After
a record-breaking detention of more
than five months, free-lance writer
Vanessa Leggett walked out of a Texas
jail January 4, where she was held for
refusing to turn over research materials
about a high-profile murder case to
federal prosecutors.
Leggett, 33, is currently
writing a book about the 1997 murder
of Houston socialite Doris Angleton.
Her research materials include tapes
of interviews she conducted with murder
suspect Roger Angleton, the victim's
brother-in-law, shortly before he committed
suicide.
On July 6, 2001,
U.S. District judge Melinda Harmon asked
Leggett to turn over her materials to
a federal grand jury. When she refused
to comply, citing the confidentiality
of her sources, Harmon found Leggett
in contempt of court and ordered her
jailed for the entire period of the
grand jury investigation, or 18 months,
whichever came first. The journalist
turned herself in on July 20. A three-judge
panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the 5th Circuit upheld Judge Harmon's
ruling on August 17.
The grand jury's
term expired in October but was extended
until January. "I'm very grateful
to be free. I don't think anyone realizes
how precious freedom is until it's threatened
or taken away from them," Leggett
told CPJ.
Leggett's lawyer
Mike DeGeurin filed a petition for a
writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme
Court on December 31 asking for a review
of the appeals court decision. This
appeal is important because Leggett
could still be summoned as a witness
in any future trial related to the Angleton
murder. She could also receive another
federal grand jury subpoena or face
criminal contempt charges.
"CPJ hopes today's
release marks the end of the unjust
persecution of Vanessa Leggett,"
said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper.
"The press cannot be free unless
journalists are able to protect the
confidentiality of their sources. Leggett
was clearly investigating a news story
for public dissemination and should
never have been jailed in the first
place."
Leggett's release
means that Cuba is now the only country
in the Western Hemisphere where a journalist
is incarcerated for his or her work.
|
