June 20
TEXAS:
Death penalty defendant complains of Statesman coverage
Got a letter from Milton Dwayne Gobert this week. He's the Travis County
capital murder defendant facing the death penalty whose case will be heard
soon by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Gobert, 35, didn't like the Statesman coverage (read it here) of the
announcement by the state's highest court that it granted discretionary
review in the case.
"When you write about me, write the whole truth and not half truth and
implied guilt toward me," wrote Gobert in opening his 4-page letter.
Gobert has been locked up in the Travis County jail since 2003, when he
was arrested and charged with stabbing his ex-girlfriend's friend,
30-year-old Mel Cotton, in North Austin. Gobert was also accused of
stabbing Cottons then 5-year-old son, who survived.
His case has been held up on appeals centered around whether a confession
prosecutors say he gave to Austin police should be allowed at trial.
State District Judge Bob Perkins, the trial judge, ruled it should not be
allowed because Austin homicide detectives continued to question him after
Gobert invoked his right to an attorney. The 3rd Court of Appeals agreed
with Perkins, and then reversed course and ruled Goberts statement was
lawfully obtained.
Most of Gobert's letter quoted from 3rd Court Justice Jan Pattersons
dissenting opinion in the case.
"Police deceived me of why I was there to be questioned and there (sic)
manner of questioning," Gobert wrote. "Your facts were wrong, and implying
guilt on me through innuendo were (sic) wrong; so if you want to print
something print the truth."
(source: Austin American-Statesman)