The beat goes on, and on, and on. We frequently read of injustices corrected far too late, almost too late to be meaningful. People lose a quarter of a century of their lives. They re-enter the world outside of the penitentiary only to encounter a nearly alien world, and certainly a different culture than they exited. Technology, and all else, has changed. Even small things are strange and different. Things have moved or moved on. But, its the culture that is no doubt the most impactive change these folks feel. Its not theirs anymore. How in the world will they catch up? How can the receive meaningful recompense? Were going to have to watch and see. As here, they were even betrayed by science. Rob Wells Arson-Murder Rap Tossed, Han Tak Lee Set Free After 24 Years In Prison AP | By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Posted: 08/22/2014 3:08 pm EDT In a Sept. 6, 1989, file photo, Han Tak Lee is lead to the Swiftwater, Pa., State Police barracks for processing with State Police Fire Marshall Thomas Jones, right, and Stroud Township Police Investigator Vernon Bortz. Lee is serving a life sentence for murder and arson for setting a fire in 1989 at a church retreat cabin in Stroudsburg, Pa., in which his daughter died. In June 2014, U.S. District Judge Martin Carlson concluded the science underlying Han Tak Leeís conviction in northeastern Pe | AP Photo, The Pocono Record, David W. Coulter A man freed from prison after his arson-murder conviction was overturned says its difficult to think about the 24 years he lost. Seventy-nine-year-old Han Tak Lee was released on bail Friday from the federal courthouse in Harrisburg while prosecutors decide whether to appeal a ruling that threw out his conviction in his daughters 1989 death. A federal judge this month found the conviction was based on now-discredited arson science. Lee spoke through an interpreter. He thanked supporters and vowed to make the most of his new life. The former New York City clothing store owner plans to live in the Flushing area of Queens. Prosecutors have said they will probably appeal the judges decision, claiming other evidence still points to his guilt. Though hes spent nearly a third of his life behind bars, Lee -- a native of South Korea who became a U.S. citizen about 30 years ago -- has never expressed any bitterness toward his adopted country, his attorney said Thursday. He doesnt hold this against the United States of America, said Peter Goldberger, who has worked on Lees case for about 15 years. Goldberger also said Lee has no plans to return to South Korea. Hes an American, Goldberger said. He said this is his home. Lee is expected to live in an apartment for senior citizens in Queens, New York, where he once lived and owned a clothing store, while prosecutors decide their next move. Lee has long argued that the 1989 fire that killed his mentally ill daughter at a religious retreat in the Pocono Mountains was accidental. In 2012, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted his request for an independent examination of evidence. That review, completed in June by a magistrate judge, concluded that much of what was presented to Lees jury as science is now conceded to be little more than superstition. At the time of his trial, investigators were taught that unusually hot and intense fires indicated the use of an accelerant and that arson could be confirmed by the presence of deep charring or shiny blistering of wood as well as crazed glass, tiny fractures in windows. Research has since debunked these and other notions about arson. Lees case is one of dozens around the country to come under scrutiny because of outdated beliefs about how arson can be detected. Goldberger said Thursday he would oppose any appeal of the judges ruling to throw out the conviction and seek to have it declared frivolous and dismissed. Monroe County District Attorney E. David Christine Jr., who prosecuted Lee in 1990, did not return a phone message seeking comment. If he loses an appeal, Christine could seek to prosecute Lee again, but he has acknowledged it would be very difficult given the passage of time. Lees supporters expect he will live out his remaining years in freedom. huffingtonpost/2014/08/22/arson-murder-han-lee_n_5701042.html
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 00:53:54 +0000
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