A federal civil rights jury in Nebraska has dinged Gage County, Sheriff’s Corporal Burt Searcey, deputy/psychologist Wayne Price and the estate of late sheriff Jerry DeWitt to the tune of more than $28 million – for reckless misconduct involving the nation’s largest-ever wrongful conviction case – 6 wrongful convictions in a lone murder.
The terrible plight of the Beatrice 6 was the subject of my recent book for WildBlue Press titled, “FAILURE OF JUSTICE.”
The book continues to sell well and draw rave reviews from readers of true crime.
Here’s the link to the breaking news story written by the Lincoln Journal Star’s Lori Pilger, who covered the month-long trial at the federal courthouse in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Burt Searcey, Gage County Sheriff’s deputy. In 1989, he netted six arrests in Helen Wilson’s unsolved murder.
The Beatrice 6 were exonerated in 2008 and given pardons in 2009. Since that time, amazingly, the forces of power at the Gage County Courthouse have rallied around their fallen leaders, including deputy Burt Searcey, the man responsible for the deplorable murder investigation that led to six wrongful convictions. Gage County had spent more than $1 million in outside legal fees PRIOR to the start of the month-long trial that ended in a disastrous outcome for the Gage County Board of Supervisors and their taxpayers – who are now in the hook for a massive payout to the Beatrice 6.
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