Secret Affidavit in Echols/Baldwin Case Hides a Bombshell

Mara Leveritt

It would be big news if a former Arkansas prosecuting attorney were to publicly admit that he has known for the past 14 years of serious juror misconduct that tainted the trial of Damien Echols and Jason Baldwin—a trial that ended with Echols being sentenced to death and Baldwin to life in prison.

Such an acknowledgement would almost certainly compel Circuit Judge David Burnett, who officiated at the trial, to order that the two be retried. It would also call into question the ethics of an attorney who would allow such a travesty to occur—and to continue for 14 years—without notifying proper officials.

Yet, in a brief filed in Burnett’s court this month, attorneys for Echols claimed that eight weeks ago, “a prominent Arkansas attorney” made exactly such an admission, and that it was filed in Burnett’s court on May 30 in the form of a sworn affidavit. Burnett ordered the affidavit sealed, making it unavailable to reporters and to the general public, which explains why hardly anyone has heard of it... [Full story at maraleveritt.com]