Prosecutor Turned Death Penalty Critic to Keynote Law Review Symposium

Photo Submitted

A.M. "Marty" Stroud

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In 1984, A.M. "Marty" Stroud led the capital prosecution of Glenn Ford, who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Ford subsequently spent nearly 30 years on death row at Angola State Penitentiary. On March 11, 2014, Ford was exonerated and walked off death row. He died from lung cancer on June 29, 2015.

In a 2015 op-ed for The Shreveport Times, Stroud wrote, "I was 33 years old. I was arrogant, judgmental, narcissistic and very full of myself. I was not as interested in justice as I was in winning. To borrow a phrase from Al Pacino in the movie And Justice for All, 'Winning became everything.'"

Stroud will serve as keynote speaker for The Future of the Death Penalty, a symposium sponsored by the Arkansas Law Review. The symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, in the law school's E.J. Ball Courtroom and will also feature panels with nationally respected experts. Twelve guest scholars and practitioners will discuss arguments supporting and opposing the continuance of the death penalty in America.

Stroud's work toward putting a stop to the killing human beings in the name of justice has garnered him a place in the national debate about the continued use of the death penalty. He received the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project Champion of Justice Award, and he has spoken to a variety of groups and media outlets about his experiences. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, 20/20 and CNBC and has been a guest on NPR and National Public Radio in Canada.

In the same 2015 op-ed Stroud wrote, "Had I been more inquisitive, perhaps the evidence would have come to light years ago. But I wasn't, and my inaction contributed to the miscarriage of justice in this matter. Based on what we had, I was confident that the right man was being prosecuted and I was not going to commit resources to investigate what I considered to be bogus claims that we had the wrong man.

"My mindset was wrong and blinded me to my purpose of seeking justice, rather than obtaining a conviction of a person who I believed to be guilty. I did not hide evidence, I simply did not seriously consider that sufficient information may have been out there that could have led to a different conclusion. And that omission is on me."

Stroud was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from St. Louis University in 1973 and graduated with honors from Louisiana State University School of Law in 1976. After law school, he served as a law clerk for the Hon. Tom Stagg in the Western District of Louisiana. He then worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Louisiana for six years, the last two of which he was chief of the criminal section. Subsequently, he became the first assistant district attorney in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and served in that office for six years.

In private practice since 1989, Stroud has general trial practice in the federal, state and local courts of Louisiana. He is a member of the Bars of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Western, Middle and Eastern District Courts of Louisiana.

The Arkansas Law Review Symposium is worth six hours of continuing legal education credit, and the public is invited to attend. Admission is free but registration is requested. Register here to reserve your seat.