New York Man Wrongfully Convicted of 1990 Crime Will Be Released (3/20/2013)
Documentary Spotlights Bad Lawyering (3/20/2013)
Florida Officer Linked to Two Wrongful Convictions (3/19/2013)
New York State Leaders and Lawmakers Call for Better Indigent Defense (3/19/2013)
Life After Exoneration, with Compensation, or Without (3/18/2013)
Maryland Gov. Cites Risk of Executing Innocent Person in Decision to Repeal (3/18/2013)
Science News - March 15, 2013 (3/15/2013)
North Carolina Exoneree to Reunite With Sister After 40 Years (3/15/2013)
RSS FeedInnocence Blog
Another false confession uncovered, and a wrongful conviction avoided
Posted: June 17, 2008 4:40 pm
A Tennessee man who allegedly confessed last year to a 1994 murder could not possibly have committed the crime because he was in a mental institution at the time, new court documents show. Police said Ronald E. Greene, who has a history of mental illness, confessed to a murder while undergoing a court-ordered evaluation, but his defense lawyer filed documents last week proving that the confession was false.
"I realize a motion to dismiss is an unusual move at this juncture, but given the obvious strength of the alibi Mr. Greene has, I found it important to get this information in front of the court as quickly as possible," Greene’s attorney Steve Sams said.False confessions or admissions have contributed to 25 percent of the 218 wrongful convictions overturned by DNA testing, and certain mental illnesses and limitations have been shown to make a suspect more likely to confess to something he or she didn’t do. Read more about false confessions and wrongful convictions here.
Read the full story here. (Knoxville News, 06/13/08)
Tags: False Confessions