| Overview |
In March 1999, Karen Tipton, a mother of two and the wife of psychiatrist Dr. David Tipton, was found stabbed 28 times in her Decatur, Ala., home. It is a case that has left many victims in its wake - two children forced to grow up without their mother, a husband who mourns his wife, a mother who stands by her son in his fight for freedom, and Daniel Wade Moore, whose life has hung in the balance of an unprecedented legal battle.
Moore, then a drug user, was only 24 when he was arrested for Tipton's murder after confessing to his uncle that he was at the scene of the crime. In a move that further convinced authorities of his guilt, Moore stabbed himself with a penknife during a break in police questioning.
Moore, however, says that he is not guilty, explaining that his confession was false, spurred on by his simple desire to fabricate a story so horrific that his family would leave him alone and he could return to his drug lifestyle. Investigators found this explanation hard to believe and despite questionable physical evidence, a jury agreed. Moore was sentenced to death for the murder of Karen Tipton. But this case was far from over.
Erin Moriarty reports. |