Blume

John Blume, Cornell professor of law, will be a major player March 9 when CNN broadcasts the premiere of a new eight-part documentary series, “Death Row Stories,” produced by Robert Redford and narrated by actress Susan Sarandon, who won an Academy Award for her role in “Dead Man Walking.”

Blume also will co-host a discussion on the legal issues pertaining to the first episode with executive producers and other guests on Google Hangout, Wednesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public but requires an RSVP.

The first one-hour episode, airing at 9 p.m., March 9, focuses on Edward Lee Elmore, who was freed in March 2012 after 31 years of imprisonment. He had been convicted of capital murder after less than three hours of jury deliberation when he was 23 in 1982. During the lengthy appeal process that ensued, “the state’s case began to unravel,” says Blume, director of Clinical, Advocacy and Skills Programs in the Law School as well as the Cornell Death Penalty Project. In 1987, Blume argued Elmore’s third direct appeal and has been involved in the case ever since.

“Students in the Cornell Capital Punishment Clinic were involved in the case over the years and assisted in the investigation for the intellectual disability hearing that resulted in the commutation of the death sentence and the briefing in the district court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit which resulted in his conviction being overturned,” Blume said.

The premiere episode “follows [Diana] Holt [who while she was an intern working for Blume developed most of the evidence establishing Elmore’s innocence] and Elmore as the defense team embarks on a roller coaster ride through the criminal justice system, discovering negligence and cover-ups all along the way,” said CNN’s website.

Each week, the series will examine a different death penalty case. “This series is about the search for justice and truth, we are pleased to ... tell these important stories and give a voice to these cases,” said Redford.

The series is a collaboration among CNN, Jigsaw Productions and Sundance Productions.