Floodwaters damage criminal cases
The week's news at a glance.
New Orleans
More than a year after Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of defendants in New Orleans are being set free because of ruined or lost evidence or missing witnesses, The New York Times reported this week. Prosecutors say that as many as 500 defendants have been let off because floodwaters damaged evidence—rusting out guns, for example—while an additional 1,500 cases have been put on hold because defendants who fled the city after the storm haven’t returned. In a typical case, drug and weapons charges against Edward Augustine, 18, were dismissed when prosecutors simply couldn’t find Augustine’s gun or the drugs police say he was carrying. “For every case I’ve walked into lately, there’s been evidence missing,” said Rick Tessier, a defense lawyer.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 14, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - a second debate, Europe on the menu, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 cleverly clashing cartoons about the presidential debate
Cartoons Artists take on a deepfake debate, winners and losers, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Pélicot case: a horror exposed
Talking Point This case is unusually horrifying, but the misogyny that enabled is chillingly common
By The Week UK Published