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237 Comments
- phore, on 11/26/2007, -3/+365You'd be surprised how often this sort of thing happens. The legal system is far from perfect, it doesn't matter if you committed the crime or not, all that matters is if one or two people say you did it. I was falsely accused of a noncontact hit and run. There was an accident and I stopped to help but the highway patrol took a long time to get there and I was on my way to a job interview. So I left some contact information and left. The 2 people who hit each other took that opportunity to say that I was the cause of them getting in the accident and said I cut one of the drivers off (which was untrue) and next thing I know the highway patrol was at my house ready to arrest me. The person who's car got hit was a district attorney and because of him I am on house arrest and have my liscense suspended for a year. It was my word against his in court, and of course they didn't believe me.
- HerrEisenheim, on 11/26/2007, -0/+142Sad. He just needs a friend. :-(
I'd be his friend.
Also, that is, perhaps, the best production use of Flash I have ever seen. Simple, yet elegant, and displays powerful imagery in sync with a compelling audio story. - inactive, on 11/26/2007, -0/+129This is probably one of the most heartbreaking things I've heard in a long time.
His voice.. you can really hear the sorrow. - mykodacon, on 11/26/2007, -2/+104Jeffrey,
Here's to hoping you notice this hit Digg.
If you need a friend, just tell someone. I know when you are locked up, you can't show weakness because people will take advantage of it. Out - it is different. Do not be afraid to tell someone, "Hey, do you mind if I could tag along - I could use a friend."
You would be surprised how many guys would be willing to help you out. We are all looking for friends. Most don't realize it just takes a simple question or statement. "I could use a friend. You want to show me around?" It works buddy.
Who on Digg would not want to be Jeffrey's friend? I would.
Your friend,
Mike - RandomSchl, on 11/26/2007, -1/+92one of the most moving things I've seen on digg in a long time.
- gregm11, on 11/26/2007, -0/+88I think he's entitled to a financial settlement from the state.
- lolwaffle, on 11/03/2008, -2/+82DNA testing has been around for quite some time before 2006 when this guy got out. Why so long for this guy to get his freedom?
- david5t, on 11/26/2007, -1/+67Have you heard about U.S. government bureaucracy?
- phore, on 11/26/2007, -0/+64For those of you wondering why a DA would do such a thing. He asked for $8,000 in restitution and got it from me, he also got double that from my insurance. His injury was bruises at the most, but he claimed he had bad whiplash. This is nothing near what the man in the article had to go through, but I just wanted to tell my story to give people a perspective on how often this sort of thing happens.
- baldycraig, on 11/26/2007, -1/+59It's hard to think of anything that would suck more than being wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years.
- DemonSpawn77, on 11/26/2007, -1/+58This is clearly the voice of a broken man. He spent pretty much half his life behind bars. I hope he gets his life back together and finds happiness once more.
- Bensign, on 11/26/2007, -2/+49Hey Jessejb: You're a dick.
- encognito, on 11/26/2007, -2/+48A good deed never goes unpunished.
- LuciferChaos, on 11/26/2007, -0/+45His description of what its like to get out of prison after serving a rather long period of time seems pretty accurate. My situation isn't exactly the same as his - I wasn't "wrongfully convicted" in the sense that I "didn't do" what I was charged with, quibbles with some details and the political situation surrounding it aside - but I went to prison when I was 17 years old and just got out of prison about a year ago after serving 11 years. I'm about to finish my first semester at a local community college, and a lot of the things he describes feel the same for me. Prison is by definition an isolating experience, so I suppose its not that unusual that its difficult to relate to other people...
- Fergi, on 11/26/2007, -7/+51How about turning into a tree?
- shasty55, on 11/26/2007, -0/+43DA's are always honest! Just look what that honest DA did to those rotten duke lacrosse players
- inactive, on 11/26/2007, -0/+41On November 2, 2006, Jeff Deskovic's indictment charging him with murder, rape, and possession of a weapon was dismissed on the grounds of actual innocence. Postconviction DNA testing both proved Deskovic's innocence and identified the real perpetrator of a 1989 murder and rape.
The Crime
On the afternoon of November 15, 1989, the 15-year-old victim went out after school to take pictures for a photography class. She never returned home. Her naked body was found by police dogs the morning of November 17, 1989. Her clothes and cassette player were recovered from the vicinity. She appeared to have been raped, beaten, and strangled.
The Confession
Jeff Deskovic, then 16 years old, was a classmate of the victim’s. He became a suspect because he was late to school the day after the victim disappeared. Police also believed he seemed overly distraught at the victim’s death, visiting her wake three times.
Police spoke with Deskovic eight times in December 1989 and January 1990. Deskovic had begun his own “investigation” of the case, giving officers notes about possible suspects. Police asked Deskovic to submit to a polygraph examination and he agreed in late January 1990. He believed that, if cleared, he could continue to help police with their investigation.
Deskovic was taken to a private polygraph business run by an officer with the local Sheriff’s Department, who, according to trial testimony, had been hired to “get the confession.” Deskovic was held in a small room there with no lawyer or parent present. He was provided with coffee throughout the day but no food. In between polygraph sessions, detectives interrogated Deskovic.
Deskovic’s alleged confession occurred after six hours, three polygraph sessions, and extensive questioning by detectives between sessions. One of the detectives accused Deskovic of having failed the test and said he had been convinced of Deskovic’s guilt for several weeks. According to the detective, Deskovic then stated he “realized” three weeks ago he might be the responsible party. Deskovic was asked to describe the crime and began speaking in the third person, switching to first person part way through the narrative. Deskovic said, “I lost my temper” and admitted he had hit the victim in the head with a Gatorade bottle, put his hand over her mouth and kept it there too long. During the confession, Deskovic sobbed. By the end of the interrogation, he was under the table, curled up in the fetal position, crying.
The Biological Evidence
The victim was found naked and her autopsy revealed genital trauma. Semen was identified on the vaginal swabs from her rape kit but no semen was observed on her clothes.
DNA testing was conducted before trial. The results showed that Deskovic was not the source of semen in the rape kit. Deskovic had been told before the alleged confession that if his DNA did not match the semen in the rape kit, he would be cleared as a suspect. Instead, prosecution continued on the strength of his alleged confession.
The Trial
In January 1991, Deskovic was convicted by jury of 1st degree rape and 2nd degree murder, despite DNA results showing that he was not the source of semen in the victim’s rape kit. The state argued that the semen had come from a consensual sex partner and that Deskovic killed the victim in a jealous rage.
Post-Conviction
In January 2006, the Innocence Project took on Deskovic’s case. The semen from the rape kit was tested with newer technology for entry into the New York State DNA databank of convicted felons. In September 2006, the semen was matched to convicted murderer Steven Cunningham, who was in prison for strangling the sister of his live-in girlfriend.
On September 20, 2006, Jeff Deskovic was released from prison when his conviction was overturned. Following an apology from the assistant district attorney, the court dismissed Deskovic's indictment on the grounds of actual innocence on November 2, 2006.
Steven Cunningham subsequently confessed to the crime for which Jeff Deskovic served nearly 16 years. - FortyCaliber, on 11/26/2007, -1/+38Being wrongfully imprisoned for life.
- lewikee, on 11/26/2007, -1/+37There are a lot of cases to go back and do DNA testing on.
- madskjaer, on 11/26/2007, -0/+29We need more of these videos on digg. Image what it would be like to sit 16 years in prison, and then come out and see mobile phones, computers, the internet, etc. He must've been shocked.
- solidcube, on 11/26/2007, -21/+50United States is a police state. Justice takes a back seat to personal career agendas on the parts of cops, politicians, prosecutors and judges. And we're rapidly losing what few rights we still have.
- phore, on 11/26/2007, -1/+29I left my number and first name since the accident happened right in front of me, i was the car behind the car that got hit. I was by far the best witness to the accident. The CHP ended up taking statements an hour later and I thought by leaving my number with someone I would be helping.
- Mothrog, on 11/26/2007, -0/+27Convincing someone to renew the evidence, waiting for the evidence to be processed, filing for an appeal, having the appeal accepted, arguing the appeal, waiting for a decision... All that takes time, and plenty of it.
- m0tbaillie, on 11/26/2007, -2/+28Shut the ***** up. Thanks.
- phore, on 11/26/2007, -2/+28The DA definitely knew what he was doing from the beginning. He made nearly $20k off of the accident. 8,000 of it came from me.
- adraft, on 11/26/2007, -0/+26While what happened to him is incredibly tragic, it's amazing to hear how educated he sounds and how much he has done despite missing quite a crucial 16 years in the life of any human. To drive for the first time and go to college for the first time at 34 is incredible. Sad that it makes him an outcast though.
- adraft, on 11/26/2007, -0/+25This is a much smaller case and I'm not in trouble with the law or anything, but the other day I was watching a woman backing out of a space and she was quickly headed into a trailer hitch, so I honked when she had inches to spare. She flipped me off and drove away. Bitch.
- Anonymous99, on 11/26/2007, -3/+27How many people will friend him out of pity? How many people will friend him because they genuinely want another friend? I don't want him to have friends giving him the "I feel so sorry for you" look 24/7. I don't see how that's much better.
What the guy needs is a roommate or someone with whom to split the apartment rent. - graduisic, on 11/26/2007, -3/+27Why the hell would a DA be lying like that? That's completely retarded. Hope things work out for you in the end, though.
- john2kx, on 11/26/2007, -1/+24Indeed, there's not much they hate more than admitting their own mistakes.
- superdoofus, on 11/26/2007, -1/+23He was being candid with an interviewer about what he feels and thinks since his release and the mental and societal ramifications of his incarceration. And chances are that his 16 years in the clink made him harder than you will ever be.
Seriously, why do you even bother trolling when you're so bad at it? - iiDLii, on 11/26/2007, -0/+21Care to name names? or at least gives a clue as to where the DA office is - and witness the fury of the righteous ;)
- ertz, on 11/26/2007, -7/+26what about being wrongfully imprisoned for 17 years?
- hogie222, on 11/26/2007, -0/+19He was represented by the Innocence Project, a team of lawyers who volunteer their time to exonerate people in Mr. Deskovic's case. Their book Actual Innocence does a great job describing the issues surrounding these type of cases, especially the use of false evidence (the supposedly failed lie detector test) and the coercion of false confessions, the most damning evidence in the mind of a jury since no one truly believes that they would ever confess to a rape or murder they did not commit. However, as seen in this case, clearly it is possible.
- ctrlv, on 11/26/2007, -2/+20Why are we only now getting to hear his side? It's disgusting how this works- once the news media finds out someone has been wrongfully convicted, they rush after them to hear their tale of sorrow and sadness for their big story. But where were they when he was still serving time behind bars? Nowhere, because hey, if someone's in prison they must be guilty.
- heartsblood, on 11/26/2007, -0/+18This bothers me so much because I was just like him as a kid. The state that threw him in jail should be held accountable for what they did to him. And I don't mean just money. Sure money is nice, it can buy a house, buy a car, pay for school, but money will never give the years that were stolen. I want to see real accountability. I want to see the men who were responsible for his detention to feel what they forced him to go through.
It's deplorable to give credence to my imagination when I consider what he had to endure, but I just can't stop thinking 'what if it was me'? - inactive, on 11/26/2007, -0/+17His website:
http://www.jeffreydeskovicspeaks.org/ - Pinhedd, on 11/26/2007, -1/+18you mean the fury of CAPSLOCK?
- pintomp3, on 11/26/2007, -0/+16and they aren't exactly in a hurry to find people innocent and further expose the flaws in the justice system.
- dangerousLEH, on 11/26/2007, -2/+18West Memphis 3, anyone?
- Beakerz, on 11/26/2007, -3/+19Holy.
*****. - CheezIt9109, on 11/26/2007, -1/+16Why don't you post the DA's information here? There are times when I feel like it might be inappropriate, but if what you say is true, this is as fitting a situation as any.
- Easyoffbam, on 11/26/2007, -1/+16Try spending 16 years of your life in prison for no reason.
- GruntGrunt, on 11/26/2007, -0/+14That mans voice ...
The sorrow, the pure grief in his voice, just heartbreaking ...
I cannot begin to imagine what it is like to have your life taken away from you as a teenager, to get it back as an adult. To lose all that time, that time where you learn to be independent, who you are going to be in life. Must be heartbreaking, if you ever see this which I hope you will, I just want to say, I'm here if you ever need someone really, I'm hoping everyone here at Digg is ... We hear about things like this all the time, just not ever on such a person level. Feel free to email me if you get this, its in my "bio".
-Adam - gandre, on 11/26/2007, -1/+15Nice way of telling a story... where would there be more of these?
- adraft, on 11/26/2007, -1/+15First I want to say ***** you.
Second I want to say this guy spent 16 years in prison. I'm quite sure he's harder than you'll ever be. - FortyCaliber, on 11/26/2007, -3/+17That really has nothing to do with this.
It's unfortunate that this happens, but current police interrogation methods are the reason this happened to him... and current interrogation methods are the reason we get, by-and-far, way more CORRECT convictions then incorrect.
The mistake that he made was not using the system that was provided to him. Whether you are innocent or not, have a lawyer present before any questioning is done. ALWAYS HAVE A LAWYER PRESENT... even if you have to sit and wait for a few days in holding.... HAVE A ***** LAWYER BEFORE ANSWERING QUESTIONS.
He also submitted himself to a polygraph... which is also a BIG NO-NO. Never submit yourself to one of those... EVER. - heartsblood, on 11/26/2007, -1/+15actually you're dead wrong. DNA is very accurate and in his case (rape murder), DNA showed he had nothing to do with it.
As far as your freedom is concerned, that's all that matters. - Porridge1, on 11/26/2007, -0/+14That was quite moving, and very sad.
- TomP, on 11/26/2007, -0/+14This is another reason I just left the scene the other day when i witnessed a woman pull out into the second lane straight into a van, im a young driver and they would some how blame me, can't take that risk
-
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