Stardate 20021213.1503

(On Screen): In 1999, a man on the Illinois death row was exonerated when another man came forward and confessed to having committed the murders for which the other man was convicted.

The second man, named Alstory Simon, now is trying to claim that his confession was false.

In the documents outlining why his conviction should be overturned, Alstory Simon claims private investigators told him that if he confessed he would stand to gain millions of dollars from movie and book deals following the exoneration of another man jailed for the crime.

Simon also said investigator Paul Ciolino promised him that, if he pleaded guilty, Protess would "pull the necessary strings" to get him released from prison within a few years.

What I find myself thinking is that anyone this stupid belongs in prison. Either he was preposterously gullible in thinking that he would be rapidly freed and then become rich, or else he's preposterously stupid in thinking that any court would buy this story.

Stupidity isn't a crime by statute, but it gets punished anyway.