Charlie Crist, the Florida governor petitioned by that uber-Doors fan Dave Diamond to pardon the late Jim Morrison for a 1970 indecent exposure and profanity conviction relating to an incident at a gig in Miami, has said that he is actually giving the idea some serious consideration.
The conviction came about after Morrison, apparently drunk at the gig, was accused by police of exposing himself, an allegation the singer denied. He appealed the conviction, but died before it he could go back to court over it. Crist, referring to Morrison's youth and his untimely death at just 27 years of age, said: "That's really a kid, when you think about it, and obviously he was having some challenges. There's some dispute about how solid the case was. Trying to clear his name and then he dies. If you have a heart pounding in your chest, that has to tug at you a little bit. It should".
As previously reported, the aforementioned fan Diamond wrote to Crist last month, pointing out that there were never any photos or video footage to support the case and that there were no witnesses who could claim with certainty that they had seen the singer expose himself. Diamond also pointed out that comedian Lenny Bruce was pardoned over an obscenity charge by New York Governor George Pataki almost forty years after his death.