I have spent some time doing investigations. I learned that one of the risks in any investigative assignment is to “buy in” far too quickly. What I mean by that is as a detective, there comes a point where we decide who we think committed the crime. It has to be that way, or we could never solve a thing!
However, you can be too zealous, and risk missing some basic pieces to the puzzle. And this story out of Los Angeles shows that the results can be tragic. It is a bit wordy, but spend a minute and read it over. There seems no dispute at this point that Lisker did not kill his mother. He has been in prison for 25 years! That means he has been in prison for 25 years knowing, each dark night and each lonely day, that he is not guilty.
I cannot think of a greater torture to the mind or the soul. I hope he can forgive. I doubt he can forget. I demand that all of us in the law enforcement profession learn from the sloppy, careless, mindless mistakes made on this case. I love to put people in jail, I really do. But I would have trouble living with myself if this had been my case. What do you think?
