Clarence David Hill (pic­tured) has been freed after spend­ing near­ly 16 years on Arizona’s death row. Hill, who is ter­mi­nal­ly ill, recent­ly had his 1st-degree mur­der con­vic­tion and death sen­tence over­turned. Though he main­tains his inno­cence in the 1989 mur­der of his land­lord, Hill chose to avoid the prospect of a new tri­al by accept­ing an agree­ment that allowed him to plead guilty to 2nd-degree mur­der and be sen­tenced to time already served. Hill’s attor­ney not­ed that his client only took the plea agree­ment so that he could be with his family.

(Associated Press, October 14, 2005). See Innocence.

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