False conviction in the rape of Alice Sebold

[Chris_Halkides]

ProPublica did a long article on this rape, about which Alice Sebold had written a book. Anthony Broadwater was found guilty, but many years later he was exonerated on the basis of irregularities in the trial. Besides Ms. Sebold's highly problematic identification, the only evidence against him was a microscopic examination of a public hair. The case predated DNA evidence, and microscopic hair examination without mitochondrial DNA is known to be preliminary at best and often overstated in terms of its actual weight. Several reporters spent time on aspects of the case; Joaquin Sapien appears to have done the most work, and he wrote this article.

"Sebold recently completed a letter to Broadwater. She declined to share a copy but described its contents. It’s more personal and considered, she said, than the apology she released right after the exoneration, which was criticized as tepid and which she said was hastily written. Sebold said the letter takes responsibility for her role in Broadwater’s wrongful conviction and offers details about her recent life, her dog and the Dao, the Chinese philosophy she has come to rely on. The letter describes, she said, “the deep sorrow I hold for what happened.”"

Based on Mr. Sapien's reporting, I concluded that the Syracuse, NY police performed abysmally, that there was a plausible alternative suspect, and that this was a false conviction. I wish that the pubic hair had not been destroyed. I tend to see Ms. Sebold as a second victim of a deficient criminal justice system in place at the time.

 

[jeremyp]

public -> pubic

 

[Chris_Halkides]

My opening post was a little lacking in details. Alice Sebold believed that a man she saw on the street (Anthony Broadwater) was the man who raped her. However, she picked someone else out of a lineup. Under those circumstances it is surprising that Mr. Broadwater was convicted.

Regarding the hair comparison, I found this passage at the National Registry of Exonerations:
"Mastine asked, "Were the various characteristics found consistent or inconsistent with the hair...having come from Anthony Broadwater?"
"The hair recovered...was consistent as having come from Anthony Broadwater," Kaszubinski testified."

The passage continued, but I did not see any attempt to put a statistic on this putative consistency.

 

[Elaedith]

I haven't read through all the article yet, but it does seem an unusual case in regard to the conviction despite failed line-up identification, and also that it was by judge rather than jury.

 

[Chris_Halkides]

The New York Times reported that Mr. Broadwater appears to have been taken advantage of by someone who claimed to be working on a documentary about him. This is an odd twist to the story.