L.A. to pay $16,7 million to the man imprisoned for 34 years after wrongful murder convictions
Kash Delano Register, who won his freedom in 2013 after lawyers and students from Loyola Law School cast doubt on the testimony of a key prosecution witness, will receive $16.7 million.
Register, who has always maintained his innocence, spent 34 years in custody after being convicted of the 1979 armed robbery and murder of Jack Sasson, 78.
The case against Register was based on eyewitness testimony. No murder weapon was recovered and none of the fingerprints lifted at the West Los Angeles crime scene matched Register’s. Police seized a pair of his pants that had a speck of blood on them, but the blood type matched both Sasson’s and Register’s. Register’s girlfriend testified that he was with her at the time of the shooting.
A key prosecution witness in the case was Brenda Anderson, who told police she heard gunshots and saw Register sprinting away from the scene. She picked him out of a photo lineup, police said. But Anderson’s sisters said they told police that her account wasn’t true.
In court papers, Sheila Vanderkam said she had tried to tell a detective that her sister had lied about seeing Register flee. The detective, she said, put a finger to his lips to convey that she should keep quiet. Another sister, Sharon Anderson, also said in court papers that she had told police they had the wrong man, but she too was ignored.
Brenda Anderson picked Register out of a photo array only after police threatened to prosecute her for credit card forgery and a recent theft, promising to hold off if she followed their instructions and identified someone, Register’s attorneys alleged.
Decades later, Vanderkam typed Register’s name into the state’s Department of Corrections website and discovered he was still imprisoned — a realization that spurred her to find his attorney and launched a fresh examination of his case. Register, now 55, was ultimately freed in November 2013.
Register and his attorneys said Tuesday they hoped his case would spur reforms at the LAPD in the way eyewitnesses are asked to choose a suspect from a photo lineup. Many experts argue that police should ensure that the detective who has a possible suspect in mind is not involved at all or does not see which photo a witness is choosing.
“I can’t get these 34 years back, but I hope my case can help make things better for others, through improving the way the police get identifications,” Register said in a statement.
While in prison, Register missed the birth of his daughter and two grandchildren. At one point in his incarceration, another inmate slashed his neck, his attorneys said in his lawsuit. He now works in a warehouse for a large department store, supporting family members.
“After almost 37 years, I am more than ready to try to put this all behind me and move on with my life,” Register said.
It’s a lesson to all of us. We should not be scared of police and we must remember that we live in the free country. No dumbass detective should tell us what to do. If we have some information we must use it carefully. Brenda Anderson and her sisters were not strong enough to help investigation and to save Register whose innocence was almost obvious. The aftermath was terrible. But I’m not blaming the citizens. The worst part of it all was made by detectives! The latest events confirm that we are still living in the police state. This should be changed! God bless Kash Register and his family. It would be fairer if bastard detectives were forced to pay compensation to Register. Why the city should do it?
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