Man spends four decades in mental hospital for stealing $20 necklace

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Man spends four decades in mental hospital for stealing $20 necklace
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/22/man-spends-four-decades-mental-hospital-for-steali/

Bizarre case shows judicial breakdown

By Jim McElhatton - The Washington Times Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Franklin H. Frye was charged with stealing a $20 necklace in 1970, and he has spent the better part of his life locked up ever since after being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Mr. Frye was sent to St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington in 1971, part of which houses the criminally insane — including would-be presidential assassin John Hinckley Jr.

In a chain of events that suggests a serious judicial breakdown, federal court records in Washington reviewed by The Washington Times show a public defender filed a motion for Mr. Frye’s unconditional release nearly six years ago, citing his recovery. ... But Mr. Frye never got his day in court. ... The judge handling the case had died in 2007 when Mr. Frye’s motion for release was filed. His case was not transferred to a living judge until recent weeks.

David Rudovsky, a civil rights lawyer and senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, said the case suggests a “breakdown in justice in the court system.”

This was on the front page, above the fold, on Thursday morning's Washington Times. Good job, Washington Times. Here's how you can reach the author:

Jim McElhatton

Jim McElhatton is an investigative reporter for The Washington Times. He can be reached at [e-mail].

[shenmue]

1. Lord have mercy

[Blue Owl]

2. Justice?!

Meanwhile, white-collar criminals figure skate...