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AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry will be in Fort Worth on Friday to formally present the family of Tim Cole with a posthumous pardon he granted the wrongfully convicted inmate this month.
"While nothing will ever make up for the time Tim Cole lost with his family while he was wrongfully imprisoned, Gov. Perry is hopeful the posthumous pardon will bring them a measure of peace," Perry's spokeswoman Allison Castle said. "The governor wants to personally deliver the pardon to the family."Cole, who died in prison in 1999 while serving a 25-year sentence, was exonerated by a Travis County judge last year after DNA testing cleared him of the 1985 rape of a Texas Tech student. Another man, Jerry Wayne Johnson, had sent a letter to Cole's mother confessing to the crime.The final step in the family's quarter-century effort to clear Cole's name came on March 1, when Perry signed the pardon papers on the recommendation of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.Cole's 73-year-old mother, Ruby Session, his sister and five brothers will attend the ceremony at 2:30 p.m. at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel, along with others who supported the family's efforts to seek justice for Cole. The rape victim, who worked to exonerate Cole after his innocence became evident, is also expected to attend, said Cole's brother Cory Session.Perry will present the pardon document and a flag that flew over the state Capitol.DAVE MONTGOMERY IS CHIEF OF THE STAR-TELEGRAM'S AUSTIN BUREAU. 512-476-4294
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