‘Sentencing the Wrong Man to Die’

Your article is a heart-rending tale of Brown’s conviction and death sentence based on false testimony elicited by the police detective, William Bebler, and knowingly used by the prosecutor, Robert Bonanno.

It strikes me that if Brown had been executed, Bebler and Bonanno would be subject to conviction for murder, because a death would have occurred as a result of the commission of a felony (conspiracy to commit perjury and false imprisonment, and perhaps obstruction of justice). Furthermore, since Brown was not executed, are Bebler and Bonanno guilty of attempted murder?

I think it was appropriate in the final paragraph when the prosecutor falls back on the Nuremberg defense as he says “I do my job, the defense attorney does his job. That’s what the adversary system is all about.”

ROBERT L. FOX

Los Angeles