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QUESTION THE STATE'S CASE: What evidence is there that Mr. King murdered Natalie Brady in the early hours of March 18,1977? According to the State, Mr. King, an inmate at Tarpon Springs Community Correctional Center (a minimum-security work release facility), allegedly escaped in the middle of the night, ran to Brady's house, and robbed, raped, and stabbed her before setting the house on fire. Mr. King does not deny that he fought with the guard, nor that there were circumstances that led to his being a suspect. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the states case is circumstantial at best. They cannot prove he committed the murder, or that he was ever at the murder scene. Without absolute proof, we should not be able to kill.... Amos King Amos King's Story In His Own Words MAJOR ISSUES THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY OF THE GUILT OF AMOS KING: The time the State suggests for the crime is not verifiable There is a substantial lack of evidence to conclusively point to the guilt of Amos King FURTHER QUESTIONS ARE RAISED BY: State's history of secretive behavior Appearance of racial bias from the moment of arrest Lack of adequately attentive counsel   PHYSICAL EVIDENCE There is not one shred of physical evidence to prove that Mr. King was ever in the home of Natalie Brady. The autopsy report filed by Dr. Joan Woods of the victim was incomplete and therefore raises more questions than it answers. The state was unable to conclusively link any knife to Mr. King. The four knitting needles were denied by Dr. Woods at the trial. These knitting needles were not linked to Mr. King in any way. Forensic evidence recovered from the crime scene matches not only Mr. King, but according to the prosecution in this case, 22% of the population could have been the donor of that material. The genetic material found in the vaginal washings was tested and found to be type "A Positive". Mr. King is also type "A Positive," along with nearly one in four people. This FBI report in this case indicates the presence of type "B" blood stains which cannot possibly be those of Mr. King, who is type "A Positive," or Ms. Brady, who is type "O." The FBI also reported the presence of Caucasian hairs, but no African-American hairs. DNA ISSUES As of February 21, 2003, NO DNA evidence implicates Mr. King. Why has the State refused to publish the DNA scientific report? WHAT ABOUT NON-PHYSICAL "EVIDENCE" PUT FORTH BY THE STATE? The one witness (James D. McDonough) whom the Court continues to use to implicate Amos has compiled a record of malfeasance which would be easily used to discredit him if he were called to testify in front of a jury today. All evidence available today is completely circumstantial. OTHER THAN RACIAL BIAS, WHAT ELSE COULD EXPLAN THE STATE'S TREATMENT OF MR. KING? As we have seen time and again in Florida, the desire to close a case often supercedes the desire to convict the truly guilty party. Could it be that Mr. King was a convenient patsy in this case? Could it be that someone else was actually the killer? CONCLUSION SHOULD IT NECESSARY TO ATTAIN "MORAL CERTAINTY" BEFORE WE EXECUTE MR. KING? There is not a stitch of evidence to place Mr. King at the scene of the burglary, rape, murder or arson; The trial relied on an all-white jury (two men, ten women) and a questionable witness (white) that the court has given undue credibility; Mr. King has had inadequate, if not damaging counsel throughout this entire ordeal, now more than 25 years-- Where does Governor Bush obtain the "moral certainty" with which to move forward with the execution of Mr. King? The judicial system has reviewed Mr. King's conviction and determined that Mr. King legally may be executed by the people of the State of Florida. Nevertheless, as our nation's 123 post conviction DNA exonerations demonstrate and as Florida's 25 death row exonerations demonstrate, the legal system is as fallible as the human beings who administer it. While the DNA testing could not conclusively show that he is innocent, the only difference between the 123 post conviction DNA exonerations and Mr. King's case may be that, in Mr. King's case, DNA testing of the available evidence was unable to yield conclusive results. Quite simply, the limited nature of the state's initial case against Mr. King, the flaws in Mr. King's trial, and the new evidence that has emerged since his trial provide ample reason to doubt his guilt. The state would be reckless to execute Mr. King in the face of such substantial doubt when life imprisonment without parole remains an available alternative. Governor Bush, there is doubt. STOP THIS EXECUTION NOW!   CONTACTS Abe Bonowitz 800 973-6548 Email: abe@fadp.org David Menschel The Innocence Project  212-790-0479  Email: dmenschel@innocenceproject.org Dr. Glenn Larkin, MD Independent Forensic Expert  Email only: nc15960@pol.net Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty 800-973-6548 http://www.fadp.org PMB 335 2603 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hwy Gainesville, FL 32609 (800) 973-6548 fadp@fadp.org [To Top]