Michael Morton: If you want to be forgiven you must forgive — Transcript

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1. 0:01HERE IS PART TWO OF OUR
2. 0:03CONVERSATION.
3. 0:04>> A TEXAS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
4. 0:06CLEARED THE WAY FOR MICHAEL
5. 0:08MORTON TO FIND OUT WHY EVIDENCE
6. 0:09THAT COULD HAVE SET HIM FREE WAS
7. 0:11NOT TURNED OVER TO HIS LAWYERS.
8. 0:14>> Reporter: NEARLY 25 YEARS,
9. 0:16THAT'S HOW LONG MICHAEL MORTON
10. 0:18HAD BEEN BEHIND BARS, WAITING
11. 0:20FOR HAD CHANCE.
12. 0:21HIS LAST SHOT AT FREEDOM.
13. 0:23HE KNEW HE WAS INNOCENT, BUT
14. 0:25TIME HAD WORN AWAY HIS RESOLVE.
15. 0:28WAS THERE ANY A MOMENT OR A
16. 0:30PERIOD DURING YOUR INCARCERATION
17. 0:32WHERE YOU DOUBTED YOURSELF,
18. 0:33WHERE YOU DOUBTED MAYBE EVEN
19. 0:36REALITY?
20. 0:36>> I WONDERED, I STARTED TO
21. 0:38DOUBT A LITTLE BIT OR QUESTION
22. 0:42AND YOU START THINKING, WELL, I
23. 0:45MIGHT DIE HERE OF OLD AGE.
24. 0:48>> Reporter: MORTON'S ATTORNEYS
25. 0:50FOUGHT FOR YEARS TO HAVE DNA
26. 0:52TESTING DONE ON A BLUE BANDANA
27. 0:54FOUND NEAR THE MORTON'S HOME
28. 0:55WHERE HIS WIFE, CHRISTINE, WAS
29. 0:58MURDERED.
30. 0:58THE PROSECUTION CALLED THE
31. 1:00BANDANA INSIGNIFICANT.
32. 1:01>> I TOLD THE COURT AND I'M
33. 1:02QUOTING, "THIS BAND JANUARY ANA
34. 1:04MAY CONTAIN THE BLOOD OF THE
35. 1:07VICTIM, CHRISTINE MORTON" PLUS
36. 1:10PERHAPS MINGLED WITH THE BLOOD
37. 1:11OF THE MURDERER.
38. 1:12>> Reporter: IT DID, THE DNA WAS
39. 1:14A MATCH, NOT WITH MORTON BUT
40. 1:17WITH THIS MAN, MARK ALAN
41. 1:19NORWOOD, EVENTUALLY FOUND TO
42. 1:21HAVE MURDERED CHRISTINE MORTON
43. 1:23AND AFTERWARDS ANOTHER WOMAN,
44. 1:25DEBORAH BAKER, A LIFE THAT COULD
45. 1:27HAVE BEEN SAVED.
46. 1:27MORTON WAS FINALLY CLEARED, BUT
47. 1:30THERE WAS ANOTHER TWIST.
48. 1:31KEN ANDERSON, THE FORMER
49. 1:33PROSECUTOR, WHO HELPED PUT HIM
50. 1:34BEHIND BARS, ALLEGATIONS THAT HE
51. 1:36WITHHELD KEY EVIDENCE DURING THE
52. 1:38TRIAL THAT COULD HAVE HELPED
53. 1:39MORTON'S CASE.
54. 1:40HE SAID HE DIDN'T REMEMBER.
55. 1:43>> I DON'T REMEMBER A LOT OF
56. 1:44THAT.
57. 1:44I HAVE NO RECOLLECTION.
58. 1:46>> Reporter: ANDERSON WOULD
59. 1:47BECOME A TEXAS JUDGE, WAS
60. 1:50DISBARRED AND CHARGED.
61. 1:51HE PLEADED NO CONTEST AND WAS
62. 1:53SENT TO JAIL, BUT ONLY FOR TEN
63. 1:56DAYS.
64. 1:57DO YOU BLAME HIM?
65. 1:59>> YES.
66. 1:59BUT AT THE SAME TIME THAT I
67. 2:01BLAME HIM, I ALSO FORGIVE HIM.
68. 2:04>> Reporter: WHY?
69. 2:05>> IF YOU WANT TO BE FORGIVEN,
70. 2:07YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE.
71. 2:09I AM NOT GOING TO SPEND THE REST
72. 2:11OF MY LIFE POINTING MY FINGER AT
73. 2:13HIM AND WANTING HIS HEAD ON A
74. 2:15STICK AND GOING AFTER HIM.
75. 2:17>> Reporter: IN ORDER TO BE
76. 2:18FORGIVEN, YOU MUST FORGIVE.
77. 2:22FOR MOST OF US, THAT IS ON A
78. 2:26PRAYER CARD SOMEWHERE, PRESSED
79. 2:29INTO A BOOK OR ON A REFRINL
80. 2:33RATER, ARATE
81. 2:35REFRIGERATOR AND WE SAY IT TO
82. 2:36OTHERS.
83. 2:36WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
84. 2:37>> THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAYING
85. 2:40FORGIVENESS OR GIVING
86. 2:42FORGIVENESS IS ALL THE
87. 2:43DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.
88. 2:47IT'S LIKE SAYING I CAN FLY, OR
89. 2:51ACTUALLY FLYING.
90. 2:52>> Reporter: MORTON WAS RELEASED
91. 2:54IN OCTOBER, 2011.
92. 2:56HE HAD ENTERED PRISON AT 32,
93. 2:59LEFT AT 57.
94. 3:02BUT MORE HAD CHANGED THAN JUST
95. 3:03HIS APPEARANCE.
96. 3:04HE WAS OUT OF PRISON, BUT NOT
97. 3:07ENTIRELY FREE.
98. 3:08THAT WOULD COME ONLY WHEN HE
99. 3:09RECONNECTED WITH HIS SON, ERIC,
100. 3:11JUST A TODDLER, WHEN MORTON WAS
101. 3:14LOCKED UP.
102. 3:15>> I WAS RAISED BY MY AUNT.
103. 3:17I LIKE TO THINK THAT MY FAMILY
104. 3:19KIND OF SET A STANDARD THAT
105. 3:21WE'RE NOT GOING TO ACT
106. 3:23DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF WHAT
107. 3:24HAPPENED TO MY MOTHER.
108. 3:25>> Reporter: ERIC VISITED HIS
109. 3:27FATHER IN PRISON AT FIRST BUT
110. 3:28EVENTUALLY SHUT HIM OUT.
111. 3:30AND EVEN CHANGED HIS NAME.
112. 3:31>> WHEN I GOT OUT OF PRISON,
113. 3:35THAT MEANT THAT THE
114. 3:36UNDERPINNINGS OF EVERYTHING THAT
115. 3:37MY SON BELIEVED, THE MOTIVATION
116. 3:39FOR ALL THAT HE HAD DONE AND
117. 3:43OTHERS AROUND HIM HAD BEEN SHOWN
118. 3:45TO BE FALSE.
119. 3:46>> Reporter: WHERE DOES THAT
120. 3:47LEAVE THE TWO OF YOU?
121. 3:49>> IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR PROCESS.
122. 3:53IT WAS SLOW GOING BECAUSE HE HAD
123. 3:56SO MUCH TO CHANGE IN HIS HEAD
124. 3:58AND IN HIS HEART.
125. 4:00>> Reporter: ERIC MARRIED AND
126. 4:01EVENTUALLY STARTED HIS OWN
127. 4:03FAMILY.
128. 4:03RECENTLY HE HAD A DAUGHTER NAMED
129. 4:09CHRIS
130. 4:09CHRISTINE, AFTER HIS LATE
131. 4:10MOTHER.
132. 4:10WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU, THAT
133. 4:11YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER HAS YOUR LATE
134. 4:14WIFE'S NAME?
135. 4:14>> I WAS PLEASED BY IT.
136. 4:16IT MADE ME SMILE, AND I HAVE TO
137. 4:19ADMIT IT BROUGHT A LITTLE BIT OF
138. 4:21A TEAR TO MY EYE, BUT I LIKE IT
139. 4:22MOST OF ALL BECAUSE WHAT IT SAYS
140. 4:26ABOUT MY SON AND MY MYSELF, THE
141. 4:29WAY WE'RE RECONNECTING.
142. 4:31>> Reporter: PERHAPS ONE OF THE
143. 4:32MOST SHOCKING PARTS OF THIS
144. 4:34STORY IS THAT MORTON SAYS LOSING
145. 4:35A QUARTER CENTURY OF HIS LIFE
146. 4:38BECAUSE THE SYSTEM FAILED HIM
147. 4:40CHANGED HIM.
148. 4:40HOW DIFFERENT ARE YOU NOW THAN
149. 4:43YOU WERE IN 1986?
150. 4:48>> I'M DIFFERENT NOT JUST
151. 4:51BECAUSE OF MATURATION AND
152. 4:54INCARCER
153. 4:55INCARCERATION, BUT I'M DIFFERENT
154. 4:58BECAUSE I CAN REALLY APPRECIATE
155. 5:04COLORS AND ASSOCIATION WITH GOOD
156. 5:09PEOPLE.
157. 5:10I LOVE PEOPLE'S PETS, SMALL
158. 5:12CHILDREN, GOOD FOOD, CLOTHES
159. 5:13THAT FIT, ARE COMFORTABLE, A
160. 5:17NICE BED, MEANS A LOT,