Mike:
Good one on the absence of any reaction to Damon's playing possum for 10 years....particularly from the press, if not legal circles.
On the absence of any legal reaction....it was, after all, the murder of a prostitute. Suffice to say, had the murder occurred in 2012 and Damon come forward this year in 2022, there probably would have been a shitstorm of criticism aimed at Damon. if not definitely would have been. Factor in that a state Governor ( Voorhees) backed Damon up giving him a likely 'way out' of any legal trouble.
But the absence of a press reaction raises eyebrows. Charles Russell was alive and so was Jacob Riis. Without being to provide dates of death of the reporters who were so outraged, I'm pretty certain most were still alive.
Weird that the outrage displayed in some circles at the original verdict never materialized....considering the time, effort and expenses the French consulate put into the failed pardon campaigns, you'd think they'd want to know why Damon kept a low profile during the failed efforts...which is why I firmly believe Damon would have never come forward with the key or key story. John R. Lee may have also been covering his own ass in a sense. Since it was he that opened his mouth, perhaps he thought his name would appear in the papers. It did... but only when Damon mentioned Lee's name in the paper, effectively dragging him into the mix.