Bad Police Lab Work Is Good News for 19 TX Inmates
Nineteen Texas inmates have received an offer of a free lawyer to review whether they were wrongfully convicted because of shoddy blood analysis work.
The offer is a result of a report issued by a special investigator who identified 180 cases that could be flawed because of bad blood work by a Houston police crime lab, the Associated Press reports. A three-lawyer panel appointed by Harris County judges is reviewing the report and identifying cases deserving further review. The 19 cases were the first to be chosen.
All but one of the inmates accepted the offer, said defense lawyer, Bob Wicoff, a member of the panel.
“They were a little suspicious at first,” he said. “But most of them were quickly on board once they realized what we were trying to do.”
