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8th Cir. Won't Rehear Beatrice Six Case

By George Khoury, Esq. on July 18, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Leaving only one last avenue for recourse to Gage County, the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied an en banc rehearing on the county's failed appeal of the $28 million judgment in the Beatrice Six civil case.

The Beatrice Six case is one of the biggest DNA, wrongful conviction exonerations in history. That's because the DNA evidence of a murder that took place decades ago was used to free six individuals that were wrongfully convicted. The story of their conviction and their exoneration is absolutely the stuff of TV drama, and sadly for the all the victims, a hot topic among the locals in Nebraska.

Beatrice Six Close to Getting Paid, County Close to Folding

According to local media, it is practically expected that the county will file an appeal to the High Court, however, it isn't expected to be effective, given the long history of appeals.

The manner in which the confessions were obtained, and the long duration of incarceration, really make it rather difficult to expect a good result for the county. Minimally, the county can delay satisfying the judgment until their petition for cert. is denied, but that's just going to increase the cost in the end.

Fortunately, the plaintiffs have gotten plenty of practice waiting, as the group was freed a decade ago. Unfortunately, further delays could just be related to the county's financial problems and the natural tendency of bureaucrats to run from financial problems rather than address them head-on.

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