Blogs Can Be Effectual? I’m As Surprised As You Are.
By Via Jim Henley via Mona, it seems overwhelmingly likely that the life of Corey Maye has been saved, largely by the efforts of Radley Balko:
Cory Maye will not sleep on death row tonight. Nor, for that matter, any night for the foreseeable future.
At the conclusion of the hearing today, Judge Michael Eubanks ruled on two of the defense team’s battery of arguments. Both rulings from the bench tonight dealt with Rhonda Cooper’s competence. Judge Eubanks found that Ms. Cooper was competent for the trial, but incompetent for the sentencing.
I have my quarrels with that ruling, obviously. But in the short run, it means that Cory will at the very least get a new sentencing trial. And until and if that happens, he will no longer be on death row — and for the moment is no longer condemned to die.
It’s not over, but it’s still a remarkable victory. Kudos to Balko for his indefatigable efforts (Angelica too.) And also for his attempts to bring attention to the issue of the no-knock searches which in this case ruined the life of Maye and destroyed the life of a police officer, although in that case the story has an unhappier ending.