Matthew Livers
PBS Show Investigates Nebraska Police's Attempt to Wrongfully Convict Matthew Livers
In 2008, the MacArthur Justice Center and other attorneys filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of Matthew Livers, an innocent man who spent seven months in jail after Nebraska police wrongfully accused him of murdering two relatives, Wayne and Sharmon Stock.
Last month, NET Television, Nebraska's PBS station, aired 'CSI on Trial,' (video) the disturbing story of the police investigation into the murders of the Stocks. MacArthur Justice Center's Locke Bowman, Livers' attorney, is interviewed in the piece.
As the documentary shows, police officers used inappropriate interrogation methods, fabricated evidence and antagonized witnesses to concoct a bogus case against Livers. This compelling documentary uncovers gross misconduct that resulted in locking up innocent people. Livers was eventually released from jail. He currently resides in Texas with his wife. The civil trial will be held in Nebraska some time next year.
Updated - 12/01/2010
Police Fabricated Evidence, Coerced Witnesses to Frame Innocent Man in Murdock Murders, Lawsuit Charges
Attorneys representing Matthew Livers, an innocent man who spent seven months in jail after police wrongfully accused him of murdering Wayne and Sharmon Stock, filed a lawsuit (pdf) yesterday alleging that officers manipulated him into a confession, fabricated and concealed evidence, and coerced witnesses into implicating Livers in the crime.
As a result of the unconstitutional and illegal tactics used in the investigation, Livers, who is mildly retarded, spent months in jail, his reputation was ruined, and many ties with family members were severed. He is seeking monetary compensation for the officers' misconduct.
"Matthew Livers is a victim of police wrongdoing at its most outrageous," said Livers' attorney Locke Bowman, legal director of Northwestern University's Roderick MacArthur Justice Center in Chicago. "This man's life was ruined because unethical police officers were more concerned with finding someone to blame than doing the hard work to find the killers who brutally murdered the Stocks. At every turn of this case, officers disregarded valuable clues and conducted a wholly improper and illegal investigation."
Press release (pdf)
Update - 03/12/2008
