Gregory Bright
Encyclopedia
Gregory Bright is a New Orleans native
who was convicted
of second-degree murder
in 1974 at the age
of 20. He was sentenced to life
without parole
, served at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
. After several years of appeals
, Mr. Bright was granted a new trial
in 2001 on the grounds that the prosecution had withheld evidence
from the defense
in his previous trial. On June 24, 2003, after 27 ½ years
in prison
for a crime
they did not commit, Mr. Bright and Earl Truvia were both released after the Orleans Parish district attorney
dismissed all charges. When Bright was released from prison, the State of Louisiana
only provided a US
$10 check
and garbage bags
full of legal paperwork.
Mr. Bright speaks around the country about his wrongful incarceration
and life since prison. He can also be seen on HBO's Tremé
and TNT's Memphis Beat
.
New Orleans as Assistant Education and Outreach Director.
Native
The term "native" can have many different social and political connotations in different contexts. In some cases it is a neutral, descriptive term, for example, when stating that one is a native of a particular city or that a certain language is one's native language...
who was convicted
Conviction
In law, a conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal . In Scotland and in the Netherlands, there can also be a verdict of "not proven", which counts as an acquittal...
of second-degree murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in 1974 at the age
Ageing
Ageing or aging is the accumulation of changes in a person over time. Ageing in humans refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Some dimensions of ageing grow and expand over time, while others decline...
of 20. He was sentenced to life
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
without parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
, served at the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
. After several years of appeals
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
, Mr. Bright was granted a new trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
in 2001 on the grounds that the prosecution had withheld evidence
Evidence (law)
The law of evidence encompasses the rules and legal principles that govern the proof of facts in a legal proceeding. These rules determine what evidence can be considered by the trier of fact in reaching its decision and, sometimes, the weight that may be given to that evidence...
from the defense
Defense (legal)
In civil proceedings and criminal prosecutions under the common law, a defendant may raise a defense in an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability...
in his previous trial. On June 24, 2003, after 27 ½ years
Year
A year is the orbital period of the Earth moving around the Sun. For an observer on Earth, this corresponds to the period it takes the Sun to complete one course throughout the zodiac along the ecliptic....
in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
for a crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
they did not commit, Mr. Bright and Earl Truvia were both released after the Orleans Parish district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
dismissed all charges. When Bright was released from prison, the State of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
only provided a US
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$10 check
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
and garbage bags
Bin bag
A bin bag, swag sack or bin liner or garbage bag, trash bag, refuse sack, black sack, or can liner is a disposable bag used to contain rubbish. Such bags are useful to line the insides of waste containers to prevent the insides of the receptacle from becoming coated in waste material...
full of legal paperwork.
Mr. Bright speaks around the country about his wrongful incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
and life since prison. He can also be seen on HBO's Tremé
Treme (TV series)
Treme is an American television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer that premiered on April 11, 2010 on HBO. It takes its name from Tremé, a neighborhood of New Orleans...
and TNT's Memphis Beat
Memphis Beat
Memphis Beat is an American drama series that debuted on TNT on June 22, 2010 and ended on August 16, 2011. Memphis Beat was officially canceled on October 14, 2011.-Overview:...
.
Innocence Project New Orleans
In 2010, Mr. Bright joined Innocence ProjectInnocence Project
An Innocence Project is one of a number of non-profit legal organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand dedicated to proving the innocence of wrongly convicted people through the use of DNA testing, and to reforming the criminal justice systems to...
New Orleans as Assistant Education and Outreach Director.
Never Fight a Shark in Water
Lara Naughton and Gregory Bright collaborated on a play based on Bright's words and recollections that exposes the failure of the criminal justice system. With its first showing in 2010, the play is performed as a one-man documentary by Charles Holt.External links
- Video: Gregory Bright on campus. Media presentation on LSU Reveille campus regarding Bright's conviction and sentence
- Gregory Bright: A real crime: Wrongfully convicted. Editorial by Gregory Bright regarding Conviction (film) and his own account of wrongful convictions. Star Tribune, October 24, 2010.
- Hopes for 2006: Gregory Bright. Radio Interview with Gregory Bright. All Things Considered. NPR, December 31, 2005.
- Innocence Project New Orleans: Gregory Bright and Earl Truvia. Information provided by the non-profit that accepted Bright's case in 2001