Williamson County Grand Jury Indicts Mark Norwood
A Williamson County grand jury today returned a capital murder indictment against 57-year-old Bastrop resident Mark Alan Norwood in the 1986 murder of Christine Morton, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced.
“An indictment in a cold case cannot bring back the life that was unnecessarily taken, but this is a big step toward answering long unresolved questions for the crime victim’s family,” Abbott said in a press release.
Christine Morton's husband, Michael Morton, was wrongfully convicted of her murder in 1987 and served 25 years of a life sentence in prison. DNA testing confirmed last year that Christine ...
Comments (7)
Lisa Conn
Actually, if convicted, Norwood could face life in prison or the death penalty. Life without parole was not a sentencing option at the time of the crime. Life would mean at least 20 years before the possibility of parole.
Brandi Grissom
Lisa, you make a good point. The AG's press release says he could face LWOP. I'll double-check, though.
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Another example of swift TX justice...
Richard Paddack via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Retribution.
Lee Crites
Lisa: I agree with your initial assessment.
I remember, however, that a while ago -- probably in the 5 +/- years ago range, something was done about this. If memory serves (no guarantee), it was initially done to "correct" a situation where the death penalty was handed down for minors at the time of the offense. Some had already served enough time that if the death penalty was changed to "life," that they could be released. So in order to "fix" that, something was done with/to/about/around/on the life without parole option.
I don't have the resources to check on that -- but it is a nagging though that struck me as I was reading the article, and your comments just cemented the "nagging" part of it. So it might be worth checking into.
Frankly, after my research and study in the way we treat offenders, and what life is like in our prisons (even the "good" ones), I'm not sure that "life without parole" isn't the true "cruel and unusual punishment" option. Of course, the way we drag out the death penalty, I'm not sure it is really any better. The reason for this comment is that this is what I was studying at the time I heard about these 'kids" being given LWOP -- and the feelings I had that someone incarcerated at the late-teen/early-twenties age could spend the next sixty or so years rotting (literally) in prison.
Phillip Baker
This has been far too long in coming. So much suffering and pain caused by one man. My heart goes out to Mike Morton. This news must be bitter sweet at best. The same can be said of my family. Props to Lisa and the rest for rising so admirably to this challenge.
But if all this human suffering leads to justice and also reform of our broken "justice" system, that will be some small recompense. State Bar, the people are watching! Do your duty for once. The corrupt officials who railroaded Mike into a life sentence and then fought all efforts to exonerate him must be punished. Every sleazy DA in the state needs a slap to the head to wake up and reform. Stop the criminal justice corruption, from cops to DA's to TDCJ , the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and all the way to the Court of Criminal Appeals. If people do not trust the justice/legal system, what kind of society are we living in?
Max Sped
You have to be careful in Williamson County or you will have another innocent victim railroaded to death row or life in prison. We have by-dam got the guilty one now and he will pay for this crime. Yes-sir-re-bob, we may have got the wrong one the first time but this is now the RIGHT one and you will see that that in accordance with the Good Book - the Old Testament - this good Christian County is TOUGH ON CRIME!