“To a jury, it looked like the jailhouse informant was telling the truth. In reality, he never shared a room with Lawrence. His testimony was inconsistent with both the physical evidence and earlier statements he gave to law enforcement. The prosecution also denied that the jailhouse informant got a deal. However, his probation sentence for burglary was terminated shortly after he agreed to testify. The prosecution failed to meet its constitutional obligation to disclose this information to the defense. As a result, Lawrence’s lawyers could not adequately expose the jailhouse informant’s motivations and credibility to the jury.“

The Denver Post

November 4, 2019