United Liberty

Great news broke yesterday. Cory Maye, who was convicted for the murder of Prentiss Police Officer Ron Jones during a botched drug raid, will receive a new trail.

For a detailed background on this case, you check out the work Radley Balko has done on Maye’s case over at Reason or watch Mississippi Drug War Blues, a video put together by Reason TV.

The short version of the story is that Maye was asleep in the living room of the home on December 26, 2001 and was awaked by noise outside. He lived in a duplex next a known drug dealer, who was actually named in the warrent obtained by police.

Maye grabbed a gun and went into his daughters room to protect her from what he thought was an intruder, contending that his actions were in self-defense. Upon entering the room, Officer Jones was shot three times. One of the rounds hit Jones below his bulletproof vest, and he died from internal bleeding.

According to Maye, it was a no-knock raid, meaning the police did not announce. He says he didn’t know the intruder was a police officer until after he had fired his weapon. The other officers involved say they announced before entering the home.

After receiving poor legal counsel, Maye was convicted and sentenced to death in 2004. His sentence has since been reduced to life without parole. His legal team, which includes Orin Kerr, petitioned the court for a new hearing earlier this year.

Periodically I come across a horrific story about some lowlife who is trying to save his (or her) ass, so he becomes an informant for the police.  He feeds information, usually about drugs or drug-related activity, and the police act on this info, with no guarantee of it’s veracity.  This informant is not a police officer, nor does he have any training to determine illegal activity.  He is not accountable to any authority, and for his “protection” his identity is rarely revealed.  With the promise of a more lenient or nonexistent punishment, what motive does the informant have to tell the truth?  The police then use this sketchy information to obtain warrants, specifically no-knock warrants, to search and seize what they have been told is illicit material.

A few weeks back, Berwyn Heights mayor, Cheye Calvo, was the subject of a no-knock warrant served on his home after a package addressed to his wife was delivered to his home. During shipping, drug dogs searched for and discovered 32 pounds of marijuana in that package. Police delivered the package dressed as FedEx deliverymen and were instructed to leave the package on the porch by Calvo’s mother-in-law. The Washington Post gives a full account of the ensuing happenings here.