“Teaching Witnesses to Sing and Compose”: Harvey A. Silverglate & Timothy C. Moore Publish an Article on the WGBH News Website

Harvey A. Silverglate, of-counsel to ZDB, writes a revealing WGBH News article with his paralegal, Timothy C. Moore, on prosecutorial and police coercion of witnesses and their testimony in criminal trials. Mr. Silverglate uses the ongoing perjury trials in Hampden County Superior Court of Nathan Perez and Giselle Albelo to shed light on the ongoing problem of detectives’ threatening and improper conduct when questioning witnesses. Perez and Albelo, whose testimony was crucial in convicting Charles Wilhite of murder in a December 2010 case regarding the October 2008 fatal shooting of Alberto Rodriguez in Springfield, eventually recanted their incriminating testimony, stating that they falsely testified due to intimidation and misconduct by detectives. These recantations led to a new trial in January 2013 for Charles Wilhite, in which Wilhite was acquitted of the murder charges. Following Wilhite’s acquittal, Perez and Albelo were indicted for perjury. The complicated and messy nature of Perez’s and Albelo’s perjury trials illuminates why, according to Mr. Silverglate and Mr. Moore, all suspect and witness interviews (not just the currently-required custodial interviews) should be recorded. Read the full article here.