From Injustice to Redemption: The Michael Morton Story and the Fight for Prosecutorial Accountability

The Crime That Changed a Life

On August 13, 1986, Michael Morton left for work at a local Safeway store in Texas, unaware that his life was about to be irrevocably altered. Later that day, his wife, Christine Morton, was found brutally murdered in their home. Despite a lack of physical evidence linking him to the crime, Morton was arrested and, in 1987, convicted of her murder, receiving a life sentence. The prosecution's case hinged on circumstantial evidence and the assertion that Morton had killed his wife in a fit of rage after she refused to have sex with him the night before.

Years Behind Bars and the Quest for Justice

Morton steadfastly maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration. Early appeals and requests for DNA testing were denied, leaving him to serve nearly 25 years in prison. It wasn't until 2005 that the Innocence Project, alongside attorney John Raley, took up his case, filing motions for DNA testing on evidence from the crime scene. Their persistence paid off in 2011 when DNA from a bloody bandana found near the Mortons' home was tested and matched to another man, Mark Alan Norwood. ...Read More

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