神马文学网蒙冤入狱近二十九年，依然笑看人生 - 海词快乐英语, 为了兴趣而阅读 - Dict.CN
来源：百度文库 编辑：神马文学网 时间：2024/07/07 09:12:57
CLEVELAND - The judge who set Ray Towler free tearfully wished him well with an Irish blessing.
His attorneys handed him $1,500 in credit cards to buy whatever he needed.
The media gave him more than ample opportunity to spew venom at a justice system that locked him away for nearly 29 years for a rape he didn't commit.
But all Towler really wanted yesterday, on his first day of freedom, was to eat big slices of gooey pizza and hug a small group of family and friends.
"I know some people might expect me to feel bitter about this, but I feel blessed, truly blessed, to have this chance at life," said the 52-year-old Cleveland native between bites of cheese, pepperoni, sausage and green peppers. "I just wanted the sun to come up this morning, and it did. And it was nice to walk in the sunshine outside the prison walls."
The soft-spoken Towler, who was proved innocent by DNA testing, was declared a free man yesterday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court by Judge Eileen A. Gallagher and officially released from the Grafton Correctional Institution.
Towler, wearing a neat black sweater and slacks instead of his tan prison uniform, didn't stop beaming from the time he entered the courtroom.
At the end of the 10-minute hearing, Gallagher cried as she read the blessing to Towler:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And may God hold you in the palm of His hand now and forever.
She then stepped around the bench to shake Towler's hand and was greeted with nothing but smiles from the wrongly convicted man.
"Mr. Towler, you are free to go," the judge said.
Only a handful of the 253 men who have been exonerated nationally by DNA testing have served more time than Towler. Along with Columbus natives Robert McClendon and Joseph Fears Jr., Towler is the third man to be proved innocent in connection with a Dispatch investigation, "Test of Convictions."
The series, published in 2008 and available online at Dispatch.com/dna, exposed holes in the DNA testing system, helped spur testing for inmates such as Towler and led state lawmakers to pass sweeping legislation aimed at preventing more wrongful convictions.
"There have been many attorneys that have spoken up for Mr. Towler, but today, DNA testing spoke the loudest," said Towler's attorney, Carrie Wood, of the Ohio Innocence Project. "It speaks without bias."
Towler was serving 12 years to life for rape, felonious assault and kidnapping for an abduction on May 24, 1981. The victims, a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old boy, said a man lured them into the woods at the Rocky River Reservation in Cuyahoga County. The victims could not be reached for comment. DNA testing proved that semen found in the girl's underwear didn't match Towler.
It didn't take Towler long to realize that the world has changed since he last walked free. He looked around the restaurant and saw almost everyone on a cell phone. There were no cell phones when Towler went to prison. They were invented in 1983.
There were no fax machines (1988), DVDs (1995), or World Wide Web (1989).
Towler hasn't been eligible to vote since 1980, when Ronald Reagan became the 40th president.
In sports, Gloria James was three years from giving birth to one of Towler's sports heroes, Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James.
He's never been to Cleveland Browns Stadium, which opened in 1999, or the Cavaliers' home, Quicken Loans Arena, or the Indians' Progressive Field, both of which opened in 1994.
"I know I've missed a lot, but that means I have a lot to look forward to," Towler said.
Towler plans to file a civil suit against the state, and he is likely to receive at least $1.4 million for being wrongly convicted. That figure could go much higher when lost wages are factored in.
But yesterday, he wasn't worrying about money.
He picked a casual pizza restaurant for his first meal as a free man because pizza was something his family could share. The store manager's eyes lit up when he saw the large group walk in about 10:30 a.m. Towler's family helped push together five tables and ordered six extra-large pies with the works. The Ohio Innocence Project picked up the tab.
Each person around the table took turns asking Towler questions about his future, not his days in prison. Towler told them that, for now, he plans to focus on his talents with the guitar, keyboard, trumpet and paintbrush. He plans to stay with his brother in Cleveland for a short time but is considering a move to either Cincinnati or New Orleans.
"We are all here for him and will support him no matter what," said Clarence Settles, Towler's brother. "None of us are angry; we just want Ray to enjoy the rest of his life."
Last night, Towler's first day of freedom grew even sweeter.
He had told The Dispatch on Tuesday that it was probably too much to ask to see LeBron James in person at a Cavaliers' playoff game.
But it wasn't. Tad Carper, Cavs vice president of communication, said yesterday that he would invite Towler and three guests to sit courtside for next week's playoff game in Cleveland against the Boston Celtics.
Towler at first thought it was a joke. But as it sunk in, he beamed with more joy than when he learned he was being released. He said he would take his brother, brother-in-law and niece.
"Now, that is what I call a homecoming present," he said.
克利夫兰市——宣布雷．托勒重获自由后，法官热泪盈眶，送上最真诚的祝福；律师递给他1500美元的信用卡，让他随意买些日常用品；而媒体以为他要炮轰让他蒙受近29年不白之冤的司法制度，大开方便之门。
然而昨天，托勒出狱第一天，他不过美美地享用了一顿比萨饼大餐，拥抱亲朋好友。
“我知道或许有些人正等着我大吐苦水，但是我感觉我很幸福，非常幸运，此生还有洗清冤情的机会，”52岁的克利夫兰市人一边咀嚼着奶酪、香肠和青椒，一边说着。”我只想今天有太阳就好了。天气果然不错。阳光灿烂，漫步在牢房之外，这种感觉真好。”
说话轻声轻语的托勒，经DNA测试证明无罪后，法官艾琳．Ａ．加拉格尔（Eileen A. Gallagher ）于昨日在凯霍加县（Cuyahoga County）普莱斯共同法院（Common Pleas Court）宣布正式从格拉夫顿惩教所（ Grafton Correctional Institution）释放，恢复自由身。
托勒，脱下棕褐色囚服，换上干净的黑色运动套装，走进法庭，一路笑意盈盈。
听证会的最后十分钟，加拉格尔念着祝福话语，不禁哽咽起来：
祝你此后风生水起，阳光永远照耀你，上帝永与你同在。
她走下来，紧紧地握着托勒，一个被错误定罪的公民。而迎接她的，只有暖暖笑意。
“托勒先生，你自由了。”法官说。
全美通过DNA检测还其清白的253人中，只有少数几个服刑时间要比托勒长。除了哥伦比亚的
罗伯特．麦克伦登（Robert McClendon ）和小约瑟夫（Joseph Fears Jr., ），托勒是第三位
在Ｄｉｓｐａｔｃｈ 调查之下，洗刷冤情的人。
“定罪试验（Test of Convictions）”系列于２００８年出版发行，可在Dispatch.com/dna查阅。该系列揭露了DNA测试系统中的漏洞，帮助同住者进行刺激测试（spur testing），比如托勒，推动了州立法者实施意义深远的法规，以防止更多的误判。
”很多律师一直都在为托勒先生辩护，但是今天， ＤＮＡ测试无疑最具说服力，”托勒律师，俄亥俄州清白计划（the Ohio Innocence Project）的嘉莉．伍德（Carrie Wood）评论说。“它不偏袒任何一方。”
１９８４年５月２４日，托勒在其任职１２个年头时，由于强奸，殴打，诱拐绑架被判无期徒刑。受害人，一名１２岁的女孩和１３岁男孩声称一名男子在凯霍加县罗基里弗保护区（Rocky River Reservation）的树林里诱奸他们。目前，尚未联系到受害人。ＤＮＡ测试证明女孩内裤里的精液和托勒不匹配。
当他重获自由后，托勒很快就意识到到世界发生了巨大的变化。他看看餐馆四周，几乎人守一部手机。托勒入狱那年，手机还没有发明。１９８３年手机才问世。
当年还没有传真机（１９８８），ＤＶＤ（１９９５），或者互联网（１９８９）。
自１９８０年，罗纳德·里根出任第四十任总统后，他就失去了投票权。
他从没去过克里夫兰布朗体育馆（Cleveland Browns Stadium）（１９９９年才开馆），他也没有去过奎克竞技场（Quicken Loans Arena,）的骑士主场（Cavaliers' home），或者印第安人主场（Indians' Progressive Field），他们都于１９９４年对外开放。
“我知道我错过了很多，但是这也意味着未来更值得期待。”
托勒计划对俄亥俄州提起民事诉讼，而他有可能获得高达１４０万美金的国家赔偿。这个数字远远高这些年未领工资总和
但是，昨天，他一点儿都不考虑钱的事儿。
恢复自由后的第一餐，他挑选了一家休闲比萨饼餐馆，因为这些年来他和家人能一起共同分享的就是比萨饼。十点半左右，当餐厅经理看到一大群人走过来时，眼睛都发亮了。托勒一家把五张餐桌拼在一起，定了6张超级比萨饼。俄亥俄州清白计划买单。
家人朋友挨着桌子围成一圈，逐个问托勒的未来计划，但是从不提他的狱中日子。托勒告诉他们，目前他想把重点放在施展才华上，比如弹吉他，练键盘，吹小号和画画。他计划先在克利夫兰市兄弟家小住一段时间，他考虑搬到辛辛那提或者新奥尔良。
“不管他做什么，我们都支持他。托勒兄弟，克拉伦斯说、”没有一个人愤恨不平，只要雷快乐我们就满足了。”
昨天晚上，托勒自由的第一天，越发显得温馨甜蜜。
他告诉Dispatch记者，他想亲自去看骑士队季后赛，看勒布朗詹姆斯，他担心愿望有可能是奢望。
但一点都不。昨天泰德.卡珀（Tad Carper），骑士队的联络副总（vice president of communication）说，下周在克利夫兰市举行的骑士队&波士顿凯尔特人比赛，他将邀请托勒和三位嘉宾到现场观看。
起初，托勒以为这不过是个玩笑而已。然而当最终证实后，他开心地笑了，比当初听到无罪释放都要高兴。他说，他将带上他的兄弟，弟媳，和侄女一同前往。
“这就是回家的礼物。”他说。
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删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-20 12:50:02, 评分: 0 )
MOOD删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-19 16:42:35, 评分: 0 )
he is an iron man who can live a happy life.删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-19 16:42:26, 评分: 0 )
he is an iron man who can live a happy life.删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-18 07:28:48, 评分: 0 )
Good moon man删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-16 15:44:09, 评分: 0 )
Well,it's a nice event.删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-15 16:28:50, 评分: 0 )
Continue to becheerful and play one's part despite diffcuities删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-15 16:28:41, 评分: 0 )
Continue to becheerful and play one's part despite diffcuities删除 引用 Guest (2010-5-14 11:35:49, 评分: 0 )
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