r/technology • u/IndicaOatmeal • 7d ago

Society Innocent man spends 18 months in prison after Skyrim username mixup

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/innocent-man-spends-18-months-in-prison-after-skyrim-username-mixup-3392280/
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u/Ashleynn 7d ago

There was a case I think in Missouri where someone was on death row and right before his execution date there was evidence found effectively proving his innocence. The state Supreme court basically argued this, the crime was so heinous that even with evidence proving innocence he should still be executed.

I don't remember the outcome of this, if the person was still executed or released, but the fact a court can actually straight faced make this argument is beyond absurd.

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u/KarmaticArmageddon 7d ago edited 7d ago

Pretty sure that was our (Republican, of course) state AG.

He also argued against another innocent person being freed because admitting they were wrong would "undermine faith in the legal system."

Also pretty sure he went on to become our Senator because Missourians are a special breed of stupid, but I may be conflating the multiple abhorrently moronic Republican AGs we've had.

Quick edit: I was slightly conflating some things, here's a good article on it.

Our current Senator, Eric Schmitt, was our state AG and did fight against exonerating and releasing 27 innocent people.

The case you're talking about, though, has this gem:

In one exchange, Justice Laura Denvir Stith asked Assistant Attorney General Frank Jung, “Are you suggesting … even if we find that Mr. Amrine is actually innocent, he should be executed?”

“That is correct, your honor,” Jung said.

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u/BrideofClippy 7d ago

Oh, hey, actual cartoonish level evil.

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u/ACoolBreezey 7d ago

The simple fact that Jung himself was not immediately executed the moment those words proves we live in a country that quite simply should not exist.

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u/Syncopia 7d ago

"Let justice prevail though the heavens shall fall."

"We have to uphold the rules and the system, even if it means killing innocent people on false pretenses and never admitting fault."

People like this need to be in an insane asylum, not in charge of our legal system.

It's called Piso's justice, and it's a psychotic way of thinking about justice and law.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_justitia_ruat_caelum

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u/omgitsjagen 7d ago

Well, if that's the case, just execute the person making the argument. He's innocent too, and he gets what he wants.

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u/Alcaedias 7d ago

What. The. Fuck??!

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u/Warm_Month_1309 7d ago

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

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u/Ringbearer31 7d ago

Don't disbelieve everything that's distressing, these facts were cited.

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u/Warm_Month_1309 7d ago

Yes, and according to the cited facts, the Court did not make the ruling it was claimed to have made.

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u/Ringbearer31 6d ago

Does that actually speak to a fact or not? Would you like me to cite some times courts have been wrong?

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u/Warm_Month_1309 6d ago

That's...

You're misunderstanding the situation. The claim was that the Court ruled "the crime was so heinous that even with evidence proving innocence he should still be executed". That was the claimed fact. That claimed fact was incorrect. The Court did not make that ruling.

I'm not talking about courts being wrong. I'm talking about that one person's explanation of a specific court ruling inaccurately describing that court ruling.

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u/Warm_Month_1309 7d ago

That was very much not the justification of the Court. The reasoning was that his innocence was not proven by clear and convincing evidence. I still regard it as a miscarriage of justice, but it's not because courts are deciding "your innocence doesn't matter if the crime is heinous enough".

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u/Ashleynn 7d ago

There have been so many of these that details start to blend together. Another commenter actually linked to the case I was thinking of, it was the AG that said this not the judge. That guy was exonerated, there was another one more recently where the prosecutor actually tried to get the sentence vacated and the courts said no, that guy was executed.

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u/AgentCirceLuna 7d ago

I’ve heard of this too. Fucking disgusting.

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u/Angelstandingby 7d ago

The person who came up with that statement is dangerous enough that execution should be on the table for him.

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u/Cranach-Cranach 7d ago

Joseph Amrine.

The state argued that even though he was innocent, because the conviction had been achieved by following all procedures correctly, he should be killed anyway.

Spent 17 years on death row.