michael and gordon proposed an unorthodox solution. after freeman s testimony was read into the record they would cross examine the empty witness chair as if freeman was on the stand. we took the evidence of the lies and put them in the form of questions. you told the jury you didn t know that john thompson was going to rob someone. isn t it true, however, that you set out to rob someone? silence hung in the air after each question was posed, giving the jury time to imagine freeman s response. you suggested in your testimony that you stole nothing from mr. liuzza at all, but you admitted you stole all of mr. liuzza s property, didn t you? we asked a series of questions like that, culminating in the final one, which was isn t it true, mr. freeman that you, and you, alone, murdered ray luizza? the jury knew where we were coming from, they were able to see the lies in kevin freeman s
we use so why do we pay touters thave a phone connected. when we re already paying for internet? shouldn t it all just be one thing? that s why xfinity mobile comes with your internet. you can get 5 lines of talk and text included at no extra cost. so all you pay for is data. choose by the gig or unlimited. and now, get a $200 prepaid card when you buy an iphone. it s a new kind of network designed to save you money. call, visit, or go to xfnitymobile.com. this city is le e perfect storm for lots of crime. there s a lot of poverty, there s a lot of corruption. there s a lot of drunk tourists. there was so much crime in the paper and the news on a regular basis, i actually never paid attention to the murder of ray liuzza jr. until the attorneys
in his testimony on behalf of the state. after testifying he saw thompson murder ray liuzza, kevin freeman was given a plea deal and only served ten months in prison. we also received leads about potential witnesses who would be helpful. there was a woman who lived across the street from mr. liuzza, she got a very good look at the perpetrator. ms. kelly and other witnesses who testified they saw a man with a blue steel revolver, 6 feet tall with close cut hair running past them. thompson was tall with a big afro. kevin freeman was 6 0 went by the nickname kojak because of his close-cut hair. once all the evidence was examined it was clear beyond imagination that kevin freeman, acting alone, murdered ray liuzza. michael and gordon now believe they had a strong case for a new trial. we had an evidentiary hearing
their key argument was that the prosecution s star witness, richard perkins, had a hidden motive in the case. mr. perkins had been promised reward money by the prosecutors, and that information never made its way in front of the jury. michael and gordon hired a woman who knew new orleans inside and out as defense investigator on the case. if something smells fishy, there s a reason. humans lie. and they do things for their own advancement and their careers and for some cash. people are very unscrupulous. seeking a reward that today would be worth more than $30,000, richard perkins requested a meeting with the representative of the liuzza family. the conversation was recorded by police. mr. liuzza asked me to meet with you. i don t mind helping them catch them. but i d like him to help me. i know he will appreciate
to take the stand in my own behalf although we wanted to. the jury convicted thompson of killing ray liuzza within two hours. during sentencing, the prosecution was able to use the thompson s carjacking conviction to argue for the death penalty. the state called the carjacking victim in that little catholic school uniform, and she told a chilling story how the person that carjacked them was holding a gun to the brother s head, and she just knew both of them were going to be murdered together and she was never going to see their family, and that s the guy who did it, and there s no question in my mind. and with that, the jury decided that mr. thompson deserved to die. he killed this man and almost killed these three kids, so they decided to sentence me to death for a crime i didn t do. (vo) it would be great if human beings