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| Man Found Innocent After Four Years in Prison |
| By Bozeman Daily Chronicle |
| Published: 07/28/2003 |
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A man who spent more than four years in the Montana State Prison said a quiet 'thank you' last Thursday, after a jury found him innocent of two assault charges -- overturning his previous conviction. As Ty Donald Bradford exited the court he said, 'I still did 49 months in prison for a crime I didn't commit.' Bradford was sentenced in 1999 to 20 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of holding a knife to the ribs and throat of former girlfriend Dixie Brown and threatening to kill her in a Belgrade motel. He maintained his innocence throughout the 1999 trial and appealed his case to the Montana Supreme Court, which upheld his conviction. But in March of this year, District Judge Mike Salvagni granted a petition filed by Bradford for post-conviction relief. He ruled that Bradford's court-appointed lawyer, Gordon Williams, was 'unreasonable and deficient' and ordered a new trial. Cited in Salvagni's ruling was a letter Bradford received from his friend Tammy Kuenzel, which said Brown bragged about stealing money from the defendant and was afraid he would find out. Kuenzel didn't testify in the 1999 trial, but she took the stand Tuesday and said Brown lied about the alleged assault to get Bradford back for being mean to her. Another woman also testified Brown had told her she lied to police. The jury of six men and six women took less than two hours to deliberate Wednesday, and return to court with a not guilty verdict. Neither Bradford nor his attorney would elaborate on whether they would seek repercussions for the time Bradford spent in prison. During closing arguments earlier in the day, Deputy County Attorney Gary Balaz, who prosecuted Bradford in the 1999 trial, questioned the credibility of some of the new witnesses. In the end, however, the jury sided with the defendant and Bradford's bail was exonerated. Bradford now hopes to return to being a truck driver, and said he would remain in Montana if he was offered a job. |
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