain it. It has to be
something intentional coming
from someone, somewhere,” he
says. “It could be anything from
just a friendly alliance with people
in power to something more sinister. But it isn’t accidental.”
RESURRECTION AND REFORM
Back on St. Bernard Avenue, John
Thompson is working with a plumber. Shareef Cousin is eating lunch.
Five years ago, the two men cofounded Resurrection After Exoneration, a non-profit organization that
helps exonerees re-enter society.
Mississippi
District
Attorney
Forrest
Allgood
prosecuted
two men who
were sent
to prison for
crimes they
didn’t commit
before being
released in
2008.