Mark Norwood arrested in 1986 Murder of Christine Morton(Murder Conviction)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/trial-date-set-in-1986-murder-case
Morton murder suspect appears in court
Lawyer says trial is likely months away
February 22, 2012

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - Mark Norwood’s attorney said it is likely that the murder trial will take place for several months because he believes it will take some time to go through the discovery provided to him by the prosecution.

Norwood, who is charged with capital murder in the 1986 death of Christine Morton, was ordered to make an appearance in a Williamson County courtroom Wednesday because the prosecution presented discovery to his attorney. That means they gave him all of the evidence they have against Norwood, things like interviews with witnesses and crime scene photographs.

Norwood was indicted on the capital murder charge on Feb 1. Her husband, Michael Morton, was exonerated by DNA evidence after spending 25 years in jail on a wrongful conviction.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link

[Sister]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/trial-date-set-in-1986-murder-case
Morton murder suspect appears in court
Lawyer says trial is likely months away
February 22, 2012

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - Mark Norwood’s attorney said it is likely that the murder trial will take place for several months because he believes it will take some time to go through the discovery provided to him by the prosecution.

Norwood, who is charged with capital murder in the 1986 death of Christine Morton, was ordered to make an appearance in a Williamson County courtroom Wednesday because the prosecution presented discovery to his attorney. That means they gave him all of the evidence they have against Norwood, things like interviews with witnesses and crime scene photographs.

Norwood was indicted on the capital murder charge on Feb 1. Her husband, Michael Morton, was exonerated by DNA evidence after spending 25 years in jail on a wrongful conviction.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link  

color me confused, why is the heading Atwood when the man charged is Norwood?

   When I set up the subject line, I put "Atwood" in instead of Norwood.  It's not you that's confused, Sister.    Thank you for letting me know so I can fix it.  On my way now to correct the subject lines. (penance for error)

[Sister]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/trial-date-set-in-1986-murder-case
Morton murder suspect appears in court
Lawyer says trial is likely months away
February 22, 2012

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - Mark Norwood’s attorney said it is likely that the murder trial will take place for several months because he believes it will take some time to go through the discovery provided to him by the prosecution.

Norwood, who is charged with capital murder in the 1986 death of Christine Morton, was ordered to make an appearance in a Williamson County courtroom Wednesday because the prosecution presented discovery to his attorney. That means they gave him all of the evidence they have against Norwood, things like interviews with witnesses and crime scene photographs.

Norwood was indicted on the capital murder charge on Feb 1. Her husband, Michael Morton, was exonerated by DNA evidence after spending 25 years in jail on a wrongful conviction.
 ::snipping2::
Video at Link  

color me confused, why is the heading Atwood when the man charged is Norwood?

   When I set up the subject line, I put "Atwood" in instead of Norwood.  It's not you that's confused, Sister.    Thank you for letting me know so I can fix it.  On my way now to correct the subject lines. (penance for error)

You're too funny . . . penance indeed!
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kutnews.org/post/state-seeks-gag-order-1986-murder-case
State Seeks Gag Order in 1986 Murder Case
By Brandi Grissom, Texas Tribune
February 22, 2012

GEORGETOWN — Attorneys for the Texas attorney general's office today asked Williamson County state district Judge Burt Carnes to issue a gag order in the case of Mark Alan Norwood, the 57-year-old Bastrop resident who is facing trial in the 1986 murder of Christine Morton.

"There exists an ongoing serious and imminent threat to the integrity of the administration of justice in these causes as a result of such extrajudicial statements," Assistant Attorney General Lisa Tanner wrote in the motion seeking to silence parties in the case.

Judge Barnes said he would take the motion under advisement.
 ::snipping2::
Russell Hunt Jr., Norwood's attorney, did not object to the state's motion, calling it "not a terribly bad idea."

"We ought to not be trying this case in the press," Hunt said outside the courtroom. "We need to sort of lower the temperature in the matter."

In addition to the gag order, the state filed a mound of evidence that will remain sealed from the public, including crime scene photos, police reports and other documents from the state's investigation of Christine Morton's murder and Norwood's alleged crimes.
 ::snipping2::
The Travis County district attorney's office has also said that it is discussing whether to investigate the 1985 murder of Natalie Antonetti in Austin in connection with Norwood. Like the other two women, Antonetti was a mother in her 30s who was murdered by an intruder who beat her in the head with a large, blunt, wooden object. Antonetti's former boyfriend, Dennis Davis, was convicted and sentenced to 36 years for her murder last year, but he is appealing the conviction.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/exonerated-williamson-county-man-to-appear-on-60-2259474.html
Exonerated Williamson County man to appear on "60 Minutes"
By Chuck Lindell
March 24, 2012

Michael Morton, freed last year after serving almost 25 years in prison for a Williamson County murder he did not commit, will appear tonight on "60 Minutes" and join a panel discussion on prosecutorial misconduct Thursday in Austin.

Aside from several brief statements to the press, particularly after he was granted his freedom in October, Morton has maintained a low profile while rebuilding his life after moving to Kilgore.

But with his case entering a new phase — a court-led investigation of Ken Anderson, the former Williamson County district attorney who prosecuted him in 1987 — Morton is ready to face the media spotlight, with "60 Minutes" landing his first interview.

Speaking to CBS correspondent Lara Logan, Morton called for greater punishment for prosecutors who are found to have withheld evidence that is favorable to a defendant.

"Revenge, I know, doesn't work. But accountability works," Morton said, according to a partial transcript provided by "60 Minutes."

Morton has accused Anderson, now a district judge in Georgetown, of failing to provide defense lawyers with evidence indicating that another man might have killed Morton's wife, Christine — including information that his 3-year-old son witnessed the murder and said his dad was not home at the time.
 ::snipping2::
On Thursday, Morton will participate in a two-hour discussion on efforts to increase punishments for prosecutors who withhold evidence. The discussion is sponsored by the Innocence Project, which represented Morton in his exoneration fight along with Houston lawyer John Raley and other groups.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Norwood-hearing-reset-for-May-144383935.html
Norwood hearing reset for May
March 27, 2012

AUSTIN -- The man indicted in the homicide of Christine Morton appeared in court Tuesday morning. His hearing has been reset for May.

A Williamson County jury indicted Mark Norwood last month for Morton's killing in 1986. Police arrested him late last year based on new DNA testing.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/norwood-trial-may-be-moved-out-of-area
Norwood trial may be moved out of area
Hearing reset for June 25
May 15, 2012

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - A man accused of a murder that happened in the 1980s may have his trial moved out of Williamson County.

Mark Norwood appeared in court Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing.

Attorneys for both sides talked to the judge about the possibility of moving the case to another venue because of publicity surrounding Norwood's case.

Norwood's image is currently appearing in political ads for the race for Williamson County District Attorney where he's labeled as a serial killer even though he has not been convicted.

Norwood's hearing was reset to June 25.

The case of concern is the 1986 murder of Christine Morton, whose husband, Michael Morton, spent nearly 25 years in prison wrongly convicted of her murder. Evidence recently examined showed DNA belonging to Norwood in blood found on a bandanna near the murder scene.
More...
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/morton-case-heats-up-wilco-da-race
Morton case heats up Wilco DA race
County Attorney Duty aims to unseat Bradley
May 14, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Incumbent John Bradley is working to defend himself against a campaign largely focused on the Michael Morton case. His opponent, Williamson County Attorney Jana Duty , has put the issue front and center in the last few weeks before the Texas primary.

Morton was wrongfully convicted of his wife's 1986 murder and recently set free after nearly 25 years thanks to DNA testing. Bradley did not try that case, but he fought the testing for six years.

“Mr. Bradley fought tooth and nail against testing some very critical evidence in that case and actually had to be court-ordered to test that evidence that ended up exonerating Mr. Morton,” Duty said in her most recent campaign ad. “By withholding evidence, refusing to do DNA testing, a serial killer was allowed to walk the streets for 25 years.”
More...
Video at Link


Morton's wife Christine was beaten to death in their family's home in Williamson County. Then-Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson is now being investigated for withholding evidence in the trial that would have set Morton free.

[Sister]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/norwood-trial-may-be-moved-out-of-area
Norwood trial may be moved out of area
Hearing reset for June 25
May 15, 2012

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - A man accused of a murder that happened in the 1980s may have his trial moved out of Williamson County.

Mark Norwood appeared in court Tuesday morning for a pretrial hearing.

Attorneys for both sides talked to the judge about the possibility of moving the case to another venue because of publicity surrounding Norwood's case.

Norwood's image is currently appearing in political ads for the race for Williamson County District Attorney where he's labeled as a serial killer even though he has not been convicted.

Norwood's hearing was reset to June 25.

The case of concern is the 1986 murder of Christine Morton, whose husband, Michael Morton, spent nearly 25 years in prison wrongly convicted of her murder. Evidence recently examined showed DNA belonging to Norwood in blood found on a bandanna near the murder scene.
More...
Video at Link

Thank you for this up-date Muffy.  Justice is slow coming.

[MuffyBee]

YW Sister.  I agree, justice is slow coming.

[MuffyBee]

Not only was an innocent man imprisoned for nearly 25 years, it also let a murderer out among the population.   


http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/texas-da-linked-to-wrongful-conviction-out-of-2387845.html
Texas DA linked to wrongful conviction out of job
June 2, 2012

GEORGETOWN, Texas — As Michael Morton became a household name across Central Texas, his story became harder for John Bradley to shake. The district attorney in Williamson County, Bradley spent years arguing against DNA testing of a bloody bandana that could have cleared Morton of his wife's murder. The bandana was eventually tested, and Morton walked out of prison after nearly 25 years.
 ::snipping2::
Morton spent 24 years in prison for the killing of his wife, Christine, who was beaten to death in the couple's bed on Aug. 13, 1986. Bradley, who did not return messages seeking comment, was not in the district attorney's office when Morton was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Morton and his attorneys now accuse the trial prosecutor, Williamson County District Attorney Ken Anderson, of not turning over all the evidence in the case. Among that evidence were statements from Morton's then 3-year-old son, Eric, who told his grandmother that he saw someone else commit the murder, and a neighbor who saw a man park a green van near the Morton home and walk into a wooded area behind it.

Anderson was appointed a district judge in 2002. He now faces a proceeding known as a "court of inquiry" to investigate whether he acted properly in the case.

Bradley, meanwhile, was district attorney when Morton's legal team first filed for DNA testing of the bandana in 2005. Bradley opposed the request. In court filings, he called the bandana "irrelevant" and questioned if it had been contaminated.

After a prolonged court battle, the bandana was tested last year. It revealed traces of Christine Morton's blood and that of another man, not her husband. Morton was released. The man matched to the bandana, Mark Alan Norwood, was arrested for the slaying one month later.
 ::snipping2::
(2 page article)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/williamson/judge-grants-change-of-venue-for-man-charged-2404110.html
Judge grants change of venue for man charged in Christine Morton's death
June 25, 2012

GEORGETOWN — The man accused of killing Christine Morton in 1986 a crime for which her husband, Michael Morton, was wrongly imprisoned for 25 years will not be tried in Williamson County, a judge ruled Monday morning.

District Judge Burt Carnes granted Mark Alan Norwood, 57, a change of venue after hearing that prosecutors also supported the move. The hearing lasted just a few minutes, and Norwood — with a long, gray beard and long hair pulled into a ponytail — stood silent through his brief appearance in the courtroom.

"I think the judge made the right decision," Russell Hunt Jr., Norwood's attorney, said after the hearing.

Attorneys from both sides discussed a possible venue with Carnes in his chambers after the hearing. Carnes said he will make calls to potential counties before a venue is selected. The next hearing in the case is set for Aug. 8 at 9 a.m.

The trial will move "wherever we can get a fair jury trial," Hunt said.

Hunt said the trial needed to be moved because of the case's connection with Michael Morton, who has made state and national headlines since his release from prison in October.
 ::snipping2::
Hunt has said he questions how the bandanna was preserved as forensic evidence in the crime. Hunt also has questioned the evidence in another case that Norwood has been linked to — the beating death of Debra Masters Baker in her North Austin home in 1988.

Norwood has not been charged in Baker's death, but police have said that pubic hair from Norwood was found at the crime scene.

Norwood has said that he's not guilty in the deaths of Morton or Baker, Hunt told the Statesman in January.
 ::snipping2::

[Sister]

As long as they don't move the trial to Florida (no offense to our Florida monkeys), justice may prevail!
 ::justice2NJ::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/williamson/norwood-trial-moved-to-san-angelo
Norwood trial moved to San Angelo
Trial to be held in January
July 12, 2012

Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Judge-changes-Norwood-murder-trial-location-160243085.html
Judge changes Norwood murder trial location to West Texas
July 12, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The trial will now be held in Tom Green County, where San Angelo is. Norwood's attorney asked for the change due to pre-trial publicity.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/williamson/entries/2012/08/08/prosecutor_in_norwood_case_wan.html
Prosecutor in Norwood case wants judge to hear deposition of witness before trial
August 8, 2012

A prosecutor from the Texas Attorney General’s office, apparently worried about the health of a witness in the capital murder case against Mark Norwood, has asked for a Williamson County judge to hear the witness’s deposition before the case goes to trial in Tom Green County in January.

The witness, Louis Homer Wann, “is an essential witness for the State and I anticipate that the State would be unable to carry its burden of proof without the testimony of Mr. Wann,” according to a court document filed by Assistant Attorney General Lisa Tanner.

Williamson County District Judge Burt Carnes granted Tanner’s request at a pre-trial hearing today.

Wann, 67, lives in Nashville, Tenn., and has “various health issues that cause me to believe that it is necessary to preserve his testimony,” Tanner said in the document.

“Because of the ”gag order’ in this case, I am not comfortable setting forth in this affidavit what I anticipate Mr. Wann will testify to,” the court document said. Carnes has issued a gag order in the case forbidding attorneys to talk to anyone outside of courtroom proceedings about the case.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/michael-morton-marks-1-year-out-oct-4
Michael Morton marks 1 year out Oct. 4
Prosecutorial accountability his focus
September 11, 2012

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It's been almost one year since Michael Morton, the man wrongfully imprisoned for 25 years for the murder of his wife, Christine, was released from prison. DNA testing proved that he was not the man responsible for her death.

Since that time, Morton has appeared on numerous news programs, talking about his experience with a focus on enhancing prosecutorial accountability in Texas.
 ::snipping2::

[flutter1]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin/michael-morton-marks-1-year-out-oct-4
Michael Morton marks 1 year out Oct. 4
Prosecutorial accountability his focus
September 11, 2012

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It's been almost one year since Michael Morton, the man wrongfully imprisoned for 25 years for the murder of his wife, Christine, was released from prison. DNA testing proved that he was not the man responsible for her death.

Since that time, Morton has appeared on numerous news programs, talking about his experience with a focus on enhancing prosecutorial accountability in Texas.
 ::snipping2::

Norwood, should know, if anyone does about prosecutorial misconduct.  The Innocence Project has found Texas to be fertile ground, especially in Dallas where thirteen cases have been overturned.  In most, if not all those cases, DNA evidence proved that witness testimony was unreliable. 

I hope this case is finally resolved and the right person is finally convicted in this crime.   

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/one-year-since-morton-walked-free
One year since Morton walked free
Will visit with Capitol staff to share experience
October 3, 2012

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Michael Morton, the Williamson County man wrongfully imprisoned for a quarter-century in his wife's death, will mark the anniversary of his exoneration by pushing for more accountability for Texas prosecutors.

Morton, set free one year ago Thursday after DNA evidence linked someone else to the scene of his wife's death in 1986, will talk about his ideas for prosecutorial accountability during a luncheon appearance in the cafeteria of the Texas Capitol.
 ::snipping2::
During his appearance at the Capitol, Morton will chronicle the legal battles he endured trying to get key evidence released and tested that would ultimately prove his innocence. He concludes by calling for “minor tweaks” to state law to prevent this from happening to others, like it happened to him.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/williamson/no-death-penalty-in-morton-murder-case
No death penalty in Morton murder case
Family doesn't want Norwood to face execution
October 17, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The Austin American-Statesman reports a special prosecutor on Wednesday filed a motion waiving the death penalty. The motion says Michael Morton and other surviving relatives say they don't wish to seek execution for Norwood.

Norwood's trial is scheduled for Jan. 7 in San Angelo. The case has drawn national attention.