Court hears appeal in 'West Memphis Three' case
Court Alerts
A lawyer for one of the three men convicted of killing three 8-year-old Cub Scouts in West Memphis told the Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday that new scientific evidence in the case merits reopening his client's case.
Damien Echols has maintained his innocence since his arrest in the 1993 killings. Attorney Dennis Riordan told the court that DNA testing conducted after Echols' conviction did not place Echols at the scene and that other scientific evaluation of evidence contradicts statements made by one of the three men during a confession.
Riordan asked the court to send the case back to circuit court for an evidentiary hearing so that the trial judge can sort out the new evidence.
If the hearing is conducted, Riordan said the judge would have to take the next step and order a new trial.
"It is in the interest of the state and Mr. Echols that we get to that point as soon as possible," Riordan said.
The Legislature passed a law allowing DNA testing in cases when the technology wasn't available in the original trial, Assistant Attorney General David Roupp argued the evidence has to prove innocence, not just raise questions.
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Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC
A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party
Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party
However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.