Innocence and Guilt

Evelyn Larrubia’s article of April 1 is a poignant description of 9-year-old Joshua Myles’ anguish at watching his mother die at the hands of her robbers (“Son Testifies About Killing of Mother in 1993 Holdup”). It is also an unfortunate perpetuation of society’s “guilty until proven innocent” mentality.

Larrubia notes that the case was not “solved” by police until more than a year later, when they made an unrelated arrest in which the murder weapon was recovered. If indeed cases were solved when police made arrests, trials would become a waste of time. Police arrest suspects who are alleged to have committed crimes. Juries, not news reporters, decide whether the police solved the case or not.

MICHAEL GOODMAN

North Hollywood