This blog covers any and all issues–wherever they arise in the world–related to the problem of wrongful conviction of the innocent.
The goals of the blog are to:
- provide a single location on the web where one can go daily to find updated news and commentary relating to wrongful convictions
- spur debate, discussion and learning on the issue
- create a repository where, through time, nearly all media and information about wrongful convictions will be accessible and searchable in one location.
Read our diversity of language policy here.
Thank you for stopping by.
Wrongful Convictions Blog 
Congratulations, Mark Godsey, and thank you for this new forum for the discussion and sharing of information relating to wrongful conviction worldwide. This is a significant contribution to expanding awareness of miscarriages of justice and identifying best practices in criminal justice.
I am currently working with Martin Yant right now on a wrongful conviction case. I was unaware until now, what an ongoing issue this is. Congratulations on your new blog. May it facilitate future awareness, justice and miracles where needed…
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We have just revised the No justice for James website and blog about the wrongful conviction if James Rodriguez, sponsoree of NCRJ. We are ecstatic to see a wrongful conviction blog with an esteemed editor and contributing editor panel. We need more sites and blogs to share the personal stories of those who are wrongfully convicted but pled under duress or have no DNA to exonerate them, and must live with the label of the pariah for the rest of their lives.
It is possible to be “guilty”, yet still be a victim of a “wrongful conviction”.
And it can be extraordinarily difficult to overturn the conviction.
Congratulations, great blog!
I have learned of your efforts for justice through the These Stone Walls blog about the wrongful conviction of Catholic priest, Fr. Gordon MacRae, a sponsoree of NCRJ. I echo others who welcome this new forum for justice and truth. Thank you, Mark Godsey, for stepping up.
Ryan Ferguson is an innocent Missouri man wrongly convicted of a crime he had nothing to do with. He has been incarcerated for over 9 years even though the only witnesses have since recanted and admitted to perjury under oath. Please read more at FreeRyanFerguson.com JusticeForRyanFerguson.com and if you would like to support Ryan, you may sign the Petition (Change.Org) and “Like” the Free Ryan Ferguson Facebook page.
There are so many injustices in the U.S. I’ve come to see that the laws of the land are very bias and have double standards. My 19yr old nephew and his 2 friends were attacked at a gas station by being pulled out of their vehicle that led to a fatal shooting. I don’t know how you are suppose to retaliate with total strangers pulling you out of your vehicle and threatening your life that are within the law but I’m sure human instinct and fear would kick in. The trial judge denied my nephew self defense before jury deliberations. The prosecution never denied or disproved self defense. The prosecution then came in at sentencing and falsely stated that my nephew was in a gang and this incident was gang related. They could not say this during the trial because it would have been illegal. They used my nephew’s tattoos and rap songs against him. They used a black police detective to speak against my nephew at sentencing, stating that he was the ring leader of a gang, raped woman and children and the elderly but he testified he didn’t know my nephew and has never seen him. My nephew has never been in a gang. What typical 19yr old doesn’t listen to rap or have a tattoo??
How can attackers become victims?? Where is the Self Defense and Stand Your Ground for my nephew?? Because of the false gang info, my nephew was sentenced to 20yrs. No prior convictions…were is the justice???
Kamile, I am sorry to hear about the pain that you and your family have been subjected too. All I can offer is the fact that you are not alone. My family is also the victim of a criminal justice system derailed to attack the innocent rather than the criminal. We become victims because we are vulnerable, and law enforcement investigations in some areas focus on those that are vulnerable rather than those that are guilty. I have been fighting a wrongful conviction for over seven years and, so far, have won. My advice is to become less vulnerable. Know your rights, know the rights of family members targeted by this system and fight for your life and the lives of those you love. I have seen a growing awareness of the problems within the criminal justice system and I expect this trend to grow as more of us become affected and find ways to voice our experiences. Keep talking, keep writing, keep complaining and don’t stop until law enforcement is forced to follow the law. My prayers are with you and your family.
That is a very sad story. Yet… If anyone has been sucker punched by this injustice system… They know that what you wrote ✍…. rings true. (((hugs)))
Hello. I’ve attached a link to a website which will introduce you to our dear friend who has been wrongfully convicted and is currently awaiting sentencing. Any insight/help would be greatly appreciated.
Guilty until proven innocent! How has the system become so backwards? My boyfriend left his wife 2 years ago and the day after he filed for divorce his now ex-wife, her daughter and granddaughter accused him of rape and indecent liberties with a child in 2 different counties saying things happened continually over the previous 12 years sounds a little far fetched doesn’t it? They first initiated the allegations on facebook letting the whole world know reaching out for sympathy and they even printed that they were going to smear and ruin him. He was then arrested a month later for 3 charges and then another month later for 2 more charges. There is NO PROOF it is simply a case of their word and they are known liars and manipulators and they continue to make up more and more lies as none of their stories are the same anytime they tell them. They have ruined his life he was let go from his well paid job, is not able to participate in organizations that he has been involved in through his lifetime and so many other life altering things have happened and all for what? Because his ex-wife wants all the possessions they had and money and revenge because he and I had an affair (she was no angel either). The DA’s know that they have very un-credible witnesses but they continue to proceed with the trial and charges I guess because they are way to concerned with another conviction on their record but yet they are wasting tax payer money. No one will hold them accountable for their lies and they are getting away with it. How can they be stopped. He is awaiting sentencing for sexual aggravated battery they found him not guilt of rape and we still have another trial to go through for the other county charges. The problem is so many things are not allowed to be brought up in court and they are made out to be the victims when he is actually the victim of marrying a crazy family. It is frustrating and maddening and the sad part is that I am finding out this happens to so many men and is so common. It does an injustice to those that are actually raped or abused as a child. If these things were happening over a 12 year period then why did they continue to associate with him and be around him? His step-daughter and granddaughter (those accusing him) would call him if they were in trouble before they would call his wife no if he was so dangerous then why be around him? Rape and molest victims don’t want to be anywhere near the accused but yet a month before they accused him there are pictures of all of them together on FB. I am at my end and this is such a huge injustice and I am now determined to do all that I can do to bring the word to all I can how often this occurs and get as many of these situations stopped that I can. Some may say I am obsessed but wrong is wrong and this has to be stopped.
Hi,
I’ve attached a link to a website which will introduce you to our dear friend who has been wrongfully convicted. I notice in several of the threads in this forum a very similar theme.
freesimon.com.au
Could you please take a moment and sign this petition to help my aunt receive home incarceration upon her sentencing. Thank you.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/260/424/941/petition-for-home-incarceration/
Please take a moment to sign this petition on behalf of my family member who was was wrongfully convicted as a juvenile 17 years ago. Wayne’s trial is coming up in September to prove his innocence. Thank you in advance and please feel free to contact me with any petitions as well.
http://www.change.org/petitions/honorable-joseph-g-kazmierski-jr-circuit-judge-of-cook-county-please-exonerate-my-brother-wayne-s-antusas?share_id=eKUOVvgNMQ&utm_campaign=share_button_action_box&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition
Here is a case somebody should research.
Esar Met was just sentenced to life without parole for a horrendous crime he probably did not commit. I made a website with the basdic facts addressing each piece of evidence.
The confession is laughable. It is not public but I can provide a copy to anyone who wants to watch it.
Mr Met is a Burmese refugee who speaks little or no English. The crime occured just two years after a very similar crime in the same neighborhood. The police were roundly criticized for their handling of the first crime, the Destiny Norton murder. It appears they were under intense pressure to solve the case immediately.
I have been publishing http://www.victims-unite.net to highlight not only wrongful convictions but lots of other white collar crimes in the UK.
One prisoner is Maurice J Kirk BVS who’s been held in HMP Cardiff and Swansea since 14 October for trumped up charges. South Wales Police and the whole of the UK Establishment seem to be determined to let him die in prison: he’s 69, doesn’t get the medial attention he needs and now his ‘McKenzie Friend’ (lay legal advisor) has been arrested in Gibraltar – to prevent him from being at his court case.
Maurice may not be produced there anyway, as they play ‘wheelchair’ games. You can’t make it up. But here’s a petition with a video: http://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-theresa-may-mp-please-release-maurice-j-kirk-bvsc-from-hmp-swansea-asap
And here’s the latest post on his official website: http://kirkflyingvet.com/blogs/news/archive/2014/11/03/how-to-sabotage-a-parole-hearing.aspx
And the complementary blog I produced:
http://www.mauricejohnkirk.wordpress.com
MY SON IS WRONGFUL CONVICTED AND INCARCIRATED FOR OVER 18 YEARS IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA FOR A CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT THE STATE OF ALABAMA HAS HIM KIDNAPPED GOD BLESS
Congratulations on the inception of this blog and center. I have wanted for some time to inititate such a project. I have much to say about this area of the law. See my website http://www.loristjohn.com.. which was created solely as a mechanism to deluge the truth in an internationally renowned case some years back, in an effort to help educate the public and reform the system. My new book, The Corruption of Innocence, a Journey for Justice, is aimed at just that, as I continue to speak at law schools, public defender offices and other forums to effectuate the change we need. Great job!
Hello, none of your links work. I tried.
Bear with me, I know this is going to be a lot to read. I am not one to take the words of someone else at face value when I first meet them, especially when it comes to matters such as sex offenders, so trust that I did my research thoroughly on this, and him before I realized it wasn’t made up.
My Fiancee was wrongfully convicted in Indiana in 2007. His ex-wife had told him several times through the relationship (supposedly joking) that if they separated she would ruin him. She had cheated on him during their marriage and had at one point conceived a child with another man, and he had stuck it out with her through that. He had no intention of leaving. In 2006 he was accused of molesting a child at one of his ex-wife’s family gatherings. He had originally pled not guilty, but had been harassed by police during investigation, and was coerced into saying he was guilty. His public defender told him that he needed to plead guilty and take a plea bargain, because either way he would be found guilty, even without evidence, and if he kept his plea and went to trial, that he wouldn’t do much in the way of defending him. My Fiancee even tried filing two motions to dismiss the case on his own without his public defender, but they were not considered because his defender would not back it up or go with filing the motion in the first place. There was never evidence that proved anything, and he even gave DNA in prison to show that he was innocent. He was given no other choice but to change his plea to guilty. He spent two years in prison for something he never even did, and was even told after he was released from prison by his ex-wife’s father that the child was seen by doctors, proven to have never been touched by anyone, and that it was so that she could get her divorce and wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with custody or visitation after the divorce was finalized. He has a child with her, that he can never see, and that kills him. Every holiday, every birthday he misses it eats at him a little more. He is required to register for the rest of his life, and can’t find steady work because of it. The entire process has not only ruined his life, but it ruined his self worth. He still has issues talking to people he doesn’t know, and doesn’t like being away from home for too long because he feels unsafe. I have two children myself, both love him beyond words, and don’t ever want to be away from him. They cry for him if he even goes to step outside, and will not go to bed at night unless he is there to tuck them in. They have lovingly called him “Superman” since the day they have met him, and they don’t randomly give nicknames to anyone. Superman’s name then progressed into them calling him Daddy, because they have bonded with him, and are attached to him the way any child would be to their father. (They do have him wrapped around their finger, especially if they do something that requires discipline… They poke out their lip and act like it breaks their heart and it makes him want to go outside and lay with the dog, haha.) Through the time we have been together, and the time that he has spent with the kids, he has started to heal within and realize that he’s worth more than what the courts and prison decided he was worth. He realized that he means the world to three people who wouldn’t give him up for anything. We love him, and would love to see him exonerated, and see this all wiped off his record, but we aren’t holding our breath because we know how hard it is. We have been stalked by one of his ex-girlfriends, who knows he is innocent but uses his conviction as a means of making things worse on him, and have been shunned by some of my relatives who refuse to ever believe that any sex offender could have been wrongfully convicted. We take everything as it comes to us – one day at a time. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to make a blog, or start a project for those who have been wrongfully convicted in any situation, because through the man I am going to marry, I have come to see just how often, people are imprisoned for crimes they had nothing to do with.
Please read and share your honest thoughts.
http://caselaw.findlaw.com/tx-court-of-appeals/1543182.html
Mr. Ford is my older brother and I want justice for him. There were two other guys involved in this crime which included the driver and the passenger and they are both home and free while my bother was sentenced to life. There was no link between my brother and the drugs found in that car. I would like to see Terrance’s sentence reduced and justice severed.
Thank you for time and listening mind state.
This has been long and stressful process. My bother flew to Houston, TX for a wedding and decided at the last minute to ride back to Oklahoma with some close friends in hopes of saving money. I know it seems strange that Terrance had no ideal that the drugs where in the car, but he honestly didn’t know. When the car was stopped on the night of the incident Terrance was in the back set sleep, so waking up to being ask to step out by of the car the Denton County Police took him by surprise. So a course he may seemed nervous or out of there. Terrance takes medication and a daily bases.
In 1998 Terrance was charged with CRIM MISCH >= $50 <= $500 LEVEL MB in a Harris County Court and was found incompetent to stand trail ( INCOMP TO STAND TRL-INPATIENT) and he was sent to Rusk State Hospital. In Oklahoma below is his record.
CRF# County Offense Conviction Term Term Code Start End 2000-1041OKLAPossession Of Controlled Dangerous Substance (Marijuana) -Ds09/18/2002101DIncarceration10/09/200212/11/20022000-1041OKLATransportation Of Proceeds – Ds09/18/2002101DIncarceration10/09/200212/11/200299-4274OKLAPossession With Intent -Ds09/18/2002101DIncarceration10/09/200212/11/20021999-4274OKLADist Of Cds/Poss W/Intent0CSD Suspended01/23/20032000-1041OKLAPoss Of Controlled Substance0CSD Suspended01/23/20032000-1041OKLAAcquire Proceeds From Drug Activity0CSD Suspended01/23/2003TX 50896TXJRPoss Of Controlled Substance2 YInt. Probation05/17/200205/16/2004TX 50896TXJRPoss Of Controlled Substance2 YInt. Probation05/17/200205/16/2004
While Terrance's record may not seem very faltering he had nothing to do with the drugs found in that car that night. The driver received a 10 years sentence and is now out on Parole, the front seat passenger pled for a lesser crime and signed for 2 years probation. At the time of Terrance's case my family could not afford a lawyer, therefore Terrance was forced to face the Texas Judicial System with a Court Appointed Attorney, Mr. Larry Baraka out of Denton, Texas. Terrance was given many offers before going to trail, the last two where a 2 year sentence and 5 years deferred. Mr. Baraka insisted that there was no affirmative link between Terrance and the drugs and going to trail was the best option, therefore Terrance trusted him went to trial, which became the biggest mistake of his lifetime. When Terrance was in Denton County Jail, myself and family had limited assess to him, making all decision making up to him. Terrance should have been on that stand during trail because as stated before in 1998 he was found incompetent to stand trail in the State of Texas. Terrance competency level was never retested. While houses in Denton County Jail Terrance was heavily medicated and so was he on the day of his trail.
We have appealed and was denied. The driver of the car on the night of the incident signed a affidavit saying that the car was his and the drugs inside of the car belonged to him. My brother Terrance Lee Ford was sentenced base on his character and not the crime that was committed on the night of the incident. He sees parole in September 2014, hopefully my brother will be coming home soon, so we can fight this case properly.
A Denton County jury sentenced my brother to LIFE in prison. At the last pretrial hearing he was offered 5 years deferred sentencing and the one before that he was offered 2 years. I'm all for it… Read more about his case at http://shar.es/1fqp6r
So many wrongful convictions…
All are a crying shame on 🇺🇸.
I am writing to you today to see if you could help with a wrongful conviction in New Hampshire. The man’s name is Chad Evans. In November of 2000, he was accused and charged with the death of his girlfriend’s 21-month-old daughter, Kassidy Bortner.
The interesting thing with this case is that the child had suffered a fall out of a full-size 4 wheel drive pick-up truck while with a babysitter. The impact caused 2 large eggs on the top rear portion of her head. Police were too quick to rule out the possibility that Kassidy had been suffering a traumatic brain injury and suspected that SOMEONE was responsible for her death rather than WHAT could have caused her death. Chad was a suspect within 8 hours of the child’s death, with the babysitter accusing him the second emergency response services arrived.
There were 7 witnesses that told police about the alleged fall from the truck. Kassidy’s own aunt told police that Kassidy “was acting weird after she fell out of the truck though. That’s why they’re, probably everybody brought it up cause that’s when she started looking at the wall and stuff like that. You know, just standing there. She wasn’t acting like her normal self.”
There were 9 witnesses that told police they thought Kassidy was “slow” and didn’t act like a normal kid. However, this wasn’t until after the fall from the truck.
All 4 of the adults that were in close contact with Kassidy and her care told police that Kassidy had been “sleeping a lot”, she had been lethargic, spacey, would fall for no apparent reason at all and would not brace herself for the fall. Her eyes were seen rolling in the back of her head on a few occasions and her appetite had clearly diminished. On the day before she died, Chad had picked Kassidy up from the babysitter’s house and within minutes of their departure, he called the babysitter to ask what was wrong with Kassidy as she was in the backseat and her head was slumped forward and bobbing and she was drooling. The babysitter claims that she was fine while in his care but she had been sleeping a lot.
When Chad arrived at home, he stood Kassidy outside of the car while getting his son out from the other side. When he walked back around the car to get Kassidy, she was face down on the ground. She hadn’t made a sound and her arms were at her side. She hadn’t braced for the fall.
When you put together the timeline and witness statements, it is apparent that Kassidy had been suffering from a traumatic brain injury. Her caretakers weren’t aware of it because Chad’s son had the flu right around the same time and they thought that she was coming down with it. Kassidy had other symptoms too. She had been dehydrated lately and her bowels were not usual and very foul. Her symptoms seemed to wax and wane and that is why they thought she was getting better until the morning that her mother would drop her off at the babysitters for the last time. On that morning her face was looking more bruised, her lips were dried and cracked, she was very lethargic, and her gait was unusual. She was fussy like a child with a fever might be.
At autopsy, Kassidy had a 10% decrease in weight as compared to her last doctor’s appointment only two months before her death. This 10% does not factor in the expected growth that would have normally occurred in a two month period. There was absolutely no reason to expect otherwise, all of her growth charts had her at average and above for her short 21 months.
Supposing Kassidy’s weight remained at the 50th percentile as it had been consistently and greater on previous doctor visits. The medical examiner noted Kassidy’s body being well-developed and well-nourished. This means she was not showing signs of failure to thrive or starvation, and nowhere is it indicated that anyone suspected such. Kassidy’s weight at time of death should have been at around 25 lbs if she stayed the course in the 50th percentile. Her actual weight at autopsy is recorded as 22.2 lbs, a difference of 2.8 lbs. Her weight was 11.2% lower than reasonably expected, putting her in the severely dehydrated range. This is not the picture of a healthy toddler in her usual state of health as the medical examiner claimed.
Kassidy’s hair on her head had an unusual thinning pattern. Her mother had noticed it falling out in clumps just days after falling from the pick-up truck. Petechiae was noted on the soles of her feet. There are numerous symptoms consistent with a traumatic brain injury that began suddenly 13 days prior to her death.
Kassidy also had some unusual findings at autopsy with her heart and thymus as well as two sets of labs as a newborn that revealed significant abnormalities of the size, shape, and color of Kassidy’s red blood cells. It is my humble belief that Kassidy had underlying pre-existing medical concerns that became life threatening after the very significant fall from the pick-up truck. The fall combined with the medical conditions snowballed until Kassidy’s weakened body could no longer function and she passed away.
To this day it is still a mystery as to why Kassidy Bortner died and an innocent man remains behind bars. Appropriate medical tests need to be conducted as well as the reconsidering the impact the fall had on Kassidy’s death. Would you be interested in helping Chad Evans? Do you have any information that would be helpful in finding the real cause of Kassidy Bortner’s death? I will attach a link to a website created that has all the actual documents related to the case; like the autopsy report, 911 call, witness statements, trial transcripts, etc.
http://chadevanswronglyconvicted.org/investigation_related_docs.html
Thank you in advance,
Christine Cain
Chad Evans Wrongly Convicted Committee
i am currently fighting the justice system in milton florida. i got caught in a police sting do to a add on craiglist. the judge im dealing with ross goodman from milton florida. he is agreeing with the state , not seeing all the facts not seeing that the undercover police officers started the idea of sex with a minor , even in the depositions you have the officer saying that he brought up the idea of sex with a minor and according to his training he was not to bring sex up first. i have never been in a crime its my first offense. but the court is only seeing the end factors not the beginning middle and end . i was pressure by the officers into the crime. i can officially say this judge is not clear on the law.
My husband has been wrongly incarcerated due to false alligations. The department of CPS is responsible for this by not investigating properly and using false information. As well as incredible witnesses. Something needs to be done to CPS! They have ruined too many families lives!!! It’s time we stand up and make a change!
My husband was falsely accused and me and my daughter were witnesses no investigation our statements never taken went to trial we lost. Lots of loop holes in this case couldn’t afford a lawyer who specialized in criminal case now a innocent man is in prison for 5 years with three left. Because of this my daughter was hospitalized and my son bullied and for me my health is getting worse at the moment our home of 16 years is in foreclosure. My family has been destroyed by these people. They have had DCF in their lives and other problems our family hasn’t ever. If their is someone out there that can help us Im doing everything myself to figure something out but I’m feeling very weary. Someone know anyone out there who can help us please. I feel like I’m in a bad lifetime movie. If anybody who can help look at this case and help us get our family back together. The people making these accusations are actually seem to be enjoying this.
Salem Witch Trials of Tom Green County
Below is the link to the story of my brother, Justin Riordan, and the injustice he was served for a crime that NEVER happened!
http://sanangelolive.com/news/live-thought/2016-07-14/salem-witch-trials-tom-green-county
My name is Rosalie Uribe I’m from Madera ca my son was murdered in November of 2008 and his murderer was acquitted. I was charged with 3 counts of felony child endangerment for getting up and going to work at 5am like any single mother would do for their children to have what they had. The media portrayed me to be a druggy a bad mother. I didn’t make very much but I made enough for the government to cut me off receiving benefits so I used bad judgement in leaving my kids at home with one of my cousin and the piece of crap that I was dating not cause I didn’t care about my kids well being but because I had no one to help me at all hat time and that moment and instead of some family and friends focusing on getting a conviction and putting that murderer behind bars they focused on making me look like the bad one. So I decided to plead nocontest so the jury could see if I said I made a mistake then they would definitely convict him.
Praying 🙏🙏 GOD HELPS release my husband Inmate 1212661 Eric V Sudds has been incarated for 18 years know for a WRONGFUL CONVICTION his Harris county lawyers RAILROADED him and and Two Drug attic Women lied on Eric v sudds..we found out that they dropped one of Eric’s cases in 2002 two years ago .We found this out Through the Harris county records lady told us. We are seeking HELP TO BRING ERIC HOME PRAY FOR HIM GOD BLESS.Houston Texas has the most WROngful Convictions for Men and Women than any other state God Bless