Entries tagged with “Prosecutorial misconduct”

Jan 23, 2020

A ​‘Perfect Storm’ of Injustice — Death-Row Prisoner Christopher Williams Exonerated in Philadelphia Murder Case

In a case pros­e­cu­tors now describe as a ​“per­fect storm” of injus­tice, Pennsylvania death-row pris­on­er Christopher Williams (pic­tured) and his co-defen…

Apr 10, 2018

After 22 Years, District Attorney’s Office to Examine Possible Innocence of Philadelphia Death-Row Prisoner

Twenty-two years after Walter Ogrod (pic­tured) was sen­tenced to death for a mur­der he insists he did …

May 18, 2022

Alabama Appeals Court Rules Trial Court Did Not Abuse Discretion in Denying New Trial for Death-Row Prisoner Toforest Johnson

Ignoring entreaties from judges, pros­e­cu­tors, and state bar pres­i­dents, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has denied a new tri­al to death-row pris­on­er Toforest Johnson. On May 6, 2022, the state appeal…

Mar 23, 2020

Alabama Judge Denies New Trial for Toforest Johnson

A Birmingham judge has denied a new tri­al to Alabama death-row pris­on­er Toforest Johnson (pic­tured, cen­ter), say­ing he had not proven his claim that his con­vic­tion and death sen­tence for the killing of a sheriff’s deputy in 1995 were the prod­uct o…

Sep 19, 2019

American Bar Association Death Penalty Representation Project Has Removed 100 Prisoners from Death Row

In February 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit over­turned the con­vic­tion and death sen­tence of Tennessee death-row prisoner 

May 15, 2020

As Blood Spatter Evidence Causes Jurors to Question His Guilt, Missouri Prepares to Execute Walter Barton

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has vacat­ed a stay of exe­cu­tion for Missou…

Jun 23, 2021

As More Evidence of Innocence Emerges, 34 Oklahoma Legislators Call on Governor for Investigation of Death-Row Prisoner Richard Glossip’s Conviction

Following addi­tion­al rev­e­la­tions that Richard Glossip (pic­tured) may be inno­cent of the mur­der that sent him to Oklahoma’s death row in 1998, a bipar­ti­san group of 34 state leg­is­la­tors are call­ing upon Gov…

Jan 30, 2023

Attorneys for Kevin Cooper Respond to Special Counsel Report

Kevin Cooper (pic­tured) is a death-row pris­on­er in California who was con­vict­ed of mur­der­ing four peo­ple in 1985. He has main­tained his inno­cence of the offense. On January 13, 2023, a spe­cial coun­sel appoint­ed by Governor Gavin Newsom to conduct …

Mar 14, 2018

California Supreme Court Grants New Trial to Man Sent to Death Row 25 Years Ago by False Forensic Evidence

The California Supreme Court has vacat­ed the con­vic­tion of Vicente Figueroa Benavides (pic­tured), say­ing that the foren­sic evi­dence that sent the for­mer Mexican farm­work­er to death row 25 years ago was ​“exten­sive,…

May 18, 2020

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of May 18, 2020

NEWS (5/​22/​2020) — Washington, D.C.: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has stayed the issuance of its man­date in the fed­er­al exe­cu­tion-pro­to­col lawsuit 

Aug 09, 2020

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of August 3, 2020

NEWS (8/​6/​20) — Connecticut: The Connecticut Supreme Court grant­ed a new tri­al to for­mer death-row pris­on­er Lazale Ashby. The court ruled that the pro…

Jun 28, 2021

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of June 21, 2021

NEWS (6/​25/​21) — Alabama: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has affirmed an Alabama fed­er­al dis­trict court deci­sion dismissing 

Jun 07, 2021

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of May 31, 2021

NEWS (6/​4/​21) — Arizona: The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2016 deci­sion in Lynch v. Arizona, which struck down the state’s uncon­sti­tu­tion­al refusal to instruct cap­i­tal-sen­tenc­ing juries that defend…

Jan 24, 2022

Capital Case Roundup — Florida Supreme Court Grants New Trials in Two Death Penalty Cases

May 04, 2015

Charges Dropped Against Willie Manning; Becomes 153^rd Death Row Exoneree

On April 21, 2015, Oktibbeha County (Mississippi) District Attorney Forrest Allgood announced that he would drop charges against death row inmate 

Jan 18, 2019

Citing Evidence of Innocence, Race Discrimination, Georgia Court Grants New Trial to Former Death-Row Prisoner

A Georgia judge has grant­ed a new tri­al to Johnny Lee Gates (pic­tured recent­ly, right, and at the time of tri­al, left) based on new evi­dence that excludes him as the source of DNA on imple­ments used by the killer …

Nov 11, 2021

Citing Race Discrimination, Nashville Judge Reverses Conviction of Tennessee Death-Row Prisoner Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman, Approves Plea Deal for Life Sentence

A Nashville judge has for a sec­ond time approved a plea deal that would remove Abu-Ali Abdur’Rahman from Tennessee’s death row and resen­tence him to life with­out pos­si­bil­i­ty of parole. On November…

Dec 15, 2021

Citing Vindictive Prosecution, El Paso Judge Dismisses Capital Murder Case

A Texas tri­al judge has dis­missed all charges against an El Paso mur­der defen­dant, say­ing that the deci­sion to seek the death penal­ty against him was a prod­uct of ​“pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al vin­dic­tive­ness.” In an or…

Nov 19, 2019

Civil Rights Groups File Class Action Lawsuit Against Mississippi Prosecutor Over Systemic Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection

Two civ­il rights orga­ni­za­tions have filed a class action law­suit against Mississippi pros­e­cu­tor Doug Evans (pic­tured) seek­ing an end to what they describe as a ​“pol­i­cy, cus­tom, and usage of racial­ly discriminatory…

Jan 25, 2022

Clinton Young Free Pending Retrial After 20 Years on Texas Death Row

Former Texas death-row pris­on­er Clinton Young has been released from cus­tody near­ly twen­ty years after being sen­tenced to death for a dou­ble mur­der he has con­sis­tent­ly said he did not com­mit. Young, pict…

Aug 21, 2020

Commentary: Tennessee’s Commitment to Racial Justice Tested as Attorney General Continues to Push for Execution in Case Rife with Racial Bias

Declaring that “[r]acism still exists and has no place in soci­ety,” the Tennessee Supreme Court on June 25, 2020 direct­ed its Access to Justice Commission (AJC) to cre­ate ​“a new ini­tia­tive to iden­ti­fy and elim­i­nate bar­ri­ers to rac…

May 21, 2021

Court Halts Execution of Terminally Ill Idaho Death-Row Prisoner

An Idaho tri­al court has stayed the sched­uled June 2, 2021 exe­cu­tion of Gerald Pizzuto, Jr. (pic­tured), halt­ing state pros­e­cu­tors’ efforts to put the hos­pice-bound ter­mi­nal­ly ill pris­on­er to death before his stage…

Sep 08, 2020

Curtis Flowers Exonerated in Mississippi After Attorney General Drops All Charges

After six tri­als marred by pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct and racial prej­u­dice, draw­ing a scathing rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court, for­mer Mississippi death-row pris­on­er Curtis Flowers (pic­tured with the ankle monito…

Sep 13, 2021

Death-Row Exoneree Curtis Flowers Sues Mississippi Prosecutor Who Prosecuted Him Six Times

Former Mississippi death-row pris­on­er Curtis Flowers (pic­tured), who was exon­er­at­ed in 2020, is suing the offi­cials whose mis­con­duct led to his arrest and repeat­ed wrong­ful con­vic­tion. Flowers was tried six times…

Sep 28, 2021

Death-Row Exonerees in Ohio, Oklahoma Receive Million Dollar Payments for Their Wrongful Convictions

Two men exon­er­at­ed from death row, one in Ohio and one in Oklahoma, have received mil­lion ‑dol­lar pay­outs for their wrong­ful con­vic­tions and death sen­tences. Both were tried and con­vict­ed in coun­ties with long his…

Jul 24, 2020

Defense Seeks DNA Testing for Pervis Payne, Alleging Racism, Hidden Evidence, and Intellectual Disability Led to Wrongful Conviction

The Innocence Project and fed­er­al defend­ers have filed a motion in a Shelby County, Tennessee tri­al court seek­ing DNA test­ing of phys­i­cal evi­dence hid­den by pros­e­cu­tors for 30 years that they believe will exon­er­ate death-row priso…

Jul 29, 2015

Delaware Prosecutor Suspended for Misconduct in Capital Trial

The Supreme Court of Delaware vot­ed unan­i­mous­ly on July 27 to sus­pend for­mer Deputy Attorney General R. David Favata as a result of his mis…

Dec 28, 2015

Delaware Supreme Court Overturns Third Death Sentence in Two Years Due to Prosecutorial Misconduct

For the third time in two years, the Delaware Supreme Court has reversed the con­vic­tion of a death row inmate because his tri­al was taint­ed by pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct. On December 14, the court ordered a retri­al for 

Jul 29, 2021

DNA Exonerates Georgia Man Who Had Waived His Appeals to Avoid Wrongful Execution

When Dennis Perry stood with his defense team on the steps of the Brunswick, Georgia cour­t­house (pic­tured) after a tri­al judge dis­missed all charges against him, he was a free man, exon­er­at­ed of the racial­ly motiv…

Aug 06, 2021

DPIC Analysis: 13 Exonerated in 2020 From Convictions Obtained by Wrongful Threat or Pursuit of the Death Penalty

A Death Penalty Information Center analy­sis of data from the National Registry of Exonerations has found that law enforce­ment use or threat of cap­i­tal pros­e­cu­tion against sus­pects or wit­ness­es con­tributed to the w…

Aug 26, 2022

DPIC Analysis: At Least a Dozen Exonerations in 2021 Involved the Wrongful Threat or Pursuit of the Death Penalty

A Death Penalty Information Center review of data from the National Registry of Exonerations has found that the pur­suit or threat­ened use of the death penal­ty by police or pros­e­cu­tors in nine dif­fer­ent states led …

Oct 23, 2020

DPIC Analysis: Use or Threat of Death Penalty Implicated in 19 Exoneration Cases in 2019

Prosecutors or police used or threat­ened to use the death penal­ty as a coer­cive tool that led to or extend­ed the wrong­ful con­vic­tions of at least nine­teen peo­ple who were exon­er­at­ed in 2019, a Death Penalty Information Center analy­sis of data from…

Sep 10, 2020

Eight Years After Exoneration, Court Declares Joe D’Ambrosio ​‘Wrongfully Imprisoned’

Eight years after his exon­er­a­tion from death row, an Ohio tri­al court judge has declared that Joe D’Ambrosio (pic­tured) was ​“wrong­ful­ly impris­oned.” The August 31, 2020 rul­ing by Cuyahoga County C…

Sep 25, 2019

Execution Looms for One Texas Prisoner as Another Receives Stay from Texas Appeals Court

Texas is prepar­ing to exe­cute Robert Sparks (pic­tured, left), on September 25, 2019, as a sec­ond death-row pris­on­er, Stephen Barbee (pic­tured, below), received a stay from the Texas Court of Crim…

Apr 30, 2020

Federal Appeals Court Denies New Orleans Prosecutors Immunity for Allegedly Threatening Witnesses with Fake Subpoenas

A fed­er­al appeals court in New Orleans has ruled that Orleans Parish, Louisiana pros­e­cu­tors who ille­gal­ly issued fake sub­poe­nas to intim­i­date reluc­tant wit­ness­es into coop­er­at­ing in mur­der and oth­er crim­i­nal cases…

May 16, 2022

Federal Appeals Court Rules that Louisiana Prosecutor and Police Officer Who Fabricated Evidence are Not Immune from Civil Rights Lawsuit by Former Death-Row Prisoner

A pros­e­cu­tor and police offi­cer who fab­ri­cat­ed evi­dence to wrong­ful­ly con­vict a for­mer Louisiana death-row pris­on­er are not enti­tled to immu­ni­ty in a law­suit alleg­ing they ​“know­ing­ly and delib­er­ate­ly fab­ri­cat­ed” that tes­ti­mo­ny, th…

Oct 25, 2017

Federal Court Rules to Protect the Interest of Incompetent North Carolina Death-Row Exoneree

A fed­er­al judge has void­ed a con­tract that had pro­vid­ed Orlando-based attor­ney Patrick Megaro hun­dreds of thou­sands of dol­lars of com­pen­sa­tion at the expense of Henry McCollum (pic­tured left, with his broth­er Leon Brown), an intel…

Mar 29, 2016

Finding Prosecutorial Misconduct, Alabama Courts Grant Relief from Two Capital Convictions

In one week, courts in unre­lat­ed cas­es have grant­ed relief to two Alabama death row inmates because of pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct. On March 11, Alabama Circuit Judge Robert Smith dis­missed cap­i­tal charges against ex-state t…

Dec 29, 2016

First-Degree Murder Charges Dropped Against Two Former Pennsylvania Death Row Prisoners With Innocence Claims

On December 22, 2016, Pennsylvania pros­e­cu­tors dropped first-degree mur­der charges against two for­mer Pennsylvania death row pris­on­ers who have assert­ed their inno­cence for decades. In court­rooms 100 miles apart, Tyrone Mo…

Jan 02, 2018

Former Death-Row Prisoner Exonerated in Illinois, Seized by ICE

Former Illinois death-row pris­on­er Gabriel Solache (pic­tured), a Mexican nation­al whose death sen­tence was one of 157 com­mut­ed by Governor George Ryan in Jan…

Oct 22, 2014

Former Death-Row Prisoners Freed In North Carolina

On September 2, 2014, Leon Brown (above) and Henry McCollum (below) were exon­er­at­ed and released from prison in North Carolina.…

Apr 08, 2021

Former Florida Death-Row Prisoner with Innocence Claim Released Pending Outcome of Federal Appeal

More than thir­ty years after a Florida judge sen­tenced him to death fol­low­ing an 8 – 4 sen­tenc­ing rec­om­men­da­tion by an all-white jury, Crosley Green (pic­tured) has been freed. Citing Green’s age and health …

May 22, 2020

Former Georgia Death-Row Prisoner Reaches Deal Securing His Release After Serving 43 Years for a Murder He Says He Did Not Commit

Johnny Lee Gates (pic­tured) is free, 43 years after being sen­tenced to death in Georgia for a mur­der he has stead­fast­ly main­tained he did not com­mit. On May 15, 2020, Gates entered a so-called ​“Alford…

Dec 17, 2020

Former Pennsylvania Death-Row Prisoner Roderick Johnson is Freed After ​‘Egregious’ Prosecutorial Misconduct Bars Retrial

A for­mer Pennsylvania death-row pris­on­er has been freed, one month after the tri­al court barred his retri­al because of ​“egre­gious” pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct by the coun­ty dis­trict attor­ney. On December 1, 2020, Berks County…

May 02, 2017

Former Prosecutor on Trial on Charges that His Misconduct Led to Wrongful Execution of Cameron Willingham

John Jackson, the for­mer Navarro County, Texas pros­e­cu­tor and judge, is on tri­al for ethics vio­la­tions in the 1992 cap­i­tal tri­al of 

May 14, 2020

Former Prosecutor, Now on Arkansas Supreme Court, Cited for ​‘Bad Faith’ Destruction of Exculpatory Evidence in Death Penalty Case

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has found that a for­mer pros­e­cu­tor now serv­ing as a jus­tice on the Arkansas Supreme Court delib­er­ate­ly destroyed excul­pa­to­ry evi­dence in a case in which he had sought the d…

Aug 22, 2022

Fort Worth D.A. Urges Reversal of Death Sentence, Saying Trial Prosecutor ​‘Blatantly Lied’ to Jury that Victim’s Family Wanted Death Penalty

The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office has asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) to vacate Paul Storey’s death sen­tence, say­ing that his tri­al pros­e­cu­tor ​“bla­tant­ly lied” to his …

Aug 15, 2018

Fox Commentator: Oklahoma ​“Frontier Justice” Has Produced ​“Wretched Record” of Wrongful Capital Convictions

Calling Oklahoma ​“the noto­ri­ous home of ​‘Hang ​’Em High’ exe­cu­tions,” con­ser­v­a­tive com­men­ta­tor and Fox News con­trib­u­tor Michelle Malkin (pic­tured) has urged the state to adopt sytemic reforms to address its ​“wretch…

Dec 28, 2021

Georgia Man Exonerated 23 Years After Wrongful Capital Murder Conviction

Devonia Inman, sen­tenced to life in a cap­i­tal mur­der tri­al in which Georgia pros­e­cu­tors hid excul­pa­to­ry evi­dence, has been exon­er­at­ed 23 years after his wrong­ful con­vic­tion. On December 20, 2021, one mont…

Mar 16, 2020

Georgia Supreme Court Votes 9 – 0 for New Trial for Former Death-Row Prisoner Johnny Gates

More than forty years after he was con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death by an all-white Columbus, Georgia jury for the rape and mur­der of a 19-year-old white woman, Johnny Lee Gates (pic­tured) will be get­ting a new tri­al. On March 13,…

May 06, 2020

In Case Permeated with Race Bias, Tennessee Plans to Execute Possibly Innocent and Intellectually Disabled Black Man in Murder of White Woman

Pervis Payne (pic­tured) was young, black, and, he says, in the wrong place at the wrong time. The son of a min­is­ter, he is on death row in Tennessee, con­vict­ed of the hor­rif­ic mur­ders of a white woman and her two-…

Mar 19, 2015

INNOCENCE: Debra Milke Exonerated from Arizona Death Row

UPDATE: On March 23, 2015, Judge Rosa Mroz offi­cial­ly dis­missed the charges against Milke. Milke has been added to DPIC’s exon­er­a­tion list. 

Jul 31, 2020

Investigation Exposes History of Misconduct by Leading South Georgia Homicide Prosecutor in Death Penalty Cases

A promi­nent South Georgia pros­e­cu­tor, laud­ed for his suc­cess in cap­i­tal pros­e­cu­tions, has a his­to­ry of mis­con­duct in those cas­es, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution inves­tiga­tive report has dis­closed. Longtime Brunswick Judi…

Jan 20, 2017

Isaiah McCoy Exonerated from Delaware Death Row, the 157^th Death Row Exoneration Since 1973

Isaiah McCoy (pic­tured), a for­mer Delaware death row inmate, was exon­er­at­ed on January 19, 2017, when a judge acquit­ted him at a retri­al. He is the 157^th per­son exon­er­at­ed from death row in the United States, the first in 2017, an…

Oct 05, 2017

John Thompson, Death-Row Exoneree and Social Justice Activist, Has Died

Death-row exoneree John Thompson (pic­tured), described by Innocence Project New Orleans direc­tor Emily Maw, as ​“an amaz­ing force in the world” and a ​“nation­al leg­end,” died October 3 at a New Orleans

Sep 17, 2018

Jurors in Henry McCollum Case Reflect on How They Sentenced an Innocent Man to Death

Four years after intel­lec­tu­al­ly dis­abled broth­ers Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were exon­er­at­ed of the 1983 rape and mur­der of an 11-year-old g…

Aug 30, 2021

Jurors who Voted to Convict Toforest Johnson Now Support New Trial

Three mem­bers of the jury who vot­ed to con­vict and sen­tence Toforest Johnson (pic­tured, cen­ter) to death in his cap­i­tal tri­al in Birmingham in 1998 are now urg­ing Alabama’s courts to grant him a n…

Mar 23, 2018

Jury Notes Show Georgia Prosecutors Empaneled White Juries to Try Black Death-Penalty Defendants

New court fil­ings argue that Columbus, Georgia pros­e­cu­tors had a pat­tern and prac­tice of sys­tem­at­i­cal­ly strik­ing black prospec­tive jurors because of their race, dis­crim­i­na­to­ri­ly empan­elling all- or near­ly-all-white juries to try b…

Mar 21, 2019

Justices Express Concern About ​“Disturbing History” of Race Bias in Mississippi Death Penalty Case

The U.S. Supreme Court seems poised to grant a new tri­al to Curtis Flowers (pic­tured), an African-American death-row pris­on­er tried six times for the same mur­ders by a white Mississippi prosecutor…

Jul 06, 2020

Kareem Johnson Becomes Nation’s 170^th Death-Row Exoneree Since 1973

Former Pennsylvania death-row pris­on­er Kareem Johnson has been exon­er­at­ed, thir­teen years after being wrong­ful­ly con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death by a Philadelphia jury. On July 1, 2020, the Phila…

May 31, 2017

Las Vegas Prosecutor Who Obtained Wrongful Capital Conviction Engaged in Pattern of Misconduct

A Las Vegas, Nevada, judge — who, as a pros­e­cu­tor, com­mit­ted mis­con­duct in sev­er­al death-penal­ty tri­als — now faces judi­cial mis­con­duct charges aris­ing out of anoth­er mur­der case in which a defen­dant he pros­e­cut­ed has been grant­ed a h…

Oct 23, 2019

Louisiana Man Freed 42 Years After Wrongful Conviction in Death-Penalty Trial

A Louisiana pris­on­er wrong­ful­ly pros­e­cut­ed for cap­i­tal mur­der has agreed to a plea deal that secures his free­dom after spend­ing 42 years in prison for a crime he says he did not com­mit. With the assis­tance of the …

Jun 20, 2018

Louisiana Prisoner Alleges Prosecutor Got Death Verdict By Coercing Witness, Presenting Fabricated Testimony

Michael Wearry, a Louisiana pris­on­er whose con­vic­tion and death sen­tence were over­turned by the U.S Supreme Court in 2016 because pros­e­cu­tors w…

Nov 17, 2016

Louisiana Supreme Court Orders New Trial for Rodricus Crawford in Controversial Caddo Parish Death Penalty Case

The Louisiana Supreme Court has over­turned the con­vic­tion of Rodricus Crawford (pic­tured) and ordered that he be giv­en a new tri­al in a con­tro­ver­sial death penal­ty case that attract­ed nation­al atten­tion amid evide…

Aug 20, 2018

Military Commission Bars Guantánamo Death-Penalty Prosecutors From Using Statements by 9/​11 Detainees

A Guantánamo mil­i­tary com­mis­sion judge has barred pros­e­cu­tors from using state­ments five accused 9/​11 plot­ters made to the FBI after they had been sub­ject­ed to years of tor­ture in CIA black sites. On August 17, 2018, the military …

Sep 01, 2020

Mississippi Supreme Court Grants New Trial to Eddie Howard, Sentenced to Death by Junk Bite-Mark Evidence

The Mississippi Supreme Court has grant­ed a new tri­al to death-row pris­on­er Eddie Lee Howard, Jr. (pic­tured), find­ing that the com­bi­na­tion of sci­en­tif­i­cal­ly invalid bite-mark evi­dence used to con­vict him and new DNA evi­dence entit…

May 01, 2020

Missouri Supreme Court Denies Stay of May 19 Execution for Brain-Damaged Man Tried Five Times for the Same Murder

In a case long marred by pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct, the Missouri Supreme Court has denied a stay of exe­cu­tion for Walter Barton (pic­tured), reject­ing his claims of inno­cence and incom­pe­tence to be exe­cut­ed. The cou…

Aug 16, 2021

NBC’s ​‘Dateline’ Investigates the Wrongful Capital Conviction of Death-Row Exoneree Walter Ogrod

NBC’s true crime series, Dateline, fea­tured an episode on August 13, 2021 on the wrong­ful con­vic­tion and even­tu­al exon­er­a­tion of for­mer Philadelphia death-row pris­on­er Walter Ogrod (pic­tured). The episode, enti­tled ​“The I…

Mar 08, 2022

Nearly Six Years After Supreme Court Granted Him a New Trial, Timothy Foster Resentenced to Life

Timothy Foster, whose con­vic­tion and death sen­tence were over­turned by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016 because Georgia pros­e­cu­tors dis­crim­i­na­to­ri­ly struck Black jurors from serv­ing in his case, has been resentenced…

Sep 06, 2019

Nevada Man Convicted by Prosecutorial Misconduct and ​‘Woefully Inadequate’ Defense Counsel Released After 33 Years on Death Row

Thirty-three years after a tri­al a fed­er­al appeals court described as ​“a mix­ture of dis­turb­ing pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct and woe­ful­ly inad­e­quate assis­tance of coun­sel,” a Las Vegas tri­al court freed Paul Browning (…

Apr 14, 2021

Nevada State Assembly Passes Bill to Repeal Death Penalty and Resentence Death-Row Prisoners to Life

The Nevada State Assembly has passed a bill that would abol­ish the state’s death penal­ty and resen­tence the pris­on­ers cur­rent­ly on its death row to life with­out parole. It was the first time any death-penal­ty abo­li­tion bill had be…

Jul 07, 2021

NEW BOOK — Marc Bookman’s A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Essays

“The more peo­ple know about how the sys­tem of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment real­ly works, the less sup­port they will have for that pol­i­cy,” says Marc Bookman, the author of A Descending Spiral: Exposing the Death Penalty in 12 Es…

Jul 27, 2021

New Podcast: Capital Defense Lawyer Marc Bookman Discusses His New Book and the Systemic Defects that Have Sent the Death Penalty into ​‘A Descending Spiral’

Apr 05, 2018

NEW PODCAST — Racial Discrimination in Death-Penalty Jury Selection: A Conversation with Steve Bright

Race dis­crim­i­na­tion exists at every stage of the death-penal­ty process, says vet­er­an death-penal­ty and civ­il-rights lawyer Stephen B. Bright (pic­tured), but ​“the most per­va­sive dis­crim­i­na­tion that is going on is in jury selection.…

Jun 26, 2003

NEW RESOURCE: Report Reviews Prosecutorial Misconduct

“Harmful Error,” a new report released by the The Center for Public Integrity, is the end prod­uct of an exten­sive two-year review of pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct around the nation. The report notes that while many local pros­e­cu­tors per­form their diffi…

Mar 18, 2021

New York Judge Finds Queens Prosecutor Lied to Convict Three Men Wrongfully Imprisoned in 1990s Death-Penalty Case

A New York City judge has released three men from prison after 24 years impris­on­ment for mur­der, find­ing that a high-rank­ing pros­e­cu­tor in the Queens County District Attorney’s office delib­er­ate­ly con­cealed exculp…

Mar 12, 2020

News Brief — Federal Capital Case Dismissed Because of Prosecution’s 14-Year Delay

NEWS (3/​12/​20): Citing a 14-year delay by fed­er­al pros­e­cu­tors in bring­ing the case to tri­al, a 

Jun 05, 2015

North Carolina Governor Formally Pardons Two Death Row Exonerees

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory grant­ed par­dons to Leon Brown (l.) and Henry McCollum (cen­ter, r.), allow­ing the two men to receive com­pen­sa­tion for their wrong­ful con­vic­tions. Brown and McCollum are half-brot…

Mar 24, 2022

Ohio Appeals Court Grants Tyrone Noling Access to Police and Prosecutor Files Alleged to Contain Long-Hidden Exculpatory Evidence

An Ohio appeals court has ordered that death-row pris­on­er Tyrone Noling (pic­tured) be grant­ed access to pros­e­cu­tors’ and law enforce­ment files that may con­tain excul­pa­to­ry evi­dence that has been hid­den for decade…

Jul 20, 2018

Ohio Governor Commutes Death Sentence Based on Jurors Concerns About Unfair Sentencing

Ohio Governor John Kasich (pic­tured, left) has com­mut­ed the death sen­tence imposed on Raymond Tibbetts (pic­tured, right) to life with­out parole, in response to a juror’s con­cerns about the unfair­ness of the senten…

Feb 18, 2022

Oklahoma County Becomes Nation’s Third Most Prolific County Executioner as State Puts Intellectually Impaired Teen Offender to Death

When Oklahoma exe­cut­ed Gilbert Postelle on February 17, 2022, it came with a dubi­ous dis­tinc­tion. The intel­lec­tu­al­ly impaired man who was 18 years old at the time of his offense became the 44^th person …

Apr 14, 2016

Oklahoma Knew It Had Used Unauthorized Drug Months Before It Aborted Richard Glossip’s Execution

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections knew it had used an unau­tho­rized drug in the exe­cu­tion of Charles Warner near­ly six months before it almost repeat­ed t…

Sep 28, 2022

Oklahoma Lawmaker Calls for Investigation of Prosecutor for Deliberately Withholding Evidence of Innocence in Richard Glossip Retrial

An Oklahoma state rep­re­sen­ta­tive has called for an inves­ti­ga­tion into the prac­tices of the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office fol­low­ing addi­tion­al rev­e­la­tions that coun­ty pros­e­cu­tors delib­er­ate­ly withheld…

Nov 03, 2021

Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Again Recommends Commuting Julius Jones’ Death Sentence

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has for a sec­ond time rec­om­mend­ed that Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt grant clemen­cy to death-row pris­on­er Julius Jones (pic­tured dur­ing the clemen­cy hearing). …

Jul 22, 2020

Op-Ed by Death-Row Exoneree Derrick Jamison: ​“I was Within 90 Minutes of Execution for a Crime I Didn’t Commit”

Derrick Jamison sur­vived six death war­rants dur­ing his two decades on Ohio’s death row, com­ing with­in 90 min­utes of being exe­cut­ed. After he was exon­er­at­ed, on the day he walked free, his best friend on death row …

Sep 29, 2016

Orange County, California Crime Lab Accused of Doctoring Murder Testimony to Help Prosecutors

The Orange County, California Crime Lab has been accused of doc­tor­ing its tes­ti­mo­ny about DNA evi­dence to favor the pros­e­cu­tion, after a senior foren­sic ana­lyst offered con­flict­ing con­clu­sions that bol­stered the pros­e­cu­tion in two…

Aug 10, 2020

Orleans Parish D.A. Will Not Run for Re-Election, Tenure Tainted By Office Misconduct in Death-Penalty Cases

After 12 years as Orleans Parish, Louisiana District Attorney, Leon Cannizzaro (pic­tured) has announced that he will not seek re-elec­tion and will be retir­ing as D.A. at the end of this term. Cann…

Oct 20, 2016

OUTLIER COUNTIES: Former Death Penalty Capital Shows Signs of Change

Harris County, Texas, the coun­ty that leads the nation in exe­cu­tions, has served as a bell­wether in recent years of the nation­wide decline of the death penal­ty. Although the 10 new death sen­tences imposed in Harris County since 20…

Sep 23, 2016

OUTLIER COUNTIES: Legacy of Racism Persists in Caddo Parish, Which Had Nation’s Second-Highest Number of Lynchings

The death-sen­tenc­ing rate per homi­cide in Caddo Parish, Louisiana was near­ly 8 times greater between 2006 and 2015 than the rest of the state, mak­ing a paris…

Sep 17, 2021

OUTLIER COUNTIES: Ohio Death-Row Prisoner Challenges Sentence Based on Hamilton County Race Discrimination Study

An African-American man sen­tenced to death in Hamilton County, Ohio in 1999 for the mur­der of a white man is seek­ing to over­turn his con­vic­tion and death sen­tence based on evi­dence from a recent­ly pub­lished study …

Dec 28, 2016

OUTLIER COUNTIES: Orange County, California Plagued by Misconduct Scandals

Orange County, California imposed nine death sen­tences between 2010 and 2015, more than 99.8% of American coun­ties, and rank­ing it among the 6 most pro­lif­ic death-sen­tenc­ing coun­ties in the coun­try dur­ing that peri­od. Over …

Mar 17, 2022

Pennsylvania Court Finds State Trooper Fabricated Evidence, Awards Death-Row Prisoner Kevin Dowling New Trial

A Pennsylvania tri­al court has grant­ed a new tri­al to death-row pris­on­er Kevin Dowling (pic­tured), find­ing that pros­e­cu­tors with­held evi­dence that would have shown he was 40 miles away when their sole eye­wit­ness c…

Jun 21, 2022

Pennsylvania Teen Exonerated 91 Years After Sham Trial and Execution on Racially Motivated Charges that He Had Murdered a White Woman

An African-American teenag­er who was con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death in Pennsylvania on false charges that he had mur­dered a white woman has been exon­er­at­ed, 91 years after he was exe­cut­ed. On June 13, 2022, Delaw…

Mar 06, 2020

Philadelphia D.A. Says Death-Row Prisoner Walter Ogrod is ​‘Likely Innocent’

After a review of the case by its Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office has told a state tri­al court that death-row pris­on­er Walter Ogrod (pic­tured) is ​“like­ly inno­cent,” tha…

Dec 12, 2014

POSSIBLE INNOCENCE: Arizona Court Dismisses Charges Against Former Death Row Inmate

On December 11, an Arizona appeals court dis­missed charges against Debra Jean Milke and barred retri­al. Milke spent 22 years on death row on charg­ers of arrang­ing the 1989 mur­der of her 4‑year-old son. She was the first w…

Jun 20, 2019

Prosecutors Eavesdropped on 120 Confidential Defense Calls in Kentucky Death-Penalty Case

A Kentucky cap­i­tal defen­dant has moved to dis­miss all charges against him or to bar the death penal­ty in his case as a result of evi­dence that pros­e­cu­tors repeat­ed­ly eaves­dropped on priv­i­leged attor­ney-client tele­phone calls over …

Apr 23, 2020

Release of Former Virginia Death-Row Prisoner Delayed as Police Protest Grant of Parole

The release of a for­mer Virginia death-row pris­on­er has been delayed after police orga­ni­za­tions demand­ed an inquiry into the Virginia Parole Board deci­sion to grant parole to Vincent Lamont Martin 

Jul 17, 2017

Report Finds High Levels of Misconduct in Four Top Death Sentencing Counties

Four coun­ties that rank among the most aggres­sive users of cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment in the United States have pro­longed pat­terns of pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct, accord­ing to a new report by the Harvard-based Fair Punishment Project. The report, ​“The Recidi…

Oct 08, 2020

Report Finds Rampant Government Misconduct in Death-Row Exonerations, Especially in Cases with Black Defendants

A new report by the National Registry of Exonerations has found that police or pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct is ram­pant in death-row exon­er­a­tion cas­es and occurs even more fre­quent­ly when the wrong­ful­ly death-sen­tenced exoneree is Blac…

Apr 09, 2021

Report: 83% of Death Sentences Have Not Resulted in Executions Under Ohio’s ​‘Lethargic’ Death Penalty

Just one out of every six death sen­tences imposed in Ohio in the past forty years has result­ed in an exe­cu­tion, accord­ing to the Ohio Attorney General’s 2020 Ohio Capital Crimes Annual Report. The report, released by 

Sep 17, 2020

Robert DuBoise and Tina Jimerson Exonerated Decades After Wrongful Capital Prosecutions in Florida, Arkansas

A Florida man and an Arkansas woman, con­vict­ed of mur­der in sep­a­rate cas­es involv­ing junk sci­ence and pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct, have been exon­er­at­ed, decades after being wrong­ful­ly cap­i­tal­ly prosecuted. 

Dec 20, 2021

Rodney Reed Files New Petition Alleging Prosecutors Illegally Withheld Evidence for 23 Years

Prosecutors hid favor­able evi­dence from Texas death-row pris­on­er Rodney Reed dur­ing his 1998 tri­al for the mur­der of Stacey Stites and then argued for his exe­cu­tion claim­ing that the evi­dence did not exist, Reed’s…

Aug 29, 2019

Samuel Bonner freed 37 years after wrong­ful cap­i­tal pros­e­cu­tion in Los Angeles

Thirty-sev­en years after his wrong­ful cap­i­tal pros­e­cu­tion and con­vic­tion for a mur­der he did not com­mit, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has set Samuel Bonner free. Citing ​“gross pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al misconduct…

Apr 12, 2022

Samuel Randolph Exonerated from Pennsylvania Death Row as Prosecutors Withdraw Charges at Retrial

A Harrisburg, Pennsylvania tri­al court has grant­ed the appli­ca­tion of the Dauphin County District Attorney’s office to with­draw all charges against Samuel Randolph, IV, com­plet­ing his exon­er­a­tion of a dou­ble murde…

Jun 02, 2020

State Courts in Nevada, Pennsylvania Rule Prosecutorial Misconduct Bars Retrial, Exonerating Paul Browning and Kareem Johnson

State appeal courts in Nevada and Pennsylvania have barred the retri­al of two for­mer death-row pris­on­ers as a result of pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct, paving the way for their exon­er­a­tions. On January 24, 2020…

Oct 29, 2013

STUDIES: Prosecutorial Misconduct in Death Penalty Cases

In a four-part series on the con­duct of pros­e­cu­tors in cap­i­tal cas­es, The Arizona Republic exam­ined alle­ga­tions by appel­late attor­neys that pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct occurred in near­ly half of the state’s cap­i­tal cas­es since 2002. 

Jun 22, 2015

STUDY: ​“The Hidden Costs of Wrongful Capital Prosecutions in North Carolina”

A new study by North Carolina’s Center for Death Penalty Litigation exam­ines the finan­cial and human costs of cas­es in which, ​“pros­e­cu­tors sought the death penal­ty despite a clear lack of evi­dence, result­ing in acquit­tal or dismis…

May 23, 2016

Supreme Court Rules Georgia Prosecutors Struck Death Penalty Jurors Because They Were Black, Grants New Trial

On May 23, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court over­turned the con­vic­tion and death sen­tence of Timothy Foster (pic­tured) because Georgia pros­e­cu­tors improp­er­ly exer­cised their dis­cre­tionary jury strikes on the basi…

Nov 06, 2018

Supreme Court to Review Mississippi Death-Penalty Case in Which Prosecutor Systematically Excluded Black Jurors

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review whether a pros­e­cu­tor with a long his­to­ry of racial­ly dis­crim­i­na­to­ry jury-selec­tion prac­tices uncon­sti­tu­tion­al­ly struck black jurors in the tri­al of Mississippi death-row prisoner 

Jun 21, 2019

Supreme Court Vacates Conviction in Mississippi Death Penalty Case Finding Race Discrimination in Jury Selection

Finding that a Mississippi pros­e­cu­tor had inten­tion­al­ly struck black jurors in an attempt to empan­el as white a jury as pos­si­ble, the United States Supreme Court has over­turned the con­vic­tion of death-row pris­on­er Curtis G…

Sep 27, 2019

Tennessee Attorney General Asks State Supreme Court to Schedule Nine Executions and Undo Plea Deal that Took a Tenth Prisoner off Death Row

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery (pic­tured) has asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to set exe­cu­tion dates for an unprece­dent­ed nine death-row pris­on­ers, the largest exe­cu­tion request in the mod­ern history…

Mar 31, 2020

Texas Appeals Court Rejects Recommendation for New Trial for Death-Row Prisoner

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) has once again reject­ed the find­ings of a tri­al court that a death-row pris­on­er was enti­tled to relief from his con­vic­tion or death sen­tence. Applying a nar­row inter­pre­ta­tion of …

Sep 23, 2021

Texas Appeals Court Vacates Conviction of Death-Row Prisoner Clinton Young, Whose Prosecutor was Secretly on the Payroll of the Judge Who Tried Him

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) has vacat­ed the con­vic­tion of death-row pris­on­er Clinton Young, whose pros­e­cu­tor was also on the pay­roll of the judge who presided over the tri­al and decid­ed his tri­al co…

Oct 07, 2019

Texas Court Reimposes Death Sentence in Case Where Prosecutor Lied to Jury that the Victim’s Family Wanted the Death Penalty

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has rein­stat­ed the death sen­tence of Paul Storey (pic­tured), after a Tarrant County judge had reduced his sentence …

Mar 04, 2022

Texas Court Stays Michael Gonzales Execution to Permit Review of Claims of Intellectual Disability, Prosecutorial Misconduct

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has stayed the March 8, 2022 exe­cu­tion of death-row pris­on­er Michael Gonzales (pic­tured, sec­ond from left, with his legal team) based on evi­dence that he may be inel­i­gi­ble for t…

Oct 10, 2018

Texas Courts Rule for Two Death-Row Prisoners on Intellectual Disability, Junk-Science Claims

Two Texas pris­on­ers took steps away from death row as state courts ruled in their favor on issues involv­ing false or faulty sci­en­tif­ic evi­dence and argu­ment. On…

Sep 09, 2020

Texas Death-Row Prisoner Seeks New Trial Citing Hidden Evidence that Prosecutor was Paid to Work for Trial Judge in Same Case

Texas death-row pris­on­er Clinton Young (pic­tured), who came with­in days of exe­cu­tion in October 2017 while pros­e­cu­tors hid evi­dence of his inno­cence, has filed a claim for a new tri­al based upon pre­vi­ous­ly undiscl…

Mar 12, 2021

Texas Federal Appeals Court Refuses to Consider Suppressed Evidence of Dallas Prosecutors’ Race-Based Jury Selection Practices, Upholds Conviction and Death Sentence

A fed­er­al appeals court has per­mit­ted a Texas dis­trict court to dis­miss a death-row prisoner’s claim that Dallas pros­e­cu­tors uncon­sti­tu­tion­al­ly struck Black jurors in his case with­out con­sid­er­ing evi­dence of racia…

Oct 12, 2021

Texas Federal Court Stays Execution of Stephen Barbee on Religious Freedom Issue, Defense Seeks Review of False Forensic Testimony

A fed­er­al court in Texas has stayed the October 12, 2021 exe­cu­tion of Texas death-row pris­on­er Stephen Barbee on his claims that the state’s refusal to allow his spir­i­tu­al advi­sor to admin­is­ter last rites, touch h…

May 28, 2020

Texas Federal Judge Overturns Death-Row Prisoner’s Conviction, Finding Now-Celebrity TV Host Hid Evidence of Misconduct

A fed­er­al dis­trict court judge has over­turned the con­vic­tion and death sen­tence of Texas death-row pris­on­er Ronald Prible, find­ing that celebri­ty ​“true crime” host Kelly Siegler (pic­tured) had engaged in extensive…

Feb 28, 2019

Texas Plans to Execute Prisoner Whose Death Sentence Was Influenced by False and Unreliable Testimony

Texas is sched­uled to exe­cute Billie Wayne Coble (pic­tured) on February 28, 2019, despite court find­ings that two expert wit­ness­es who tes­ti­fied for the pros­e­cu­tion gave ​“prob­lem­at­ic” and ​“fab­ri­cat­ed” tes­ti­mo­ny at…

Nov 02, 2010

Texas Prosecutors Accuse Former District Attorney of Egregious Misconduct in Innocence Case

At a recent press con­fer­ence in Texas, pros­e­cu­tors accused for­mer dis­trict attor­ney Charles Sebesta of hid­ing and tam­per­ing with evi­dence, and of threat­en­ing wit­ness­es in order to convict 

Oct 10, 2017

Texas Set to Execute Robert Pruett for Prison Murder Despite Corruption and Lack of Physical Evidence

Though no phys­i­cal evi­dence links him to the crime, Texas is set to exe­cute Robert Pruett (pic­tured) on October 12 for the 1999 stab­bing death of a state cor­rec­tion­al offi­cer who …

Dec 22, 2020

Texas Supreme Court Orders Compensation for Death-Row Exoneree Alfred Dewayne Brown

The Texas Supreme Court has unan­i­mous­ly ruled that the state’s comp­trol­ler had no author­i­ty to deny death-row exoneree Alfred Dewayne Brown’s appli­ca­tion for com­pen­sa­tion after a tri­al court had declared him ​“actu…

Feb 15, 2023

Thirty-three Years After His Conviction, Former Death Row Prisoner Asks Supreme Court for Justice

Crosley Green was sen­tenced to death for mur­der in Florida in 1990 with an all-white non-unan­i­mous jury. He was removed from death row in 2009 and resen­tenced to life in prison. He has always main­tained his inno­cence and is now ask­ing the U.S. …

Sep 05, 2017

Three Years Later, Report Explores Lessons From Two North Carolina Death-Penalty Exonerations

On the third anniver­sary of their ground­break­ing exon­er­a­tion, a new report by the Center for Death Penalty Litigation (CDPL) reviews in-depth the long path from wrong­ful con­vic­tions and death sen­tences to free­dom trav­eled by forme…

May 04, 2021

Trial Court Recommends New Trial for Death-Row Prisoner Whose Prosecutor Secretly Also Served as the Court’s Law Clerk

Finding ​“brazen mis­con­duct” by a pros­e­cu­tor who with­held excul­pa­to­ry evi­dence from the defense and then secret­ly served as the tri­al judge’s law clerk in the case, a Midland County, Texas judge has rec­om­mend­ed tha…

Jun 21, 2016

U.S. Supreme Court Orders Reconsideration of Three Cases in Light of Jury Selection Decision

The U.S. Supreme Court grant­ed writs of cer­tio­rari in three jury dis­crim­i­na­tion cas­es on June 20, vacat­ing each of them and direct­ing state courts in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana to recon­sid­er the issue in light of the Court’s recent decisi…

Oct 16, 2017

USS Cole Lawyers Resign From Guantánamo Death-Penalty Defense, Say Government Spied on Client Communications

The U.S. Supreme Court has denied review of a peti­tion filed by lawyers on behalf of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri — accused of orches­trat­ing al-Qaida’s October 12, 2000 sui­cide bomb­ing of the USS Cole war­ship off the coa…

Dec 01, 2022

Utah Court Grants New Trial to Death-Row Prisoner Convicted in 1985 by False Testimony Coerced by Police

A Utah judge has grant­ed a new tri­al to death-row pris­on­er Douglas Carter, find­ing that pros­e­cu­tors know­ing­ly with­held from the defense evi­dence that police coerced false tes­ti­mo­ny from two key wit­ness­es, coached …

Apr 18, 2018

Vicente Benavides, Sentenced to Death by False Forensics, to Be Freed After 26 Years on Death Row

Mexican nation­al Vicente Figueroa Benavides (pic­tured), wrong­ly con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death in Kern County, California for sup­pos­ed­ly rap­ing, sodom­iz­ing, and mur­der­ing his girlfriend’s 21-month-old daughter, …

Jun 09, 2020

Walter Ogrod Exonerated After 23 Years on Pennsylvania’s Death Row

Twenty-eight years after Philadelphia pros­e­cu­tors first sought to take his life for the mur­der of four-year-old Barbara Jean Horn, Walter Ogrod (pic­tured, sec­ond from right, with mem­bers of his defense team) has b…

Oct 20, 2020

‘Keep Your Head Up and Don’t Give Up’ — Exoneree Curtis Flowers Gives an Illuminating First Interview to the In the Dark Podcast

In his first inter­view since his September 24, 2020 exon­er­a­tion, for­mer Mississippi death-row prison…

Jun 14, 2021

‘The Phantom’: A Documentary About the Wrongful Execution of Carlos DeLuna Premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival

A new doc­u­men­tary about the case of Carlos DeLuna, a like­ly inno­cent man who was exe­cut­ed in Texas in 1989, pre­mieres June 14, 2021 at the Tribeca Film Festival.