Cases of Errors in the Conviction and Botched Executions
In 2001, the
Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Law School analyzed the cases of 86 death row exonerates. They found a number of reasons why innocent people are wrongly convicted in capital cases. The reasons included:
eyewitness error - from confusion or faulty memory.
government misconduct - by both the police and the prosecution
junk science - mishandled evidence or use of unqualified "experts"
snitch testimony - often given in exchange for a reduction in sentence
false confessions - resulting from mental illness or retardation, as well as from police torture
other - hearsay, questionable circumstantial evidence, etc.
Adams, Randall Dale (convicted 1977, exonerated 1989) — Mr. Adams was sentenced to death
for the murder of a police officer in Dallas County, Texas. A purported eyewitness, who in fact
was the actual killer, framed Mr. Adams and received immunity from prosecution in exchange
for his testimony. Mr. Adams was not involved in the crime. The facts came to light after filmmaker
Errol Morris took an interest in the case and produced a now-famous documentary — The
Thin Blue Line — about the case. Mr. Adams and the victim were white. Time lapsed from arrest
to exoneration: 147 months.
Charles, Earl Patrick (convicted 1975, exonerated 1978) — Mr. Charles was sentenced to
death for the murder of a furniture store owner and his son during a robbery in Chatham County,
Georgia. The key evidence against Mr. Charles was eyewitness testimony from a surviving
witness who had failed initially to identify him in a photo spread. The prosecution also presented
an informant who claimed to have heard Mr. Charles confess to the killing. While a motion for a
new trial was pending, a reinvestigation by the prosecution discovered that a detective had
coached both the eyewitness and the informant; the latter eventually admitted that he made up
the story at the detective’s behest. The prosecution joined in the motion for a new trial and, when
it was granted, dropped the charges. Mr. Charles received a $75,000 civil rights settlement for
the detective’s misconduct. Mr. Charles was black, the victims white. Time lapsed from arrest to
exoneration: 43 months.
Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty." Crimes Punishable by the Death Penalty. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016
