Michael Roy Toney

Michael Roy Toney (29 Disamba, 1965 – 3 Oktoba, 2009) an tuhume shi kuma an yanke masa hukunci ba bisa ƙa’ida ba a shekarar 1999 kan wani harin bam da ya kashe mutane uku tare da jikkata wasu biyu a Lake Worth, Texas a shekarar 1985. An yankewa Toney hukuncin kisa kuma ya shafe shekaru goma a jerin masu jiran kisa. A ranar 17 Disamba, 2008, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ta soke hukuncinsa saboda rashin ɗa’a da cin zarafin doka daga ɓangaren masu gabatar da ƙara. An sake shi daga tsarewa a watan Satumba 2009, kuma ya rasu a hatsarin mota kimanin wata guda bayan haka.

Rayuwa

Toney ya taso a Cottonwood, California, wani ƙaramin gari a Shasta County kimanin 90 miles (140 km) arewa da Sacramento. Mahaifinsa ya bar iyali tun yana ƙarami, mahaifiyarsa kuma tana aiki a gidajen giya na gari. Takan dawo gida da maza da dama waɗanda ke dukan ta da ’ya’yanta. Don guje wa wannan hali, Toney yakan ɓuya a wani ɗaki. Lokacin da yake da shekaru 9 ko 10, ɗaya daga cikin saurayin mahaifiyarsa ya ɗaure shi a kujera, ya nannade wuyan hannuwansa da duct-tape sannan ya kunna wuta ya ƙona masa hannaye. Yana da shekaru 15, wani saurayin mahaifiyarsa ya kai masa hari da fishing gaff ya huda masa babban rami a kugunsa. Ya bar makaranta kafin ajin goma, ya tafi Texas, inda ya zauna a Hurst-Euless, a yankin Bedford na Tarrant County. Ya auri wata mata mai suna Kim yana da shekaru 38.

Shari'a da hukunci

A daren Thanksgiving Day na ranar 28 Nuwamba, 1985, a Hilltop Mobile Home Park tsakanin Lake Worth da Azle, Texas, wasu mambobin iyalan Blount suna bikin hutu tare a cikin tirelar su. Iyalin sun haɗa da Joe Blount, mai shekaru 44 ƙwararren mai gyaran injina; matarsa Susan; ’yarsu Angela mai shekaru 15; ɗansu Robert; ɗan’uwan Joe mai suna Carl; da Michael Columbus, ɗan Carl.

Bayan sun kammala cin abincin Thanksgiving, Carl Blount ya koma gida da misalin ƙarfe 5:00 na yamma. Da misalin 9:00 na dare, Susan Blount ta kwanta domin ɗan hutawa. Joe Blount ya kai Robert, Angela da Michael wani convenience store kimanin rabin mil daga wurin shakatawar inda suka sayi kayan ciye-ciye da giya. Jim kaɗan bayan haka, Susan ta ji ana ƙwanƙwasa ƙofar gaba. Ta duba ta taga amma ba ta ga kowa ba, sai ta koma hutawa. Da sauran iyalin suka dawo daga shagon, sai suka tarar da wani briefcase a bakin ƙofa. Matasa ukun sun yi farin ciki saboda sun yi zaton kuɗi ko kayan ado ne a ciki. Bayan shigar da briefcase ɗin cikin gida, Angela ta buɗe makullansa, nan take ya fashe. Joe Blount, Angela Blount da Michael Columbus sun mutu sakamakon fashewar bam ɗin da ke cikin briefcase ɗin.

Soke hukunci

A watan Yuni 1997, Toney yana tsare a kurkuku yana jiran sauraron shari’ar burglary da ta faru a shekarar 1993. A nan ne yake tattaunawa da Charles “Jack” Ferris a kurkukun Parker County da ke Weatherford, Texas. Mutanen biyu sun fara magana game da harin bam ɗin. Daga bisani an sake Ferris daga kurkuku bayan ya sanar da hukumomin Parker County cewa Toney ya amsa masa laifin aikata harin. Bayan wannan, masu bincike suka tambayi tsohuwar matar Toney. A farko, ta ce wa masu gabatar da ƙara: “Michael ya kashe mutane da bam? Kun haukace.” Amma daga baya ta yanke shawarar yin bincike kan shari’ar, sannan ta kira jami’an tarayya ta ba da labarinta. Ba da daɗewa ba aka gurfanar da Toney kan laifin kisan gilla.

Watanni bayan haka, Ferris ya sauya labarinsa game da ikirarin amsar laifin. Ya bayyana cewa Toney ne ya ƙirƙiri labarin domin ya taimaka masa fita daga kurkuku da wuri. Ya ce wa masu bincike: “Ni da Toney mun ƙirƙiri duk labarin gaba ɗaya.”

Trial

An fara shari’ar a watan Mayu 1999 a Fort Worth, Texas. Susan Blount da Robert Blount sun bayar da testimony kan abin da ya faru a ranar. Bayan haka aka ji shaidar tsohuwar matar Toney, tsohon abokinsa na ƙut da ƙut, da wani abokin kurkuku.

Tsohuwar matar Toney ta ce ita, Toney da abokinsa Chris Meeks sun je wani shagon propane da ke kusa da Hilltop Mobile Home Park. Ta ce Toney ya sauka daga motar dauke da briefcase ya ɓace. Daga baya ya dawo ba tare da briefcase ɗin ba, sannan suka tafi Nature Center inda suka kwashe sa’o’i da dama. Ta kuma ce yayin da suke a Nature Center, Toney ya harbi wani beaver da bindiga.

Wani abokin kurkuku, Finis Blankenship, ya shaida cewa Toney ya gaya masa cewa an biya shi $5,000 domin kisan. Ya ƙara da cewa kisan yana da alaƙa da harkar miyagun ƙwayoyi, amma an ajiye bam ɗin a ƙofar da ba daidai ba. Wannan shaidar ta zo ne a mataki na biyu na shari’ar, inda alkalai ke yanke hukuncin ko Toney ya cancanci kisa. A wancan lokaci, Blankenship yana fuskantar tuhuma biyu na lalata da yaro da kuma laifin maimaitawa, kuma ya ce ya amince ya shaida ne domin a soke masa tuhumar. Daga baya Blankenship ya bayyana cewa shaidarsa ƙarya ce. Shaidar Chris Meeks ma ba ta yi daidai da ta tsohuwar matar Toney ba. Meeks ya sauya labarinsa sau huɗu. Da farko ya ce bai san komai game da harin ba a gaban masu bincike da grand jury ba, sannan ya kasa cin jarabawar polygraph. A shekarar 2001, ya sanya hannu kan affidavit yana janye kalaman da ya faɗa a shari’a, yana cewa: “Shaidarta game da abubuwan da suka faru a ranar Thanksgiving ta shekarar 1985, ƙila ba a wannan ranar suka faru ba.”

Toney ya ce bai ji labarin laifin ba sai a shekarar 1997. Ya kuma ce bai taɓa zuwa Hilltop Mobile Home Park ba, kuma bai ma san wurin yana wanzuwa ba sai kusa da lokacin shari’arsa. Tsohuwar matarsa da Meeks sun ce Toney yana tuƙa mota a daren harin bam. Sai dai Toney ya ce bai sayi motar ba sai 13 Disamba, 1985, wata guda bayan faruwar lamarin.

Conviction overturned

Ofishin Lauyan Gwamnati na Tarrant County ya ɓoye shaidu guda 14 masu muhimmanci da suka dace su taimaka wajen kare kansa. Bayan wannan, masu gabatar da ƙara na Tarrant County sun miƙa shari’ar ga Attorney General na Texas. Daga bisani Jihar Texas ta janye dukkan tuhumar da ake masa, aka sake shi a ranar 2 Satumba, 2009. Ya rasu a hatsarin mota kusa da Rusk, Texas a ranar 3 Oktoba, 2009.