A crowd of law and journalism students and professors gathered Thursday evening for a conversation on a newly released book "The Last Lawyer" and the death penalty.
The book was written by John Temple, associate dean of the West Virginia University Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism.
"The Last Lawyer" follows the case of Bo Jones, a man who was convicted of a crime he did not commit and sentenced to death.
"Imagine spending 20 years trying to tell anyone who will listen that you are innocent," said Joyce McConnell, dean of the WVU College of Law.
The event was a panel discussion about journalism and issues surrounding the death penalty raised in the book.
The panel consisted of Temple, death penalty attorney Ken Rose; West Virginia appellate lawyer, Lonnie Simmons and sentencing mitigation expert Jay T. McCamic.
McCamic and Simmons are both WVU College of Law alumni.
"You might not appreciate it, but you're in a wonderful situation not having a death penalty in West Virginia," Rose said.
All members of the panel were against the death penalty.
Temple said he got the idea for his book from a news brief that told about an attorney who was representing a deathrow inmate.
"It never occurred to me at the time that people did that," he said. "It struck me as a narrative that needed to be told."
He decided North Carolina was a good place to find his story because it has a large death row and much opposition to the death penalty. There he met Ken Rose and found his story about Jones.
He followed the story from 2004 to 2008 when it finally closed and examined every aspect of the case.
"To law students: This book gives a glimpse into the day to day and strategy that
is used in the career that you hope to do someday," Simmons said.
According to a release, "The Last Lawyer" shows readers an inside look at a lawyer's struggles and investigation to free an innocent man.
"I read this book cover to cover in one night," McConnell said. "I think that you all will find it just as compelling."
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