St. Petersburg Times: The Innocence Defence

[Times photo: John Pendygraft]

Jan. 24, 2003 Coming out. With attorney Linda McDermott, Holton leaves prison. “I just want to take one day at a time. I forgive everybody.”

In January 2003, Rudolph Holton walked away from death row. This is why he spent 16 years there: Tampa police never pursued a suspect accused of raping the murder victim. A jailhouse snitch said Holton confessed, though later he said he made it up to get a break in his own case. The prosecutor told the jury a hair found on the victim was Holton's, but he couldn't prove it. The judge refused to wait for a key defense witness. To set Holton free, it would take a lawyer who was too young and too reckless to know what she was up against.

The Innocence Defense, part I
[Feb. 9, 2003]
The Innocence Defense, part II
[Feb. 10, 2003]
Delays in death row case irk governor
[Jan. 28, 2003]
Freed after years on death row
[Jan. 25, 2003]
Bribe claim cannot be proven,
FDLE says
[May 1, 2003]
Two who lied face charges of perjury
[June 6, 2003]
Pair admit lying in 1986 murder case
[Nov. 6, 2003]
'I just got off death row'
[Nov. 16, 2003]