Amicus Brief: Decarius Holliday
State of Louisiana v. Decarious Holliday
Filing Date
October 1, 2019
Charge
Capital Murder
Jurisdiction
Louisiana Supreme Court
Partners
Innocence Network
Summary
CIFS and the Innocence Network filed this brief in the Supreme Court of Louisiana in Dacarius Holliday’s case to argue that faulty forensic evidence and related false testimony--particularly regarding child sexual abuse--has contributed both to wrongful convictions and inappropriately enhanced sentences. False forensic evidence and improper interrogation tactics can lead to false confessions, further contributing to wrongful convictions.
Overview
Based on their experiences exonerating innocent individuals and/or examining the causes of wrongful convictions, amici have becomekeenly aware of the role that unreliable or flawed scientific evidence and improper interrogation tactics have played in producing miscarriages of justices.
Misleading forensic evidence and false confessions are among the leading causes of wrongful convictions, particularly in homicide cases and those involving the alleged sexual abuse o f a child.
Amici have a compelling interest in ensuring that scientific evidence and testimony is accurate and reliable and proper interrogation procedures are employed throughout the criminal justice system.
This interest is implicated in this case by the prosecution's improper reliance on unsupported and unreliable forensic evidence and admittedly unlawful interrogation tactics i n both the guilt and
penalty phases.
The Network and CIFS' brief as amicus curiae will assist this Court in that it highlights the substantial role that faulty forensic evidence, particularly regarding child sexual abuse, and improper interrogation tactics play in producing wrongful convictions and inappropriately enhanced sentences, as illustrated by what happened in this case.
