The State Bar of Texas has found ​“just cause” to pur­sue dis­ci­pli­nary action against pros­e­cu­tor Charles J. Sebesta, whose con­duct in the tri­al of Anthony Graves (pic­tured) result­ed in a wrong­ful con­vic­tion and death sen­tence. Sebesta, the District Attorney of Burleson County, did not inform Graves’ attor­neys that the main wit­ness against Graves had con­fessed to the crime. Graves spent over 18 years in prison, 12 of them on death row, before being exon­er­at­ed in 2010. Kathryn Kase, Executive Director of the Texas Defender Service and coun­sel to Graves, said, ​“A prosecutor’s duty is not sim­ply to secure con­vic­tions, but to see that jus­tice is done. Conviction of an inno­cent man like Mr. Graves through pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct is abhor­rent and under­mines pub­lic trust and con­fi­dence in the Texas jus­tice sys­tem. The way to restore that trust and con­fi­dence is to hold pros­e­cu­tors like Charles Sebesta account­able when they vio­late their legal and ethical obligations.”

Mr. Sebesta has cho­sen to have his case heard by an admin­is­tra­tive judge, which means that the pro­ceed­ings will be con­fi­den­tial until a final judg­ment is made. The max­i­mum penal­ty he faces is dis­bar­ment and loss of his license to prac­tice law in Texas. 

(Press Release, ​“State Bar Has Found Just Cause to Pursue Disciplinary Action Against Prosecutor Who Wrongfully Convicted Anthony Graves,” Texas Defender Service, July 7, 2014.) See Innocence.

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