The U-M Innocence Clinic

continued

By the time court reconvenes, Matt Cronin and Katya Georgieva have already left town for the summer. Zoe Levine has somehow made it through her finals while still working for the Innocence Clinic. The Reeds’ case, she says, “has certainly taught me to roll with the punches and digest daunting news quickly and then just move on with the work.” Two days after graduation, she finally rises to make her closing argument.

Her confidence seems to have grown by leaps and bounds. In a rock-steady voice, she tells the court that “Mr. Gholston testified courageously, truthfully, and effectively” in the face of great obstacles. “His efforts require us to listen,” she adds. “He’s been trying to tell the story for five years. He’s finally done it.”

Standing next to Breen, she excoriates the prosecutor for bringing witnesses to impugn Gholston’s motives without ever asking him why he changed his testimony: “The prosecution didn’t ask because it was afraid of the answer.”

David Moran then explains how the­ appellate attorneys “dropped the ball” because they failed to properly argue the “smoking gun” found on Tyrone Allen—instead, “they only mentioned it in passing.” He also argues that Officer Thomas’s testimony is crucial new evidence.