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American Morning
Interview With Madison Hobley, Freed From Death Row
Aired January 13, 2003 - 07:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is praise and condemnation today for Illinois Governor George Ryan's weekend decision of commuting the sentences of all death row inmates in his state. On Friday, you might remember, Ryan pardoned four prisoners who were facing death, but he says were wrongly convicted.
One of them was Madison Hobley. He spent 16 years in prison after being convicted of murdering seven people, including his wife and infant son. Now, he has a new lease on life, and Madison Hobley is our guest this morning from Chicago; so too is his attorney, Kirk Foyer (ph).
Good morning to both of you.
MADISON HOBLEY, FREED FROM DEATH ROW: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
HEMMER: It must be one heck of a Monday, following one heck of a weekend.
Take me back about 16 years, Madison. The linchpin for your entire case was the fact that you were tortured by police, a system called "bagging." What happened?
HOBLEY: Yes, it's true. I believe I was unfortunate to end up in the hands of some overzealous detectives. They were so out to make the big bust that they weren't willing to hear the truth. They weren't willing to hear what happened to me. And the more I told them that, you know, I didn't do it, the more they insisted that I did.
They went to the point where they began to beat me, and it got to the point where one cop put a plastic typewriter cover over my head and suffocated me to try to get me to say the things that they wanted me to say. But I just wasn't willing to do that; I was willing to die, you know, instead of saying something that I know that wasn't true.
So, I went through that for the entire day until they just got tired, I guess, of beating me.
HEMMER: At any point during that torture did you confess to setting the fire that took the life of your wife and son?
HOBLEY: Not at all, and I knew that I went all the way into trial knowing that that was false, and I backed it up when we began trial, they had no confession. And to this day, they don't have a confession.
HEMMER: What did you do this weekend?
HOBLEY: I stayed with my mother. My mother is recovering from lung cancer, and it was just a joy to be with her and to see how God has actually blessed her. She's feeling much better now that I'm home.
HEMMER: You describe it as a "joy." What are your feelings right now walking free after 16 years?
HOBLEY: Of course, I feel great. It is a joy. It's a joy to be here with my family. You know, it's just great to be with all of my supporters, and everyone just seems to be happy to see me home. And this is where I should be. I should have been here the whole time, and I'm just great to be home.
HEMMER: Are you vindictive? Do you want anyone to suffer for what you have gone through?
HOBLEY: Yes, I do. I think that I constantly hear the prosecutor saying that Governor Ryan did the wrong thing, and they're going out and got one woman who is a victim -- she's a victim -- she's a family member of a victim, and they continue to deceive her. And that I feel that they're manipulating her, because they still are giving her information -- giving her -- making her believe that I set that fire, and in fact they know I didn't. I think that they should investigate a witness that they used against me. I think they should do that right away.
HEMMER: It's very interesting that your response comes that way. The final question I have for you today, we're about to meet a woman who's sister nine years ago today, her sister was brutally raped and murdered. Anthony Brown is the man who was convicted. His death sentence has now been commuted. Your message to these families that again are suffering yet again from this crime years later is what?
HOBLEY: Well, I can definitely relate to her as well. I mean, what people have forgot, that I'm also a victim. I lost my wife and child. And that's the sad part. You know, I'm continuing to be accused of something that I could never do. I lost my wife and child. I'm still hurting. Yes, I still hurt.
And I can definitely relate to the woman -- you mentioned her relatives -- who got raped and murdered. Yes, all I can tell her -- what I can tell her is what I did. I just went deep into my faith and trusted God. And I realize that my wife and son are in a better place, you know, and we will see them again. Until then, they're asking us to hold on and just remember them. Like my wife and child are engraved in my heart.
So, knowing that, knowing that I will see them again and that they're in a better place right now, that's what keeps me going. We have to live for them right now.
HEMMER: You said you were going to go to the gravesite. Have you been there yet to the cemetery of your wife and son?
HOBLEY: Well, we're going to -- I think we're going to go today actually. Oh, no, we're going tomorrow. We're going to go tomorrow.
HEMMER: Madison Hobley, thanks for your time, and your attorney as well, Kirk Foyer (ph) sitting to your left there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 13, 2003 - 07:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is praise and condemnation today for Illinois Governor George Ryan's weekend decision of commuting the sentences of all death row inmates in his state. On Friday, you might remember, Ryan pardoned four prisoners who were facing death, but he says were wrongly convicted.
One of them was Madison Hobley. He spent 16 years in prison after being convicted of murdering seven people, including his wife and infant son. Now, he has a new lease on life, and Madison Hobley is our guest this morning from Chicago; so too is his attorney, Kirk Foyer (ph).
Good morning to both of you.
MADISON HOBLEY, FREED FROM DEATH ROW: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
HEMMER: It must be one heck of a Monday, following one heck of a weekend.
Take me back about 16 years, Madison. The linchpin for your entire case was the fact that you were tortured by police, a system called "bagging." What happened?
HOBLEY: Yes, it's true. I believe I was unfortunate to end up in the hands of some overzealous detectives. They were so out to make the big bust that they weren't willing to hear the truth. They weren't willing to hear what happened to me. And the more I told them that, you know, I didn't do it, the more they insisted that I did.
They went to the point where they began to beat me, and it got to the point where one cop put a plastic typewriter cover over my head and suffocated me to try to get me to say the things that they wanted me to say. But I just wasn't willing to do that; I was willing to die, you know, instead of saying something that I know that wasn't true.
So, I went through that for the entire day until they just got tired, I guess, of beating me.
HEMMER: At any point during that torture did you confess to setting the fire that took the life of your wife and son?
HOBLEY: Not at all, and I knew that I went all the way into trial knowing that that was false, and I backed it up when we began trial, they had no confession. And to this day, they don't have a confession.
HEMMER: What did you do this weekend?
HOBLEY: I stayed with my mother. My mother is recovering from lung cancer, and it was just a joy to be with her and to see how God has actually blessed her. She's feeling much better now that I'm home.
HEMMER: You describe it as a "joy." What are your feelings right now walking free after 16 years?
HOBLEY: Of course, I feel great. It is a joy. It's a joy to be here with my family. You know, it's just great to be with all of my supporters, and everyone just seems to be happy to see me home. And this is where I should be. I should have been here the whole time, and I'm just great to be home.
HEMMER: Are you vindictive? Do you want anyone to suffer for what you have gone through?
HOBLEY: Yes, I do. I think that I constantly hear the prosecutor saying that Governor Ryan did the wrong thing, and they're going out and got one woman who is a victim -- she's a victim -- she's a family member of a victim, and they continue to deceive her. And that I feel that they're manipulating her, because they still are giving her information -- giving her -- making her believe that I set that fire, and in fact they know I didn't. I think that they should investigate a witness that they used against me. I think they should do that right away.
HEMMER: It's very interesting that your response comes that way. The final question I have for you today, we're about to meet a woman who's sister nine years ago today, her sister was brutally raped and murdered. Anthony Brown is the man who was convicted. His death sentence has now been commuted. Your message to these families that again are suffering yet again from this crime years later is what?
HOBLEY: Well, I can definitely relate to her as well. I mean, what people have forgot, that I'm also a victim. I lost my wife and child. And that's the sad part. You know, I'm continuing to be accused of something that I could never do. I lost my wife and child. I'm still hurting. Yes, I still hurt.
And I can definitely relate to the woman -- you mentioned her relatives -- who got raped and murdered. Yes, all I can tell her -- what I can tell her is what I did. I just went deep into my faith and trusted God. And I realize that my wife and son are in a better place, you know, and we will see them again. Until then, they're asking us to hold on and just remember them. Like my wife and child are engraved in my heart.
So, knowing that, knowing that I will see them again and that they're in a better place right now, that's what keeps me going. We have to live for them right now.
HEMMER: You said you were going to go to the gravesite. Have you been there yet to the cemetery of your wife and son?
HOBLEY: Well, we're going to -- I think we're going to go today actually. Oh, no, we're going tomorrow. We're going to go tomorrow.
HEMMER: Madison Hobley, thanks for your time, and your attorney as well, Kirk Foyer (ph) sitting to your left there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
