Martin Soto-Fong

Those who follow this blog know that we've written about several pending innocence cases out of Texas. Names like Anthony Graves, Frances Newton, Nanon Williams and Max Soffar may well ring a bell.

But Texas, of course, is not the only state that has arguably innocent people on death row (although history may prove it to be the worst offender).

Today, courtesy of investigative journalist Jeffrey Toobin and the New Yorker magazine, we have a case out of Arizona that should command everyone's attention.

The inmate's name is Martin Soto-Fong. The prosecutor who helped put him on death row is Kenneth Peasley. Peasley has since been disbarred by the Arizona Supreme Court for falsifying evidence in this triple murder, but Soto-Fong remains on death row (and running out of appeals).

In disbarring Peasley, Arizona Supreme Court Justice Michael D. Ryan (writing for a unanimous court) had this to say:

"A prosecutor who deliberately presents false testimony, especially in a capital case, has caused incalculable injury to the integrity of the legal profession and the justice system."

Hear that, Charles Sebasta? Hear that, Chuck Rosenthal? How about you, Johnny Holmes?

To read the entire article, go here.