I knew I was right. The law was as clear as it possibly could be on this question. But I also
knew that I was talking to someone who didn’t care what the law said. I knew that what I
was saying wouldn’t persuade Chapman, but I felt the need to say it anyway.
Chapman stood up. I could tell he was annoyed by my lecturing and legal arguments, and I
was pretty sure he thought I was being pushy. “That sounds like an issue you’ll need to raise
on appeal, Mr. Stevenson. You can tell Mr. Houston that the charges against him are being
dropped. I can do that for y’all, but that’s about it.”
His tone was dismissive, and when he turned his back to me I knew he’d ended the meeting
and was now eager to get me out of his office.
I left his office extremely frustrated. Chapman had not been unfriendly or hostile. Yet his
indifference to McMillian’s innocence claim was hard for me to accept. Reading the record
had shown me that there were people who were willing to ignore evidence, logic, and
common sense to convict someone and reassure the community that the crime had been
solved and the murderer punished. But talking face-to-face with someone about the case
made the irrational thinking swirling around Walter’s conviction much, much harder to
accept.
Chapman hadn’t prosecuted the case, and I had hoped that he might not want to defend
something so unreliable, but it was clear that he was locked into this narrative just like
everyone else who had been involved. I’d seen the abuse of power in many cases before, but
there was something especially upsetting about it here, where not only a single defendant was
being victimized but an entire community as well. I filed my stack of motions just to make
sure that if they didn’t dismiss the charges they knew we would fight them. Walking down
the hallway to my car I saw yet another flyer about the next production of To Kill a
Mockingbird, which just added to my outrage.
Darnell had remained home after he posted bond. I stopped by his house to discuss my
meeting with the D.A. He was thrilled to hear that the charges against him would be dropped,
but he was still shaken by the whole experience. I explained that what the State had done to
him was illegal and that we could pursue a civil action against them, but he had no interest in
that. I didn’t actually think a civil suit was a good idea since it would just leave him
vulnerable to more harassment, but I didn’t want him to think I was unwilling to fight on his
behalf.
“Mr. Stevenson, all I wanted to do is tell the truth. I can’t go to jail, and I’ll be honest—
these folks have scared me.”
“I understand,” I said, “but what they did is illegal and I want you to know you have done
nothing wrong. They’re the ones who have acted very, very inappropriately. They’re trying to
intimidate you.”
“Well, it’s working. What I told you is true, and I stand by it. But I can’t have these folks
coming after me.”
“Well, the judge has denied our motion, so you don’t have to testify or come to court at this
point. Let me know if you have any more problems with them or if they come to speak with
you about this. You can tell people that I’m your lawyer and refer them to me, okay?”
“Yes, okay. But does that mean you are my lawyer?”
“Yes, I’ll represent you if anyone creates any issues behind what you’ve disclosed.” He