Kirk Osborn: A Tribute

Kirk Osborn had a well-deserved reputation as a skilled lawyer and fighter for justice. My sympathies are with his family and friends.

Obituaries have noted that Osborn represented on appeal Dawn Wilson, one of those falsely accused in the notorious Little Rascals case, which was marked by police and prosecutor abuses.

Wilson had been sentenced to life in prison based on the testimony of children that they had been sexually abused by her and others when the children were three and four year olds at the Little Rascals preschool, where Wilson worked as a cook.

The prosecution “helped” the children “remember what happened to them” by having a
“counselor” and the children’s parents do “homework” with them so they would “recover their memories.”

As with the Duke lacrosse frame-up, the Little Rascals case began to fall apart when fairly examined.

During the appeal process, the State of North Carolina offered Wilson a number of plea deals, the last one of which would have set her free based on time served. She refused, protesting her innocence and running the risk the she might remain in prison the rest of her life.

A lot of attorneys would have “leaned” on Wilson to take the state’s offer. Osborn didn’t. He respected and believed in Wilson, and was ready to “fight it out” with her.

She and he were successful on appeal for dismissal of her conviction. The state later dropped all charges against her.

You can read more about the case here and about Osborn’s involvement here.

Bill Anderson has written for years about the injustices of the Little Rascals case. I feel sure he'll write something about Osborn.

KC Johnson posts a number of tribute comments from friends, colleagues and readers at Remembering Kirk Osborn

I know others have and will update this post this evening.