Some felt betrayed that he had lied for so many years. (…)
In his autobiography, The Friedkin Connection, the director expresses ambivalence toward Paul Crump and the film that spared his life. He dismisses the documentary as incompetent and reveals his disappointment over Crump’s guilt. He wonders if he would have made the film if he knew Crump had been guilty. Friedkin concludes, “I don’t dwell on the question because it would mean we both gamed the system. Paul got his freedom, I got my career.”
Ann Coulter has lots more on those “innocent men on death row” you hear so much about:
The much-ballyhooed “recantations” in Davis’ case were typical, which is to say: nothing of the sort. Years after the trial, defense lawyers trick witnesses into making small, inconsequential alterations to their testimony. Then the lawyers rush to the press claiming the witness has “recanted.”