Page 6 - Patrick Quinlan News Today

Point the finger at the district attorneys office, we thought the right first step was to go to mr. connick himself. >> connicks reaction initially was that he wanted some time to think about it. we told him he had a matter of two, maybe three hours. we have an execution date in less than two weeks. and we said, if you cant agree even with these facts, well take the next step that we think is appropriate. >> mr. connick realized he had no alternative, the evidence was all too clear. it was physi...

What? they did -- what? how? that fast? >> the jury took only 35 minutes to agree on a verdict. >> the jury files back in, whenever a jury comes back, youre looking at every juror trying to look for some hint. and it seems like an eternity, and the heart meanwhile now is racing faster and faster and breathing is becoming increasingly challenging. >> this was the most agonizing moment either of us have had in our careers. and in our personal lives. and then the judge asked that the verdict be rea...

Trial in his testimony on behalf of the state. >> after testifying he saw thompson murder ray liuzza, kevin freeman was given a plea deal and only served ten months in prison. >> we also received leads about potential witnesses who would be helpful from the police reports. there was a woman who lived across the street from mr. liuzza, she got a very good look at the perpetrator. ms. kelly and other witnesses who testified they saw a man with a blue steel revolver, 60" tall with close cut hair ru...

>> judge quinlan refused to grant a new trial. >> we were devastated. yes, it was wonderful to have john thomson spared from execution, but we were still looking at a man in his 30s to who was going to be facing the rest of his life in jail. >> so youre going to take the death penalty back and give me a life sentence? i was scared to death even more so now. you tell me im never going home again? that didnt give me no relief, none whatsoever. i was doomed. >> michael and gordon appealed the judge...

And small talk that goes on. before we can sit down and order food, the jury reached a decision. boy, i was so scared i said what? they did -- what? how? that fast? >> the jury took only 35 minutes to agree on a verdict. >> the jury files back in, whenever a jury comes back, youre looking at every juror trying to look for some hint. and it seems like an eternity, >> and the heart meanwhile now is racing faster and faster and breathing is becoming increasingly challenging. >> this was the most ag...

In front of judge quinlan. and quinlan vacated the death sentence, but he refused to vacate guilt. >> judge quinlan refused to grant a new trial. we were devastated. yes, it was wonderful to have john thomson spared from execution, but we were still looking at a man in his 30s to be spending the rest of his life in jail. >> so youre going to take the death penalty back and give me a life sentence? i was scared to death even more so now. you tell me im never going home again? that didnt give me n...

Handle this, and rather than hold a big press conference and point the finger at the district attorneys office, we thought the first right step was to go to mr. connick himself. >> connicks reaction initially was that he wanted some time to think about it. we told him he had a matter of two, maybe three hours. we have an execution date in less than two weeks. and we said, if you cant agree even with these facts, well take the next step that we think is appropriate. >> mr. connick realized he had...

Nothing more. we talked about the right way to handle this, and rather than hold a big press conference and point the finger at the district attorneys office, we thought the first right step was to go to mr. connick himself. >> connicks reaction initially was that he wanted some time to think about it. we told him he had a matter of two, maybe three hours. we have an execution date in less than two weeks. and we said, if you cant agree even with these facts, well take the next step that we think...

He wanted all the citizens of new orleans to see. >> at the hearing, attorneys questioned the key prosecutors involved with thompsons case, including jim williams, the man with the little electric chair on his desk. a colleague testified that williams was given the blood results, but williams denied it. >> williams story is that he never received it, he never saw it, and so at the end of the day, the choices between dishonesty and incompetence. they can either be the prosecutors who knew that ev...

Vacate guilt. >> judge quinlan refused to grant a new trial. >> we were devastated. yes, it was wonderful to have john thomson spared from execution, but we were still looking at a man in his 30s to be spending the rest of his life in jail. >> so youre going to take the death penalty back and give me a life sentence? i was scared to death even more so now. you tell me im never going home again? that didnt give me no relief, none whatsoever. i was doomed. >> michael and gordon appealed the judges...