Houston — Weeping with joy, an aspiring author was released from jail Friday after spending more than five months behind bars for refusing to hand over her notes about a society murder.
"I'm just very grateful to be free," Vanessa Leggett said with her husband, Doak, at her side. "Downtown Houston never looked so good. I feel good I was able to maintain my journalistic integrity so far."
Leggett, 33, was freed after 168 days in jail because the federal grand jury that demanded her research ended its term Friday, said her attorney, Mike DeGeurin.
However, federal prosecutors have indicated they will again ask Leggett for her research. Another grand jury could be convened as early as next week and she could be subpoenaed to appear.
Leggett said she would be more than willing to go back to jail rather than turn over her notes.
"If that's what it takes, that's what it takes," she said. "This is not so much about me. It's about the public's right to a free and independent press."
Kesha Handy, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office, declined to comment.
Leggett is working on a book about the murder of Doris Angleton, who was shot to death in 1997. Authorities suspect her husband, Robert Angleton, hired his brother Roger to kill his wife. Robert Angleton was acquitted in 1998 in state court, but federal agents are now investigating him.
Roger Angleton killed himself in jail 10 months after the slaying, leaving behind a note exonerating his brother. Leggett interviewed him before the suicide.
Leggett was jailed on contempt charges July 20 after refusing to answer the grand jury's questions about confidential sources and not turning over copies of her notes.
Federal prosecutors contend Leggett is not a journalist and does not fall under the First Amendment's protection of the press. Leggett, who has taught English and criminal justice courses at the University of Houston, has never published a book or news articles.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Leggett's incarceration. DeGeurin has appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court in hopes of protecting Leggett from being jailed again.
According to the Reporters' Committee for Freedom of the Press, her incarceration for withholding notes is a record for a journalist in the United States. Los Angeles Herald-Examiner reporter William Farr spent 46 days behind bars for refusing to disclose source material related to the Charles Manson trial in 1972.
Leggett said she looked forward to resuming work on her book and plans to incorporate her jail experience.
"To not have your freedom is to not be human," she said. "To have that taken from you is devastating."
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.