Matter of Judgment

A defense attorney in Florida's Broward County, Varon took on his most frustrating case in 1967, agreeing to defend police officer Robert Erler, charged with the murder of 12-year-old Merilyn Clark, whose mother was shot at the time but survived. The police, according to Varon, were determined to convict their fellow officer, who found the body, so they withheld exculpatory evidence and perjured themselves; induced the mother, Dorothy Clark, to identify the suspect in court; and were aided by an outspokenly anti-Erler judge. Erler was convicted and sentenced to 99 years plus. With the twin stigmas of being an ex-policeman and a child killer, he suffered severe persecution from the other inmates. After his appeal was denied, Erler escaped and spent eight months on a spree of sex, drugs and crime and was wounded during his recapture. Meanwhile, a reporter got the state's star witness to admit to perjury, but back in prison there was another twist: Erler ``found God'' and confessed to the crime. Varon's verdict: ``More than likely the real killer is still out there.'' Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.)