[12] Alford asserted his innocence, but because of the strong evidence against him, his attorney advised him to plead guilty to a reduced charge. Thompson, a desperate man who had served nearly 20 years in prison, took the plea and walked out of prison that same day(4). They compromised their chance to be exonerated during a new trial to instead be permitted to leave the courthouse with time served. If the D.A. Somewhat disturbingly, a common use case will be if the defendant knows they are guilty innocent, but they also recognize that there is a lot of evidence that suggests their guilt, and no other suspects. "After careful consideration of all matters, including the advice received, I reached the view that this office was not in a position to discharge the onus placed upon it to satisfy the court that the admissions should be relied upon and decided that these proceedings should not continue.". An Alford plea allows a defendant to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. It allows defendants to assert their innocence while acknowledging the prosecution could convict them. Accessed 1 Mar. While other suspects were | Privacy after North Carolina vs. Alford, U.S. Supreme Court case (1970) that sanctioned such a plea. Alford pleas may offer defendants security, and immediate relief from their charges, but prosecutors often times use Alford maintain their courtroom records or to cover up misconduct. TIL that something called an Alford Plea exists. Is that different from pleading No Contest? Alford was offered a plea deal in which, if he pled guilty to second-degree murder, he would receive a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Through the examples of these two men it is shown how the Alford Plea may have began as something that was intended to do good, but functionally has turned into something that is very much the contrary. Doing so would invite the police into Johnnys home, where he had a great deal of evidence of his drug-related activities. The Seattle Times. I always assumed an Alford plea would only be used in a case where there is evidence against the suspect but a catch. The Supreme Court has allowed for a defendant to plead to a criminal charge while still maintaining their innocence. The Commonwealth has beenordered to pay Hicks's court costs. With an Alford plea, the defendant -- typically only with the court's permission -- accepts all the ramifications of a guilty verdict (i.e., punishment) without first attesting to having committed the crime. Juris Magazine disclaims any responsibility for content errors, omission, or infringing material and disclaims any responsibility associated with relying on information provided on this website. CLN s companion publication, PLN, previously reported on their case in December 2012. Many believe Peterson is guilty of murder. [2] The teenagers were tried and convicted: Damien Echols was sentenced to death, Jason Baldwin and Jesse Misskelley were sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole. Plea Best Not Taken: Why Criminal Defendants Should Avoid Taking the Alford Plea. Gunna, whose real name is Sergio Kitchens, entered a negotiated plea known as an Alford plea. WebOther articles where Alford plea is discussed: West Memphis Three: Paradise Lost and prison release: maneuver is known as an Alford plea. As with almost any other plea bargain, the hope of reduction in punishment is the prime motivation for defendants to waive a significant amount of their constitutional rights and enter a plea of guilty(6). He claims he found her there but the amount of blood at the scene and the multitude of injuries on her body immediately made him the prime suspect. Keeping these cases closed with no investigation means that the true culprit of these crimes is often left undiscovered and unpunished. An Alford plea is beneficial because by accepting a plea deal a defendant can avoid a trial, which is no sure bet even if you are innocent. I plead the other way, circumstantial evidence; that the jury will prosecute me on-on the second. The case eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which took on the decision of whether the trial court had committed a constitutional error in accepting Alfords guilty plea, even while he maintained his innocence. It is a way of pleading guilty, without admitting guilt. Alford pleas only make sense in a select few cases that are in between these scenarios. A South Carolina couple was sentenced to 20 years in prison this week for extreme child abuse. Things get out of hand, and neighbors call the police when they hear a gunshot. 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This ruling that a trial court may accept a plea of guilty from a defendant who is simultaneously maintaining his innocence became binding precedent, and guides similar cases today. He is also the host of "True Crime Daily: The Sidebar Podcast. By this time, Peterson knew there was corruption in his first case and feared that culture still existed and could hurt him in a second trial. In California, they are called pleas Pursuant to People v. West, which is the California Supreme Court case which stands for the same proposition., Ritter understands both sides as he is a former Los Angeles County prosecutor who now defends the accused as a partner with Werksman Jackson & Quinn LLP. Two of the defendants, Jason Baldwin This certainty can provide comfort to the defendant and their family. An Alford plea is a plea that may be entered by a defendant who has been charged with a crime. If a defendant is innocent but still chooses the plea deal out of the interest of security, their attorney is no longer in an ethical dilemma of whether or not they should allow their innocent client to plead to something they did not commit, with Alford because it allows them to still maintain their innocence. He'd rather take the chance. Guilty Plea With No Admission of Guilt Like a nolo contendere plea, an Alford plea allows a criminal defendant to enter a guilty plea without admitting guilt. Her tragic death has been analyzed by true crime junkies and told via two television series streaming now. When the prosecution offers a plea bargain in which Johnny would enter an Alford plea of guilty to aggravated assault, in exchange for a maximum sentence of five years in prison, Johnny accepts. 644 Words3 Pages. The defendant will be able to withdraw the guilty or no contest plea if the appeals court agrees that the trial judge was wrong. Plead Guilty.. The Court ultimately ruled that the court could accept a guilty plea when the defendant was simultaneously claiming he was innocent. There, it may be in a defendants best interests to take an Alford plea. "This is a type of plea not recognised in Australia, whereby a defendant is able to acknowledge that the available evidence is sufficient to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt without admitting commission of the offences charged. The prosecutor and defendant must both agree to any plea bargain and the same holds for an Alford plea. While entering his plea, Alford maintained that he was innocent, Delivered to your inbox! Stay up-to-date with how the law affects your life. There was a lot of strong evidence against Alford, and his criminal defense lawyer recommended a guilty plea. The one-year sentence was commuted to time served. The Alford plea came out of North Carolina v. Alford, where the Supreme Court of the United States held that judges do not violate due process by accepting guilty pleas from defendants who simultaneously assert their innocence. [11] In 1963, Henry Alford was indicted for first-degree murder, which at the time automatically called for the death penalty when the conviction followed a plea of innocence. He said he was pleased the authorities seemed to have concluded that his conviction at Guantanamo was "unfair" and "obtained through duress". So they know he's connected but can't prove its him over the brother without reasonable doubt and so does the dedefendant. However, most prosecutors will not offer an Alford plea because it looks bad: "Hey! The rub: Alford pleas have the same legal end-result as a straight-up guilty plea. While Alford pleas may give a Defendant the peace of mind that they admitted to the judge that they are guilty of the crime or crimes charged, the plea is the functional equivalent of a guilty plea. An Alford plea is a guilty plea in criminal court whereby a defendant does not admit to committing the criminal act in which theyve been accused and can still assert their innocence with the admission that the evidence presented by the prosecution could likely persuade a judge and/or jury to find them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. [20], [1] https://famous-trials.com/westmemphis/2287-home, [7] https://www.tjsl.edu/the-jeffersonian/news/2011/09/west-memphis-three-and-their-alford-plea, [8] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Alford%20plea, [9] https://www.tjsl.edu/the-jeffersonian/news/2011/09/west-memphis-three-and-their-alford-plea. 412.396.6300. [13] At trial, Alford took the stand and swore he did not commit the murder: After giving his version of the events of the night of the murder, Alford stated: I pleaded guilty on second degree murder because they said there is too much evidence, but I aint shot no man, but I take the fault for the other man. 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