This episode which sees an innocent man being executed by lethal injection, only for the Cold Case squad to find the real murderer two days later, must be one of the most compelling cases arguing against the death penalty. The original conviction relied on the suppression of vital evidence not only by a crooked cop but also a complacent or crooked ADA (who is fired for his role in the investigation but gets to live) proving once and for all that as long as the law is executed by men and women who make mistakes, state-sanctioned murder is simply wrong. In this fiction the truth finally comes out, powerfully underlined by the haunting song, "Hallelujah", by Jeff Buckley, performed by John Cale. In real life such scandals would usually be swept under the carpet. It should make us all pause and question the morality of executions.
Review of Death Penalty: Final Appeal
