Judge Issues Arrest Warrant for Former Prosecutor in Michael Morton Case
Judge Louis Sturns of Fort Worth today issued an arrest warrant for former Williamson County Prosecutor Ken Anderson, currently a Texas District judge, for his handling of the case of Michael Morton. According to the Wall Street Journal (here), following a weeklong Court of Inquiry earlier this year, Judge Sturns has ruled that there was sufficient evidence that Anderson “was guilty of all three charges brought against him: criminal contempt of court, tampering with evidence and tampering with government records.”Michael Morton spent nearly 25 years in prison following his conviction for the murder of his wife, Christine. He steadfastly maintained his innocence until his release in October 2011 after DNA testing of a bloody bandana found near the Morton home proved his innocence and led to the conviction last month of Mark Alan Norwood for Christine’s murder.
Anderson was accused of withholding evidence of Morton’s innocence, including statements by the Mortons’ three-year-old son who observed the perpetrator of his mother’s murder and indicated that his father was not home at the time of the crime.
According to ABC’s KVUE (here) “Anderson must pay a $2,500 fine for each charge. Sgt. John Foster with the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office says Anderson is heading to the Williamson County Jail with his lawyers where he plans to post bond.”
Anderson has indicated that he will fight the charges. He also is being sued by the State Bar of Texas for his handling of this case.
