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| Exonerated Penn. Inmate Files Suit |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/16/2002 |
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A man who spent more than 15 years in prison before DNA tests exonerated him has filed a civil rights complaint against prosecutors and two former detectives who took his confession. Bruce Godschalk, 42, claims former Upper Merion Detectives Bruce Saville and Michael Karcewski coerced him into confessing to raping two women in 1986. The lawsuit, filed last month, also accuses the Montgomery County District Attorney's office of refusing to release the DNA evidence that eventually cleared Godschalk and prompted his release in February. District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. was not involved in the case at the beginning, but was in office during the struggle over releasing the DNA samples. Castor said he did not think he should be included in the suit. 'Godschalk was convicted by a jury, he confessed, and his convictions were upheld twice by every appellate court of Pennsylvania,' he said. 'I think this is frivolous, and I have every intention of asking our lawyers to seek sanctions against Godschalk and his lawyers for including me.' One of Godschalk's lawyers, David Rudovsky, said, 'We stand by our allegations.' Saville, now a Montgomery County detective, was on vacation and Karcewski, who is retired, declined to comment. Godschalk was a 26-year-old unemployed laborer with an acknowledged drinking problem in 1987 when he confessed to raping two women. He later recanted and was freed after a new round of DNA tests. Prosecutors, citing doubts about his guilt, said they would not seek to retry the case. |
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