0812994523.pdf

looked a little relieved but was still pretty rattled when I left.
I got in my car with the sinking realization that if everyone who tried to help us on this
case was going to be threatened, it would be very difficult to prove Walter’s innocence. If his
case wasn’t overturned on direct appeal, we’d have a chance to file a postconviction petition
later, and we would need new evidence, new witnesses, and new facts to prove Walter’s
innocence. Based on the experience with Darnell, this would be extremely challenging. I
decided not to worry about it now and turned my attention to the appeal. With the
reconsideration denied, the appeal brief was due in twenty-eight days. I wasn’t even sure how
much time had elapsed since the judge’s ruling, as I had never received the order.
I left for home frustrated and worried. On my drives between Monroeville and
Montgomery, I had gotten used to looking at the rural farmland, the cotton fields, and the
hilly countryside; I would think about what life here must have been like decades ago. This
time I didn’t have to imagine it. Darnell’s despair, his sadness in recognizing that they could
do whatever they wanted to him with impunity, was utterly disheartening. From what I could
see, there simply was no commitment to the rule of law, no accountability, and little shame.
Arresting someone for coming forward with credible evidence that challenged the reliability
of a capital murder conviction? The more I thought about it, the more disoriented and
provoked I became. It was also sobering. If they arrested people who said things that were
inconvenient, how would they react if I challenged them even harder?
As I left town, I watched the sun set and darkness descend across the county landscape as it
had for centuries. People would be heading home now, some to very comfortable houses
where they could relax easily, secure and proud of their community. Others, people like
Darnell and Walter’s family, would be returning to less comfortable homes. They would not
rest as easily, nor would there be much thought of community pride. For them the darkness
brought a familiar unease, an uncertainty weighted with a wary, lingering fear as old as the
settlement of the county itself; discomfort too longstanding and constant to merit discussion
but too burdensome to ever forget. I drove away as quickly as I could.