HOUSTON CHRONICLE: The former district attorney who successfully prosecuted Anthony Graves for capital murder, sending Graves to prison for 18 years for a crime he did not commit, has been disbarred, according to state bar officials.
Former Burleson County District Attorney Charles Sebesta Jr. lost his law license after an administrative hearing into Graves’ case…
In a ruling issued Thursday, the disciplinary panel found that Sebesta failed to provide several items of exculpatory evidence to the defense during Graves’ trial, presented false testimony to the jury, made a false statement of material fact to the trial judge and engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation… (more)
EDITOR: Would that this set a precedent for other jurisdictions!
District Attorneys should pursue justice, not convictions. Because of high bail standards, Mandatory Minimums and Sentencing Guidelines, they often exercise more conviction and sentencing power through plea bargaining than the judge and jury.
The system was not meant to be that way. But it is.
It is heartening to see the prosecuting attorney in the Graves case disbarred. It is time that justice was dealt to one who dealt injustice. Yes, the minimum and advisory standards for criminal behavior should be reviewed. It was intended to equalize the punishment for various offenses in order to create more justice, but it has served as a barrier to the true administration of justice and placed exorbitant power in the hands of the prosecuting attorneys who are in control of plea bargaining.
However, there is no good solution to the problem because if we go back to judicial judgment it may work in the case of good, fair and impartial judges who agree with our standards but not with those good, fair and impartial judges who march to other standards and most certainly not work in the case of bad, unfair and discriminatory judges. So what is the answer? I don’t know.