Here are 10 of the worst cases of people being wrongfully accused in US history:
The Scottsboro Boys
In October 1931, 9 black-teenagers were accused of raping two white women on a train in Alabama. They were tried and convicted by an all-white jury, and sentenced to death. The case attracted national attention, and eventually, the Supreme Court ordered new trials for the defendants. After years of appeals, all but one of the men were eventually released from prison.
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The Central Park Jogger Case
In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers were wrongfully convicted of the rape and assault of a white woman in Central Park, New York City. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 5 to 15 years. After serving between 6 and 13 years in prison, they were exonerated by DNA evidence in 2002.
Ryan Matthews
In 2008, Ryan Matthews was wrongfully convicted of murder in Texas. He was sentenced to life in prison, but his conviction was overturned after new evidence came to light.
George Stinney Jr
In 1944, 14-year-old George Stinney Jr. was falsely accused of murdering two white girls in South Carolina. He was sentenced to the death penalty and executed by an electric chair. His conviction was overturned in 2014, 70 years after his death.
Emmett Till
In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was falsely accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by a group of white men. His murder helped to galvanize the civil-rights movement.
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Cameron Todd Willingham
In 1992, Cameron was sentenced for the arson murder of his 3 children in Texas. However, there was significant evidence that Willingham was innocent, including the fact that the fire that killed his children was not consistent with arson. In 2004, the Texas Forensic Science Commission found that the arson science used to convict Willingham was flawed.
Gary Dotson
In 1983, Gary Dotson was convicted of raping a woman in Chicago. He was sentenced to twenty-five years of life in prison. However, there was significant evidence that Dotson was innocent, including the fact that the woman’s description of her attacker did not match Dotson’s. In 1988, Dotson was exonerated by DNA evidence.
Anthony Porter
In 1982, Anthony Porter was convicted of the murders of two teenage boys in Chicago. He was sentenced to death. However, there was significant evidence that Porter was innocent, including the fact that he had an alibi at the time of the murders. In 1999, Porter was exonerated by DNA evidence.
Henry Lee McCollum
In 1984, Henry Lee McCollum and his half-brother were wrongfully convicted of rape and murder in North Carolina. They were both sentenced to death, but their convictions were overturned after DNA evidence exonerated them.
Juan Rivera
In 1993, Juan Rivera was convicted of the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Waukegan, Illinois. He was sentenced to death. However, there was significant evidence that Rivera was innocent, including the fact that his DNA did not match any of the DNA evidence found at the crime scene. In 2012, Rivera was exonerated by DNA evidence.
Dwayne Hampton
In 1990, Dwayne Hampton was convicted of the murder of a police officer in Chicago. He was sentenced to death. However, there was significant evidence that Hampton was innocent, including the fact that he had an alibi for the time of the murder. In 2000, Hampton was exonerated by DNA evidence.
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Timothy Tyrone Foster
In 1989, Timothy Tyrone Foster was convicted of the rape and murder of an elderly woman in Georgia. He was sentenced to death. However, there was significant evidence that Foster was innocent, including the fact that his mental capacity was questionable and he may have been coerced into confessing to the crime. In 2016, Foster was exonerated by DNA evidence.
Ricky Jackson
In 1975, Ricky Jackson was convicted of the murder of a police officer in Cleveland, Ohio. He was sentenced to death. However, there was significant evidence that Jackson was innocent, including the fact that he had an alibi at the time of the murder. In 2014, Jackson was exonerated by DNA evidence.
These are just a few of the many cases of people who have been wrongfully accused in the United States. These cases highlight the importance of due process and the need to ensure that innocent people are not wrongly convicted.