An improper investigation or miscarriage of justice can erase several years from a person’s life. Sometimes, as a result of such a mistake, innocent convicts receive life sentences, and the worst thing is they are sentenced to death. This coin has a flip side, when the guilty are acquitted. Let us turn to judicial practice, and recall the most high-profile cases when a person was convicted of crimes that he did not commit.
The most famous innocently convicted people in history:
1
Leo Frank
The trial of Leo Frank, the sentencing and subsequent events revealed a lot of problems in American society.
Frank worked at a pencil factory in Atlanta. In 1915, a Jewish Jew was arrested and charged with raping a 13-year-old factory worker. The charges were based on the testimony of only one witness. They were black workman Jim Conley.
The court sentenced Frank to death, which was later replaced by life imprisonment. But, dissatisfied residents stole and killed the youth. In 1986, they reviewed the case file, and concluded that Frank had not committed a crime. He was acquitted. There was also a witness who saw Conley carry the body of the murdered girl.
2
Timothy Cole
Racism caused a miscarriage of justice that resulted in Timothy Cole being sentenced to life imprisonment for rape. He had an alibi and an excellent reputation as a war veteran, but prosecutors constantly drew the attention of judges to the color of the accused's skin.
In prison, Cole denied his guilt, and at liberty, his family members fought for a review of the case. The victim joined the relatives. The girl admitted that she was wrong. In 1999, Timothy died in prison, and in 2009 the charge was dropped.
The worst thing is that the criminal was always there. He was familiar with Cole, and in 1995 joined in the struggle for his release. Everything was opened when they found a letter of appreciation, which the real criminal threw to the Cole’s house in 2007.
3
Colin Campbell Ross
The body of the raped and murdered 12-year-old Alma Tirtshke was found on one of Melbourne's alleys. Campbell Ross was arrested on charges of this terrible crime.
The evidence was the hair found on the man’s bed. Investigators alleged that they belonged to the murdered woman, and the court accepted them as evidence. There was a false witness who was sitting in the same cell with Campbell, and he lied that he himself admitted. The testimonies of witnesses who confirmed the alibi were not taken into account.
Ross was hanged 115 days after his arrest. On the scaffold, he shouted that he was innocent. In 2008, they re-examined the hair, which miraculously remained in the archive. Campbell Ross was acquitted, but the real killer was never identified.
4
Patrick Giuseppe Conlon
In 1974, Patrick came to Belfast. To help his underage son. He and other teenagers were charged with terrorist acts and connections with the Irish Republican Army.
A group of teenagers, along with Conlon Sr., was sent to prison. Patrick's son and the other guys were only 14 years old. Of these, recognition was forced out and the term of imprisonment was determined. Information leaked to the media, and authorities were forced to release the teenagers, who were charged with false charges.
All released young people received large monetary compensation so that the story would not be widely publicized. Only Patrick Conlon did not get out of prison. Before that, he was seriously ill, and, having not endured ill-treatment, died in a cell.
5
Alan Turing
An outstanding British mathematician became the author of many theories and laid the foundations of computer science. During the Second World War, he did a lot to decrypt enemy reports and reveal the secrets of the Enigma German encryption machine.
After the war, Turing became one of the creators of the first computer. In 1952, he was accused of indecent behavior for an intimate relationship with 19-year-old Arnold Murray. Homosexuality was then prosecuted in England by law, according to the Laboucher amendment.
The scientist was faced with a choice, either imprisonment or hormone therapy. Alan chose the second to continue work on projects. After a year of treatment, he became impotent, he began gynecomastia. In 1054, the scientist committed suicide, and in 2009 was acquitted. Elizabeth II personally pardoned Turing, and the Prime Minister apologized for the persecution.
6
Derek Bentley
Until now, in the vast of Misty Albion, this case is considered the biggest mistake of British justice. Derek, who at that time was 19 years old, and his accomplice robbed the house. They were noticed by the police, and tried to detain.
Christopher Craig's accomplice had a gun with him. During a scuffle with the police, he shot, mortally wounding one of the policemen. Derek was accused of saying that one of the witnesses said that he had heard the robber shouting "Let's arrange for him!" This became the trump card of prosecutors.
Drake was sentenced to life imprisonment, so he was 16 years old, and Derek was hanged. After 45 years, the family made excuses, and the policeman said that he had not heard this phrase. Note that Bentley was shell-shocked during the Second World War, and had delays in mental development.
7
Timothy Evans
Timothy's neighbor was John Christie, whom the couple turned to to end the pregnancy of his wife. In the country, this was prohibited, and prosecuted by law.
One evening, Evans returned home, and a neighbor said that his wife had died from the pill. The abortion remedy, Christie said, didn't work out that way. Evans, frightened, fled, and a neighbor promised to attach his daughter to his acquaintances.
But the neighbor passed the Evans police. The man was tried and sentenced to death.
Over time, it turned out that John Christie was a serial killer, whose victims were 6 women, including Evans' wife. Timothy was posthumously acquitted, and this miscarriage of justice became the main argument for the abolition of the death penalty in Britain in 1965.
8
Jamie Macpherson
Before his execution, the famous robber from Scotland sang a musical composition on a violin, which he himself wrote. The meaning of the song revealed the details of his future execution.
His father was a lord, but was born out of wedlock. His mother was a gypsy. Father recognized Jamie, and the boy lived in his magnificent castle. After the death of his father, he fell into a gypsy camp, eventually becoming his leader.
The noble robber was never cruel, but on the totality of crimes in 1700 he was sentenced to be hanged. A few minutes after the execution, a message of pardon arrived. At the beginning of the 19th century, Robert Burns wrote a poem about the robber, memorializing his name in history.
9
Brian Banks
Brian was a successful footballer and star of his team. But at the age of 26, he had to put an end to his sports career. He was accused of raping Vanetta Gibson.
The young man was threatened with a term of 40 years in prison, but he made a deal with the investigation, and the term was reduced to 6 years. The victim received from the school where she studied, $ 1.5 million in compensation. Banks was released ahead of schedule, but with a tracking belt on his leg.
He could not get a job, because everyone knew what had happened. One day he met with Gibson, who said that she had slandered the guy. Banks was able to record her recognition on the recorder. After he submitted this to the court, he was acquitted.
By the way, at thebiggest you can find out about the most dangerous criminals in modern history.
10
Robert McClendon
All 18 years that Robert was behind bars, he kept repeating that he had not committed any crime. He received a large term on charges of raping a 10-year-old girl. The court did not take into account the arguments of the defense.
In 2007, he could be released on parole, but the court refused. A year later, some of the prisoners accused of serious crimes took DNA samples to check at the Diagnostic Center. This number also included McClendon, who sought a fair investigation.
The commission's findings were positive for Robert. His DNA did not match the DNA of the real criminal who abused the girl. After 18 years, it was possible to achieve justice, in which, as he himself declared, he sacredly believed. It turned out that the development of technology helped to go free.
11
Eduard Streltsov
There were rumors about two possible reasons for the arrest of the famous football player Eduard Streltsov. The first was due to the fact that the footballer offended Furtseva’s daughter, according to the second, they talked about his unreliability. Witnesses more than once
stated that Streltsov spoke many times about the desire to play abroad.
What happened at the cottage of the pilot Karakhanov on May 25, 1958, no one knows for sure, but three girls accused the players and the pilot of rape. The two then withdrew the statement. The statement was also taken by 20-year-old Marina Lebedeva, who was allegedly raped by Eduard. But Streltsov was not released.
He signed a sincere confession, and the court sentenced him to 12 years in prison and forbade him to play football. In 2001, a review commission was set up, but it never completed its work. Few people believe in the guilt of a national team player, but the verdict remains in force.
12
Larry sims
On a false charge, the American Lerry spent 25 years in prison. In 1986, he was charged with rape, and the court issued a harsh sentence.
In 2011, a rape victim told the press that she had not been abused by Larry. The public was outraged, and demanded not only a review of the case, but also punishment for false testimonies. She also stated that on that day she did not have any intimate relationships with a man.
The Dallas District Court ordered a DNA examination. After her, Simpson was acquitted. He was released. Interestingly, the examination showed that the girl had an intimate relationship that day with Larry's cousin.
13
Clarence Moses El
In 1988, in Colorado, a man accused of rape was sent to jail for a long time. At the trial, the victim stated that she saw Clarence's face in a dream. Oddly enough, the court took into account the testimony of the woman.
In 2016, after repeated examinations, the 60-year-old Mosel-El was acquitted and released. In the first interview, he said that he did not hold grudges against judges and the state law enforcement system.
The woman’s dream, which was the only argument of innocent guilt, turned into a long nightmare for Clarence Moses-El. After serving 28 years on a false accusation, the man did not hold evil and the woman who slandered him.
14
Pologovsky maniac
During the period from 1985 to 2005, the maniac Sergei Tkach raped and killed women and girls, and always carefully concealed the traces. Not only women but also men suffered from a brutal killer in the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine.
The fact is that during the search for a dangerous killer several innocent people were detained and convicted. The media leaked information that the number of these people reached 14 people. One of the innocently accused hanged himself in a cell without waiting for trial.
The youngest "maniac" was a student of grade 8, who was accused of murdering his sister, and then other victims tried to ascribe. In 2012, Maxim Dmitrenko, who spent 8 years in prison in the case of the Pologovsky Maniac, was released from prison. He was acquitted when the guilt of a real killer was proved.
On our site thebiggest.ru there is a very interesting article about the most terrible prisons in the world. We highly recommend reading it.
15
"Five from Central Park"
We conclude the story with a case that still leaves a lot of questions. In the Central Park of the city of New York on the night of April 20, 20-year-old raped and beaten to the death was found Trisha Maili. Doctors managed to save the girl's life, but Trisha fell into a coma.
As soon as her condition improved, she was unable to recall the events of that spring night. In the case, 5 teenagers were detained. Which themselves admitted to the crime. The court sentenced five teenagers to various terms of imprisonment. From 7 to 13 years.
Later, the teenagers refused their testimony. But in 2002, when everyone convicted in the case was released, 30-year-old Matthias Reyes admitted to the crime. He stated that he raped and beat the girl alone. The teenagers were acquitted, but some experts believe that they, too, were somehow involved in the crime.
Conclusion
Digging deeper, you can recall Giordano Bruno, Jeanne d’Arc, but in these events the church acted as the prosecutor. Here you can add the Salem process, after which 19 women were hanged, and one was stoned.
The above real stories often become the plot of feature films. In 1993, the film “The Fugitive” was shot in Hollywood, and 12 years later a similar picture was shot in Russia under the name “Escape”. Writers also addressed this topic, including such detective masters as Agatha Christie and Stephen King. According to the 1982 King’s novel, they shot the movie drama Escape from the Shawshank.
Thebiggest editors keep abreast of all events. We are well aware that today in Russia thousands of innocent people can be imprisoned. This can be evidenced by the resonant cases of Ivan Golunov, Pavel Ustinov and many other people who firmly outlined their position. Of course, time will put everything in its place, but TheBiggest editors hope that people will not waste their years of life for crimes they have not committed.
Write to us in the comments what other innocently convicted people should be on this list.