VICTORY AT LAST FOR KEN MARSH

Man wrongly jailed for 21 years given $757,000. See the earlier post here of Dec. 7th, 2005

Kenneth Marsh, now 50, was convicted of killing a three-year-old boy in 1983, despite his saying that the child had fallen off a sofa and banged his head on a fireplace. Mr Marsh refused to accept a plea deal, protesting his innocence. The boy, Philip Buell, was the son of Brenda Buell Warter, Mr Marsh's girlfriend. The couple married after his release in 2004, which came, lawyers said, only because of more than two decades of campaigning by Ms Buell Warter.

The six-figure award is the largest made by California's Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board. "Nothing can make up for the time I spent in prison unless they gave me 21 years back," Mr Marsh said.

The case against him fell apart when a doctor said that the drug mannitol - used to reduce pressure in the cranium - had been a "substantial factor" in Philip's death.

When Mr Marsh was tried, five doctors, including the medical director of the Children's Hospital in San Diego and a pathologist, said that the boy had been physically abused.

Mr Marsh has filed a $50 million lawsuit against doctors and the coroner's investigator, saying they were involved in covering up malpractice. He said after the board hearing: "My plans are to get the hell out of California. There are too many bad memories here."

Report here



(And don't forget your ration of Wicked Thoughts for today)