Nick Gady

But he picks up the phone and calls Deputy Hardy's widow, Patricia Diane Hardy.

And then Danny Carr does something extraordinary.

Something that almost never happens.

He files a brief with the Jefferson County Court, writing that his duty to seek justice requires intervention in the case of Taforest Johnson.

He asks Judge Pulliam to throw out Taforest's conviction and order a new trial.

And he includes that the original prosecutor, Jeff Wallace, supports this call for a new trial.

Of all the capital murder cases that you've looked at, you've tried...

you've been familiar with as DA.

How do you see this case?

How would you describe it in the context of all the cases you've seen?

I spoke with Jeff Wallace about his support for a new trial.

I think you joining the district attorney is a powerful statement from a former prosecutor in a capital case.

I can't remember in my reporting of over 20 years ever seeing that or hearing about it.

Jeff seemed to want to downplay the significance of his support for a new trial, but this is seriously rare.

I looked for other cases like this and reached out to experts who study wrongful convictions.

Nobody could remember a death penalty case in any state where the original trial prosecutor called for a new trial.

I interviewed Jeff Wallace three different times with four hours of on-the-record conversations.

Jeff was accessible and generous with his time, but he was also careful with his words.

This is what I mean by careful.

He says the evidence at trial showed Taforist to be guilty based on Violet Ellison's testimony.