Two of four officers liable for $7 million in Caravella case, jury decides

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel

The jury in the Anthony Caravella civil lawsuit decided two of the four officers are liable for framing the mentally challenged 15-year-old for the 1983 rape and murder of a Miramar woman, condemning him to maximum security prisons for close to 26 years until DNA set him free in 2009.

Eight jurors unanimously found former Miramar officers George Pierson and William Mantesta liable and awarded Caravella a total of $7 million in damages against them.

Former Miramar officer Bill Guess and retired Broward Sheriff's deputy Tony Fantigrassi were found not liable.

"I have to say I finally believe in the system," said Caravella, now 44. "I was worried. I was afraid they were going to get away with it."


Read more: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-anthony-caravella-jury-finds-two-officer-liable-20130326,0,7821815.story

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Sad story. An innocent man lost 26 years of his life, but at least he's getting some justice in the situation.

[MotherPetrie]

1. Good.

[antiquie]

2. I hope he is able to collect from those non-humans.

Better late than never does not apply when your life has been spent unjustly in prison.

[In_The_Wind]

3. Finally!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

4. Good, but will he ever be able to collect? Remember OJ Simpson who moved to Fla to prevent that?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

5. Homestead prevents seizure of your primary residence, cars and base amount.

Any assets beyond that, however, are fair game.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

6. Yep. Florida is one of the most protective States in the Union.

[SouthernLiberal]

7. And if the actual murderer committed any crimes

These policemen should also be held responsible.

The other side of an innocent man being framed for a crime he did not commit, is that there almost always an actual criminal who got away with it, and is free to commit additional crimes.

I have heard arguments that the falsely convicted must be guilty of something else, so it's okay that they are in prison for something they did not do. That, of course, ignores the fact that the victim of the crime is also denied true justice.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. Unfortunately he died in 2010 before he could face justice. nt

[antiquie]

18. Sounds like a Meese quote.

I have heard arguments that the falsely convicted must be guilty of something else, so it's okay that they are in prison for something they did not do.

Disgusting arguement.

[freshwest]

9. Shown here hugging his lawyer, and more from the Innocence Project website:

26 Years Taken Away, But A Whole Life Ahead

http://floridainnocence.org/content/?p=1868

Go to the link for details of the choices he must make in order to get restitution for being framed and forced to serve for a crime he did not commit. Intellectually challenged people are used to get cases settled, as they are often easily conned. Some have been pressured into signing a confession on the promise they will get to go home or get a meal. The functionally illiterate can be incapable of understanding what they are signing. Possibly this was one of those cases. JMHO.

[freshwest]

10. Going further, I found this picture of him at 15 and details about how they got him to confess:

Last edited Tue Mar 26, 2013, 03:21 PM - Edit history (1)

Lawyer: Detectives should pay $21 million or more for putting wrong man in prison

...Heyer called witnesses who said Caravella confessed because the officers told him he could get a 16-year-old female friend out of trouble if he helped them out. She said they fed him details of the crime before tape-recording four statements he gave over the course of a week. She also said they took him to the crime scene twice and fed him information for hours in meetings that were not taped...

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-03-21/news/fl-closings-anthony-caravella-20130321_1_anthony-caravella-ada-cox-jankowski-prosecutors-and-miramar-police

The detectives refuse to accept their responsibility for the deception used in this case. I've seen people as AC willing to confess to anything who can repeat what they're told to ease emotional stress, hoping to win approval from the police or other authority figures. We're fortunate to still have advocates who keep on these cases for years when everyone else has forgotten these folks.

[Dustlawyer]

12. And lawyers always get the bad name. This type of situation happens in Texas to this day.

How can these cops sleep at night knowing what they did to get the confession!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. That's why I cringe at TV cop shows where detectives lie to a suspect to get a confession.....

....and it's treated as a being *good* thing.

If you have evidence you can truthfully use against a suspect, that's perfectly fine.

But to lie and manipulate a suspect just to get a confession? That's shameful.

The case that really made my blood boil was Kevin Fox, a father who police manipulated into confessing to sexually abusing and killing his own daughter....all the while the true killer was allowed to remain free:

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/July-2006/The-Nightmare/

[sheshe2]

14. I am grateful,

For the diligence of these advocates who seek the truth.

It is a blight on these officers souls, to have lied and coerced a confession, from this poor child.

Thank you, freshwest for the picture of Anthony hugging his lawyer.

[DeSwiss]

11. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? - K&R n/t

[sheshe2]

15. Good!

[frylock]

16. fuck tha police

[tabasco]

17. It's a goddamn shame

that law enforcement attracts this type of scum.

A fact, but a goddamn shame.