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Murder conviction of Chicago man who spent 12 years behind bars overturned because key eyewitness was legally blind (www.nbcnews.com)

submitted 11 months ago by roastedDeflator@kbin.social to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world

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[-] tygerprints@kbin.social 40 points 11 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

[removed by mod]

[-] Kid_Thunder@kbin.social 28 points 11 months ago

The article says that the witness said that he was much closer than the cameras on site showed he actually was.

Also in the article, there's the issue that CPD told others to identify Harris or else. One of them already recanted their statements.

[-] Mannivu@feddit.it 13 points 11 months ago

So what does it means "Legally blind" if he can drive and read? What's the threshold to be considered legally blind?

[-] chaogomu@kbin.social 15 points 11 months ago

Found this definition;

In the United States, legal blindness means your central visual acuity—the part of your vision that allows you to see straight ahead—is 20/200 or less in your better eye when wearing corrective lenses. With 20/200 vision, you can see at 20 feet what a person with 20/20 vision sees at 200 feet. Or, your 20-degree field allows for seeing only right in front of you.

You can be legally blind with tunnel vision, i.e. you can see directly ahead, but nothing out of the corner of your eye.

[-] Mannivu@feddit.it 18 points 11 months ago

That sound dangerous when doing something other than reading. Even walking could be a problem without having peripheral view.

[-] Enk1@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Majority of eyewitness testimony is inaccurate. That alone should never have been enough to convict, much less from someone with legitimately terrible eyesight.

[-] dandroid@dandroid.app 3 points 11 months ago

I haven't fact checked this, but I have a friend who claims he is legally blind without his glasses, but can see fine with his glasses.

[-] SonicBlue03@sh.itjust.works 37 points 11 months ago

Blind eyewitness? I see.

[-] threelonmusketeers@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

You might, but they don't. I think that was the problem.

[-] spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

That’s an extremely shortsighted view.

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 14 points 11 months ago

team had urged Cook County State’s Attorney

Is it just me, or is Cook County hitting the news a lot?

[-] CluckN@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Maybe a case of, “if they messed this up let’s take a look to see what else they missed”.

[-] late_night@sopuli.xyz 8 points 11 months ago

Very insightful was the moment the lawyer walked to the back of the room and asked the witness how many fingers he was holding up.

[-] akincisor@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 months ago

https://y.yarn.co/341e1c48-91f2-4679-9840-a3c26865ba28_screenshot.jpg

Genius!

this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2023

271 points (99.6% liked)

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