ANCHOR INTRO:
IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, RACE CAN STILL BE A FACTOR IN COURT. OUR ISHA PATTANAIK SPOKE TO A MAN WHO WAS WRONGLY SENTENCED TO DEATH ROW FOR A BIG CHUNK OF HIS LIFE.
PKG:
A BOLOGNA AND CHEESE SANDWICH.
THAT WAS THE FIRST MEAL ED CHAPMAN HAD WHEN HE WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON FOR BEING MISTAKENLY CONVICTED OF MURDERING 2 WHITE WOMEN. CHAPMAN WAS SENTENCED TO THE DEATH PENALTY AND SPENT 14 YEARS OF HIS LIFE ON DEATH ROW.
0:15-0:28: (ED CHAPMAN/FREE AFTER 14 WRONGFUL YEARS ON DEATH ROW) “When they sentenced me to death, it was like I was having an out of body experience. I was standing on the opposite side of the table looking at myself screaming and asking for help, but there was no help to be found.”
AS A BLACK MAN, ED BELIEVES HIS RACE PLAYED A PART IN HIS WRONGFUL CONVICTION. HE SAID HE FOUND OUT HIS OWN ATTORNEYS USED A RACIAL SLUR AGAINST HIM WHILE THEY WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER.
0:38-1:07 (ED CHAPMAN/FREE AFTER 14 WRONGFUL YEARS ON DEATH ROW) Just to have my attorneys say something like that about me behind my back and having one of the jurors making a racial comment, racism is never going to go away. People have a way of masking it to cover it up, but it can rear its ugly head anytime.”
CASSANDRA STUBBS IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE CAPITOL PUNISHMENT PROJECT. HER WORK FOCUSES ON THE DEATH PENALTY AND SHE SAYS DISCRIMINATION HAS STATISTICALLY SHOWN ITSELF IN THESE CASES.
1:17-1:31: (CASSANDRA STUBBS/DIRECTOR OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT PROJECT) “It’s really the race of the victim and the gender of the victim. Overwhelmingly, the death penalty is sought with white victims. Overwhelmingly, the death penalty is sought for white female victims in particular.”
CHAPMAN SAYS THE WORST PART OF HIS EXPERIENCE WAS BEING AWAY FROM HIS LOVED ONES FOR SO LONG.
1:35-1:50 (ED CHAPMAN/FREE AFTER 14 WRONGFUL YEARS ON DEATH ROW) “And to be taken away from my boys, when they were 4 and 1 years old, and to be separated from the love of my life their mother, it hurts, it still hurts till this day,”
ALTHOUGH HE HAS YET TO BE OFFICIALLY PARDONED 13 YEARS AFTER HIS RELEASE, HE SAYS HE STILL FEELS RELIEF TO BE FREE AFTER PAYING A PRICE HE DIDN’T OWE. I’M ISHA PATTANAIK REPORTING.
ANCHOR TAG:
IF CHAPMAN WERE TO BE OFFICIALLY PARDONED BY THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, IT WOULD MEAN RECEIVING FINANCIAL COMPENSATION AND AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION OF INNOCENCE, THERE’S STILL NO WORD ABOUT WHEN THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
