74-Year-Old Woman Released From Prison After Serving 32 Years for Murder on Yahoo
This story was published March 24th and covers a Los Angeles woman named Mary Jones who will be released from prison after serving a 32-year sentence. She was arrested in 1981 after her abusive boyfriend kidnaped two men and forced Mary at gunpoint to drive a car into a back alley in LA where he shot the men. Jones ran from the scene and was arrested a few days later. Law students at the University of Southern California’s Post-Conviction Justice Project brought up her case, saying she would not have been convicted if the jury had heard expert testimony about the effects of battered women’s syndrome. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office reviewed her case and agreed, letting go of her convictions if she pled no contest to voluntary manslaughter.
This is very interesting because it is a story people can sympathize with. It is sad to see a battered woman, but even worse to see a woman in jail for a crime she didn’t commit. The story is credible because it originally came from CBS. The story is overall complete and doesn’t leave me asking any questions. I thought the visuals were really good. They covered all aspects of the story, including her in the courtroom, her friends and family and how they felt, and a woman advocating for women who have suffered from battered women’s syndrome. I think I would have liked to see more actual footage of Mary and them interviewing her, but I understand that probably wasn’t possible due to the fact that she wasn’t technically released from prison yet. The audio was smooth and consistent, except I thought it was too loud when that woman yelled in the courtroom, even though I know that was part of the story. The story doesn’t overstep any journalism or ethical boundaries and covers a story that needs to be shown. I liked the emotional aspects that were brought into this piece a lot because it really showed how happy the family was to have her released, and even showed her son singing.
Katie Bickell 