Random Innocent Death Row Inmates Who Were Eventually Exonerated (17 items)

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  (#15) A Misleading Accusation Put Michael Linder On Death Row

  Michael Linder spent two years on death row after being accused of murdering a police officer in 1979. Linder claimed that he'd killed the officer in self-defense after he had chased down Linder's motorcycle in his patrol car and fired six shots. Evidence showed that six shots had in fact been fired from the officer's pistol, but that evidence wasn't submitted. Instead, jurors were led to believe that murder was the only charge rather than the alternative voluntary manslaughter.

  A retrial in 1981 led to Linder's release. Linder is serving a life sentence for kidnapping and assault in an unrelated incident.
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  (#4) James Edward Creamer Was Sent To Death Row By A Hypnotized Witness

  James Edward Creamer, along with six other individuals, was convicted for the murder of two doctors during a robbery in 1971. Creamer was sentenced to death after the chief witness, Deborah Ann Kidd, said that he was the shooter. She first claimed that she'd been on drugs and was unable to remember anything about witnessing the crime, but under hypnosis, she named Creamer as the culprit.

  Later evidence showed that Kidd was not only romantically linked to one of the detectives on the case but that, under hypnosis, she had also claimed to be the murderer herself. The real killer confessed, and Creamer and the six other people were released in 1975.
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  (#2) Anthony Hinton Served 30 Years For A Crime He Didn't Commit

  Anthony Hinton was one of the longest-serving prisoners on death row, having served 30 years for a crime he didn't commit. He was sentenced for the 1985 murders of two local fast food restaurant managers in Birmingham, AL. Hinton was charged with the two killings because the weapon supposedly used to commit them belonged to his mother, but firearms examiners could not verify that claim. His lawyer also hired an examiner without qualifications, setting Hinton's case back even further.

  Thankfully, Hinton's sentence was overturned in light of all that went wrong with his trial. He was subsequently freed in 2015.
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  (#14) Freddie Pitts And Wilbert Lee Were Sentenced To Death Because Of Racism

  The case of Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee is one of deliberately ignoring evidence, likely due to racism. Pitts and Lee, who are black, were arrested for the 1963 murder of two gas station attendants, both of whom were white. The two suspects confessed to the murders after hours of beatings. Even when another killer admitted to committing the crime, the revelation was ignored until it was exposed by the press.

  Pitts and Lee were retried, and were once again found guilty. But then a supposed eyewitness recanted her testimony, and the state attorney general admitted to suppressing evidence. The pair was finally pardoned in 1975, with the governor stating that he was convinced of their innocence.
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  (#12) Ernest "Shujaa" Graham Used His Experience On Death Row To Help Others

  Like the stories of many black men later exonerated from death row, Ernest Shujaa Graham's case almost certainly involved racism on the part of the justice system. Already in prison, Graham was accused of murdering a prison guard in 1973. After three trials, he was sentenced to death. It's believed that Graham was framed for the murder, perhaps in retaliation for his political interest in exposing the corrupt nature of America's prison system and his involvement with the Black Panthers.

  Investigations revealed that the judge in charge of the case deliberately avoided having black jurors. Though Graham's sentence was overturned in 1979, he wasn't released until 1981. Since then, Graham has dedicated his life to discussing the flaws in the prison system and the death penalty.
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  (#1) Randall Dale Adams

  • Dec. at 62 (1948-2010)

  The case of Randall Dale Adams inspired the Errol Morris documentary The Thin Blue Line. Adams was accused of killing a police officer in 1976, after witnesses, including a teenager with whom Adams had spent the day, identified him as the killer.

  Adams's attempts to appeal were overturned, and it wasn't until three days before his scheduled execution that the Supreme Court ordered a stay. Apparently, jurors who had felt uneasy about the death penalty were excluded during selection for his trial. His sentence was changed to life in prison, until further evidence clearing him of the crime was revealed. Adams was released in 1989, one year after the film was released.

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