Wrongfully Incarcerated: 21 Cases You Should Know

Court throws out 2006 conviction of Bobby Johnson.

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Bobby Johnson - Take a look at recent cases where justice was finally served. — Britt Middleton, Patrice Peck and Dominique Zonyéé After spending nine years in prison for a 2006 killing, Bobby Johnson was released from prison on Friday, Sept. 4, 2015. Johnson's supporters say he was coerced into confessing that he killed 70-year-old Herbert Fields during a robbery. Prosecutors requested that the judge vacate Johnson's sentence. (Photo: Arnold Gold/New Haven Register via AP) 

Everton Wagstaffe and Reginald Connor - Everton Wagstaffe and Reginald Connor, both 47, were fully exonerated on kidnapping charges from a 1993 conviction, the New York Daily News reports. The courts dismissed the original indictment last year after it was discovered that the police withheld critical evidence that would have cleared them of the charges.    (Photo: Law Enforcement)

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Everton Wagstaffe and Reginald Connor - Everton Wagstaffe and Reginald Connor, both 47, were fully exonerated on kidnapping charges from a 1993 conviction, the New York Daily News reports. The courts dismissed the original indictment last year after it was discovered that the police withheld critical evidence that would have cleared them of the charges.   (Photo: Law Enforcement)

Anthony Ray Hinton - Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, was released on Friday, April 3, 2015, after having spent nearly 30 years on death row in Alabama's Jefferson County Jail. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors told a court that there was not enough evidence to link him to the 1985 murders of two Birmingham fast-food restaurant managers, which he was convicted of committing. "He was a poor person who was convicted because he didn't have the money to prove his innocence at trial," Bryan Stevenson, Hinton's attorney and director of the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative, said. "He was unable to get the legal help he needed for years. He was convicted based on bad science."(Photo: Alabama Dept. of Corrections/AP Photo)

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Anthony Ray Hinton - Anthony Ray Hinton, 58, was released on Friday, April 3, 2015, after having spent nearly 30 years on death row in Alabama's Jefferson County Jail. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors told a court that there was not enough evidence to link him to the 1985 murders of two Birmingham fast-food restaurant managers, which he was convicted of committing. "He was a poor person who was convicted because he didn't have the money to prove his innocence at trial," Bryan Stevenson, Hinton's attorney and director of the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative, said. "He was unable to get the legal help he needed for years. He was convicted based on bad science."(Photo: Alabama Dept. of Corrections/AP Photo)

George Stinney - In December 2014, a judge threw out the murder conviction of George Stinney, a 14-year-old Black boy who was subsequently executed by electric chair more than 70 years ago in South Carolina. "I can think of no greater injustice,” Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen wrote. Stinney had been found guilty of killing two young white girls in a segregated mill town in 1944 despite a lack of any evidence linking him to the crime.(Photo: Kevin G. Hall/MCT/Getty Images)

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George Stinney - In December 2014, a judge threw out the murder conviction of George Stinney, a 14-year-old Black boy who was subsequently executed by electric chair more than 70 years ago in South Carolina. "I can think of no greater injustice,” Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen wrote. Stinney had been found guilty of killing two young white girls in a segregated mill town in 1944 despite a lack of any evidence linking him to the crime.(Photo: Kevin G. Hall/MCT/Getty Images)

Kwame Ajamu - An Ohio judge dropped all charges against Kwame Ajamu, formerly known as Ronnie Bridgeman, NBC News reported on Dec. 9, 2014. The 56-year-old is one of three men, including Ajamu’s brother, who had been wrongly accused of a robbery and murder in 1975. The two other men were released from prison in November. "I'm so happy today that this battle has come to an end," said Ajamu. The three men plan to seek more than $4.1 million in compensation for their wrongful imprisonment, according to Cleveland.com.(Photo: John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer /Landov)

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Kwame Ajamu - An Ohio judge dropped all charges against Kwame Ajamu, formerly known as Ronnie Bridgeman, NBC News reported on Dec. 9, 2014. The 56-year-old is one of three men, including Ajamu’s brother, who had been wrongly accused of a robbery and murder in 1975. The two other men were released from prison in November. "I'm so happy today that this battle has come to an end," said Ajamu. The three men plan to seek more than $4.1 million in compensation for their wrongful imprisonment, according to Cleveland.com.(Photo: John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer /Landov)

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Dennis Lee Allen and Stanley Orson Mozee - Convicted in the 1999 killing of a south Dallas pastor, Dennis Lee Allen, 42, and Stanley Orson Mozee, 55, were freed on bond on Oct. 28 by the Dallas County district attorney’s office, NBCDFW reported. It was determined that the two men who had been serving life sentences were wrongfully convicted based on prosecutorial misconduct. Allen and Mozee must now wait for new trial dates and rulings from an appeal court.(Photo: NBC 5, Dallas Fart Woth TX/ NBC Local News)

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Dennis Lee Allen and Stanley Orson Mozee - Convicted in the 1999 killing of a south Dallas pastor, Dennis Lee Allen, 42, and Stanley Orson Mozee, 55, were freed on bond on Oct. 28 by the Dallas County district attorney’s office, NBCDFW reported. It was determined that the two men who had been serving life sentences were wrongfully convicted based on prosecutorial misconduct. Allen and Mozee must now wait for new trial dates and rulings from an appeal court.(Photo: NBC 5, Dallas Fart Woth TX/ NBC Local News)

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David McCallum - David McCallum of Brookyn, New York, was cleared of a 1985 homicide and ordered free on Oct. 15 after spending 29 years in prison. The conviction of Willie Stuckey, his co-defendant and friend, was also overturned, but Stuckey died in prison in 2001. Brooklyn's district attorney Ken Thompson claimed that the two men — both 16 years old at the time — had been fed "false facts" and gave false confessions.(Photo: AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Photo By AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Henry McCollum and Leon Brown - The convictions of Henry McCollum, 50, and Leon Brown, 46, were overturned by a North Carolina judge on Sept. 2. The two half-brothers have served 30 years in prison for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Sabrina Buie in 1983, AP reported. Recently discovered DNA evidence in the case pointed to another man who is currently serving a life sentence for a similar rape and murder that occurred less than 30 days later. "We waited years and years," James McCollum, Henry's father,told AP. "We kept the faith."(Photos: Chuck Liddy,The News & Observer/AP Photo)

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Henry McCollum and Leon Brown - The convictions of Henry McCollum, 50, and Leon Brown, 46, were overturned by a North Carolina judge on Sept. 2. The two half-brothers have served 30 years in prison for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Sabrina Buie in 1983, AP reported. Recently discovered DNA evidence in the case pointed to another man who is currently serving a life sentence for a similar rape and murder that occurred less than 30 days later. "We waited years and years," James McCollum, Henry's father,told AP. "We kept the faith."(Photos: Chuck Liddy,The News & Observer/AP Photo)

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Michael Phillips - After having served his 12-year sentence, 57-year-old Michael Phillips of Dallas, Texas, was exonerated on July 25, 2014, for a rape he pled guilty to in 1990. Phillips had not pursued his exoneration. Instead, a Michigan law professor and the Dallas DA proactively tested his case. "This is a great day for Mr. Phillips, but this is a terrible day for our Justice System,” Craig Watkins, the DA, said. "We took 12 years of this man's life and he's got sickle cell [anemia].”(Photo: AP Photo)

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Jonathan Fleming - Despite having an alibi, Jonathan Fleming spent almost a quarter-century behind bars for murder. In 1989, the 55-year-old was convicted of killing Darryl Rush in Williamsburg, NY., even though he was 1,100 miles away on a Disney World vacation. It was later found that an alleged witness who recanted her statement was the only evidence tying Fleming to the slaying. He was released from prison on April 8, 2014.(Photo: AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

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Glenn Ford - After spending 30 years on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Glenn Ford was freed on March 11, 2014. Finally, new information corroborated with his statements of innocence in Nov. 5, 1983, slaying of Isadore Rozeman, Ford's former employer. Ford was on death row since 1984, making him one of the longest-serving death row prisoners in the United States. Ford died from lung cancer in June 2015, just over a year after he was released. He was 65.(Photo: AP Photo/WAFB-TV 9)

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Glenn Ford - After spending 30 years on death row at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Glenn Ford was freed on March 11, 2014. Finally, new information corroborated with his statements of innocence in Nov. 5, 1983, slaying of Isadore Rozeman, Ford's former employer. Ford was on death row since 1984, making him one of the longest-serving death row prisoners in the United States. Ford died from lung cancer in June 2015, just over a year after he was released. He was 65.(Photo: AP Photo/WAFB-TV 9)

Jerry Miller - After being misidentified by police and the victim in his case, DNA testing obtained by attorneys at the Innocence Project helped clear the name of Jerry Miller, who was wrongfully convicted for the brutal rape of a Chicago woman in 1981. Miller spent nearly 25 years in an Illinois prison before he was exonerated in April 2007. (Photo: courtesy the Innocence Project)

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Jerry Miller - After being misidentified by police and the victim in his case, DNA testing obtained by attorneys at the Innocence Project helped clear the name of Jerry Miller, who was wrongfully convicted for the brutal rape of a Chicago woman in 1981. Miller spent nearly 25 years in an Illinois prison before he was exonerated in April 2007. (Photo: courtesy the Innocence Project)

James Curtis Giles - James Curtis Giles was misidentified by a woman who was brutally raped in Dallas in 1982 and was convicted of the crime. Giles would serve 10 years in prison and 14 years as a registered sex offender on parole before being exonerated in June 2007. (Photo: courtesy CNN)

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James Curtis Giles - James Curtis Giles was misidentified by a woman who was brutally raped in Dallas in 1982 and was convicted of the crime. Giles would serve 10 years in prison and 14 years as a registered sex offender on parole before being exonerated in June 2007. (Photo: courtesy CNN)

Rolando Cruz - Rolando Cruz served nearly 12 years on death row for the 1983 rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in DuPage County, Illinois. Recanted testimony by a sheriff’s department lieutenant as well as DNA evidence and a lack of corroborated evidence against Cruz and another man implicated in the case would lead to the court acquitting Cruz in November 1995. The charges against the other man, Alejandro Hernandez, were dismissed as well.  (Photo: SUE/HB © Reuters Photographer / Reuters)

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Rolando Cruz - Rolando Cruz served nearly 12 years on death row for the 1983 rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in DuPage County, Illinois. Recanted testimony by a sheriff’s department lieutenant as well as DNA evidence and a lack of corroborated evidence against Cruz and another man implicated in the case would lead to the court acquitting Cruz in November 1995. The charges against the other man, Alejandro Hernandez, were dismissed as well.  (Photo: SUE/HB © Reuters Photographer / Reuters)

Alan Newton - Alan Newton had requested DNA testing after he was convicted in the 1984 rape, assault and robbery of a woman in Bronx, New York, but the court denied his request because the initial rape kit could not be found. In 2005, the rape kit was finally located and was used to prove that Newton was not the attacker in the crime. He was exonerated in July 2006.  (photo: Courtesy The Innocence Project)

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Alan Newton - Alan Newton had requested DNA testing after he was convicted in the 1984 rape, assault and robbery of a woman in Bronx, New York, but the court denied his request because the initial rape kit could not be found. In 2005, the rape kit was finally located and was used to prove that Newton was not the attacker in the crime. He was exonerated in July 2006.  (photo: Courtesy The Innocence Project)

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James Bain - James Bain spent 35 years in prison for the 1974 rape of a 10-year-old boy after being misidentified by a relative of the victim. Bain was denied DNA testing several times until 2001, when the Innocence Project of Florida came to his aid. He was finally set free in December 2009. (Photo: courtesy PBS) 

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James Bain - James Bain spent 35 years in prison for the 1974 rape of a 10-year-old boy after being misidentified by a relative of the victim. Bain was denied DNA testing several times until 2001, when the Innocence Project of Florida came to his aid. He was finally set free in December 2009. (Photo: courtesy PBS) 

Michael Morton - Michael Morton served nearly 25 years in prison for the murder of his wife, who was found dead in their Texas home in 1986. DNA evidence proved that it was another man who entered the home and committed the vicious crime. Morton's 1987 conviction was overturned, and he was set free in October 2011.(Photo: Courtesy ABC News)

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Michael Morton - Michael Morton served nearly 25 years in prison for the murder of his wife, who was found dead in their Texas home in 1986. DNA evidence proved that it was another man who entered the home and committed the vicious crime. Morton's 1987 conviction was overturned, and he was set free in October 2011.(Photo: Courtesy ABC News)

Michael Green - Michael Green was misidentified by a rape victim assaulted in Cleveland in 1983 and spent 13 years in prison. In addition, falsified forensics swayed the jury to seal Green’s fate. He was finally exonerated in Oct. 2011 after DNA evidence taken from a washcloth used by the victim following the attack eliminated Green as the perpetrator, and another man confessed to the crime. (Photo: Courtesy ABC News)

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Michael Green - Michael Green was misidentified by a rape victim assaulted in Cleveland in 1983 and spent 13 years in prison. In addition, falsified forensics swayed the jury to seal Green’s fate. He was finally exonerated in Oct. 2011 after DNA evidence taken from a washcloth used by the victim following the attack eliminated Green as the perpetrator, and another man confessed to the crime. (Photo: Courtesy ABC News)

Bernard Webster - Bernard Webster was charged and convicted for the 1982 home invasion and rape of a woman in Towson, Maryland. Misleading testimony from the forensic scientist at the trial would convince the jury to convict Webster for a crime he did not commit. In November 2002, after nearly 20 years in prison, the prosecution agreed to vacate Webster’s conviction after new DNA testing proved his innocence. (Photo: Bernard Webster)

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Bernard Webster - Bernard Webster was charged and convicted for the 1982 home invasion and rape of a woman in Towson, Maryland. Misleading testimony from the forensic scientist at the trial would convince the jury to convict Webster for a crime he did not commit. In November 2002, after nearly 20 years in prison, the prosecution agreed to vacate Webster’s conviction after new DNA testing proved his innocence. (Photo: Bernard Webster)

Joseph Fears Jr. - Joseph Fears Jr. was charged with two separate rapes that allegedly happened nine days apart in Columbus, Ohio, in 1983. After serving more than 25 years in prison, Fears was fully exonerated in the first conviction in March 2009 when DNA testing matched that of a Michigan inmate; in the second case, he was released on parole after DNA testing proved inconclusive. His lawyers are appealing that conviction.  (Photo:  Tom Dodge / Columbus Dispatch)

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Joseph Fears Jr. - Joseph Fears Jr. was charged with two separate rapes that allegedly happened nine days apart in Columbus, Ohio, in 1983. After serving more than 25 years in prison, Fears was fully exonerated in the first conviction in March 2009 when DNA testing matched that of a Michigan inmate; in the second case, he was released on parole after DNA testing proved inconclusive. His lawyers are appealing that conviction.  (Photo:  Tom Dodge / Columbus Dispatch)

Dewey Bozella - After the initial charges for the 1977 burglary and murder of a 92-year-old woman in New York were dismissed against Dewey Bozella, he was again tried and convicted for the crime six years later when two inmates fraudulently claimed Bozella’s guilt. Bozella, who was exonerated in Oct. 2009 after spending 26 years behind bars, channeled his energy into boxing and would go on to win the 2011 ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his triumph over adversity. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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Dewey Bozella - After the initial charges for the 1977 burglary and murder of a 92-year-old woman in New York were dismissed against Dewey Bozella, he was again tried and convicted for the crime six years later when two inmates fraudulently claimed Bozella’s guilt. Bozella, who was exonerated in Oct. 2009 after spending 26 years behind bars, channeled his energy into boxing and would go on to win the 2011 ESPY Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his triumph over adversity. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)