The Truth About John Bradley, Jana Duty, and Michael Morton
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JOHN BRADLEY WILLIAMSON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Pol. Ad. Pd. for by the John brAdley CAmPAign • 1902 Ash street, georgetown, texAs 78626 WWW.DISTRICTATTORNEYJOHNBRADLEY.COM To the Voters of Williamson County: Over 25 years ago, Michael Morton was wrongfully convicted of the murder of his wife Christine. Jana Duty has made the case her only issue in running for the office of District Attorney. But she hasn’t told you the whole truth. I was not the District Attorney, or even a prosecutor, when Michael Morton was tried for murder. I did not participate in the original trial. A few years ago, aſter I became District Attorney, we did receive a request from Morton’s lawyers for DNA testing of a bandana found by a family member over 100 yards away from the crime scene. We informed Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield of serious problems related to the chain of custody and potential contamination of the evidence. Based on those concerns, Judge Stubblefield denied the request. Morton sued the District Attorney and Sheriff over the DNA issue. Jana Duty, as the County Attorney, represented us in that lawsuit. She argued that the Sheriff and District Attorney “take their constitutional duties very seriously and have acted diligently and prudently in the investigation and prosecution of Morton.” e judge dismissed the lawsuit. Later, an appellate court held that DNA testing should take place. We immediately arranged for the testing and, when the results suggested a new suspect, joined in seeking Morton’s release from prison, assisted in seeking compensation for his wrongful conviction and requested a special prosecutor to pursue charges against the new suspect. I regret the delays associated with litigation surrounding the DNA testing. I have offered my apology to Mr. Morton. And I will do everything within my power to make sure this never happens again. But the truth is that we made the best decisions we could with the information that was available to us at the time. Jana Duty, on the other hand, has lied to you. She neglected to tell you she defended our decisions as appropriate. Instead, she now manipulates the facts for her own political gain and to distract the public from her own professional problems. e State Bar of Texas reprimanded Duty for professional misconduct. She then bragged that, if given the chance, she would do it all over again. She also was sanctioned by a judge for hiding critical information in a lawsuit, deliberately destroyed public records and is using a lawsuit against the Attorney General to hide a hateful letter she sent to a local judge. As your District Attorney, I have successfully protected this community for the last ten years. We have one of the lowest crime rates in Texas among counties with a population for 100,000 or more. And, when I make a mistake, I fix the problem and make sure it doesn’t happen again. I have over 20 years of felony prosecution experience and am board certified in criminal and appellate law. I teach and write on criminal law matters and have been recognized by both state and national organizations for my service to the legal community. I regularly communicate with national, state and local media on criminal law issues. In 2009, my peers named me Prosecutor of the Year in Texas. Jana Duty has never prosecuted a single adult felony case. Not one. She has never been board certified in any field of law. She doesn’t teach or write and refuses to communicate with the media during this campaign. She has never satisfactorily explained to voters why she is qualified to prosecute felony cases. Let’s focus on what matters in choosing a district attorney: qualifications and experience. If you agree we need an experienced, proven prosecutor, I would appreciate your vote for District Attorney. John Bradley May 9, 2012
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John Bradley was not the D.A. or even a prosecutor when Morton was tried for murder 25 years ago. A few years ago Morton's attorney asked for DNA testing of a bandana found by a Morton family member 100 yards from the crime scene. When Morton sued, Jana Duty argued against the DNA testing of the bandana.
Transcript of The Truth About John Bradley, Jana Duty, and Michael Morton
John BradleyWilliamson County DistriCt attorney
Pol. Ad. Pd. for by the John brAdley CAmPAign • 1902 Ash street, georgetown, texAs 78626
WWW.DistriCtattorneyjohnbraDley.Com
To the Voters of Williamson County:
Over 25 years ago, Michael Morton was wrongfully convicted of the murder of his wife Christine. Jana Duty has made the case her only issue in running for the office of District Attorney. But she hasn’t told you the whole truth.
I was not the District Attorney, or even a prosecutor, when Michael Morton was tried for murder. I did not participate in the original trial.
A few years ago, after I became District Attorney, we did receive a request from Morton’s lawyers for DNA testing of a bandana found by a family member over 100 yards away from the crime scene. We informed Judge Billy Ray Stubblefield of serious problems related to the chain of custody and potential contamination of the evidence. Based on those concerns, Judge Stubblefield denied the request.
Morton sued the District Attorney and Sheriff over the DNA issue. Jana Duty, as the County Attorney, represented us in that lawsuit. She argued that the Sheriff and District Attorney “take their constitutional duties very seriously and have acted diligently and prudently in the investigation and prosecution of Morton.” The judge dismissed the lawsuit.
Later, an appellate court held that DNA testing should take place. We immediately arranged for the testing and, when the results suggested a new suspect, joined in seeking Morton’s release from prison, assisted in seeking compensation for his wrongful conviction and requested a special prosecutor to pursue charges against the new suspect.
I regret the delays associated with litigation surrounding the DNA testing. I have offered my apology to Mr. Morton. And I will do everything within my power to make sure this never happens again. But the truth is that we made the best decisions we could with the information that was available to us at the time.
Jana Duty, on the other hand, has lied to you. She neglected to tell you she defended our decisions as appropriate. Instead, she now manipulates the facts for her own political gain and to distract the public from her own professional problems.
The State Bar of Texas reprimanded Duty for professional misconduct. She then bragged that, if given the chance, she would do it all over again. She also was sanctioned by a judge for hiding critical information in a lawsuit, deliberately destroyed public records and is using a lawsuit against the Attorney General to hide a hateful letter she sent to a local judge.
As your District Attorney, I have successfully protected this community for the last ten years. We have one of the lowest crime rates in Texas among counties with a population for 100,000 or more. And, when I make a mistake, I fix the problem and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
I have over 20 years of felony prosecution experience and am board certified in criminal and appellate law. I teach and write on criminal law matters and have been recognized by both state and national organizations for my service to the legal community. I regularly communicate with national, state and local media on criminal law issues. In 2009, my peers named me Prosecutor of the Year in Texas.
Jana Duty has never prosecuted a single adult felony case. Not one.
She has never been board certified in any field of law. She doesn’t teach or write and refuses to communicate with the media during this campaign. She has never satisfactorily explained to voters why she is qualified to prosecute felony cases.
Let’s focus on what matters in choosing a district attorney: qualifications and experience. If you agree we need an experienced, proven prosecutor, I would appreciate your vote for District Attorney.
John Bradley
May 9, 2012
