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National Public Radio covers Larry Peterson's case
Posted: June 11, 2007 4:10 pm
When NPR’s Robert Siegel started reporting on Larry Peterson’s case in April 2005, Peterson was 54 years old and awaiting his release from Trenton State Prison. Tomorrow, NPR’s All Things Considered will air the first part of a two-day special on Mr. Peterson’s exoneration and return to society. Two years in the making, “The Exoneration of Larry Peterson” is a must-listen. Check here for a link to listen live online Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. EDT.
As Siegel reports, freedom for Peterson does not come easy. A Burlington County prosecutor commits to retrying Peterson for the same crimes, although his case quickly falls apart when a key witness, Robert Elder, recants his testimony that Peterson bragged about the crime. Elder tells Siegel, “I feel real bad about telling a white lie.” Elder says that he made up the story about Peterson to satisfy the detectives. “I was scared,” he says. “I was like – let me give these guys what they want. I’ll make up a story or something.”Read more about Larry Peterson in our Know the Cases section.
Read NPR’s press release on tomorrow’s show.
Tags: Larry Peterson
The Innocence Project on TV and radio today
Posted: June 12, 2007 10:16 am
Listen online today at 4 pm EDT for the part one of National Public Radio’s two-part profile of Larry Peterson, who was exonerated in 2006 after serving more than 16 years for a murder he didn’t commit.
Watch Discovery Times channel tonight for the premiere of “Proof of Innocence” featuring the case of Clark McMillan, who served 22 years in prison for a rape he didn’t commit. The show airs at 10 pm EDT, 9 pm Central. Click here to find Discovery Times Channel on your cable (enter your zip code, choose your cable provider and look for "DTIMES").
Last night, Innocence Project Co-Director Barry Scheck and Byron Halsey, who was recently released from New Jersey prison, joined Charlie Rose for a roundtable conversation. Click here to watch online now.
Tags: Clark McMillan, Larry Peterson
The Exoneration of Larry Peterson: Part Two Today on NPR
Posted: June 13, 2007 10:17 am
National Public Radio’s All Things Considered aired part one of its special report on Larry Peterson’s case yesterday, listen to it here.
And tune in today at 4 p.m. EDT on your local station – or listen online here – to hear part two. Click here for more on Peterson’s case.
Join the discussion: Readers are discussing Peterson's case and the issue of exoneree compensation now on BET.com.
Larry Peterson is one of four people exonerated after serving time in New Jersey prisons for crimes they didn’t commit, click here for more on the other New Jersey exonerees.
Byron Halsey was released from New Jersey prison in May after serving 19 years for a crime he didn't commit. He hasn't been officially exonerated as charges against him are still pending, read more about his case here.
Tags: New Jersey, Larry Peterson
Larry Peterson: Beyond Exoneration
Posted: June 14, 2007 3:58 pm
Click here to listen online to the two-part National Public Radio series on Larry Peterson’s exoneration and his adjustment to life outside prison.
Also in the news, Peterson filed a civil rights lawsuit on Monday against the Burlington County, NJ prosecutor and the state crime lab.
"He was falsely convicted based on perjured testimony and junk science and sent to prison for 18 years," the lawsuit states. "Luckily, he was spared the death penalty . . . and eventually exonerated in 2006 by DNA evidence."Read more about Peterson’s case here.
William Buckman, Peterson's lawyer, said the lawsuit defendants engaged in "a series of misleading tactics aimed at forcing and/or inducing persons . . . to provide false testimony and false statements against Larry Peterson."
Read the full story here. (Cherry Hill Courier-Post, 06/12/07)
Tags: Larry Peterson
Eight years of freedom for Texas man
Posted: May 30, 2008 4:15 pm
A.B. Butler served 16 years in Texas prison before DNA proved his innocence and led to his release in 2000. Tomorrow marks the eighth anniversary of his exoneration.
After a woman in Smith County was abducted from a parking lot and raped by an African-American man, police asked her to review books of photos. She identified a photo of Butler as the perpetrator. Police then conducted a live lineup including Butler, and she identified him again. She identified him a third time at trial, and he was convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison.
Eyewitness misidentification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions overturned by DNA testing. More than 75 percent of the 217 people exonerated by DNA testing were misidentified before their convictions.
Read more about A.B. Butler’s case here.
Read about reforms proven to reduce the number of eyewitness misidentification and find out if your state has implemented any of these reforms.
Other exoneration anniversaries this week:
Monday: Larry Peterson, New Jersey (Served 16.5 years, Exonerated 05/26/06)
Willie Jackson, Louisiana (Served years, 17 Exonerated 05/26/06)
Tuesday: Paul Kordonowy, Montana (Served 13 years, Exonerated 05/27/03)
Tags: A.B. Butler, Willie Jackson, Paul D. Kordonowy, Larry Peterson
Sunday morning – CBS examines life after exoneration
Posted: September 26, 2008 3:19 pm
A feature on “CBS News Sunday Morning” this week will examine the difficult the difficult adjustment faced by the men and women who are proven innocent and freed from prison after serving decades for crimes they didn’t commit.
Interviewed on the program will be Innocence Project clients Thomas McGowan (who served 23 years in Texas for a rape he didn’t commit) and Larry Peterson (who served 16 years in New Jersey for a murder he didn’t commit). Also featured will be Beverly Monroe, who was released in 2002 after serving 10 years for a murder she didn’t commit, and her daughter, Katie Monroe, the executive director of the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center. Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld will discuss the broader issues people face after they are exonerated and the government’s obligation to provide financial compensation and social services.
Find out when the show airs in your city.
Read more about life after exoneration.
Tags: Thomas McGowan, Larry Peterson, Exoneree Compensation, Life After Exoneration
After Exoneration
Posted: April 20, 2009 3:52 pm
When wrongfully convicted individuals are cleared and released, the media and the public usually takes notice of the injustice they suffered. On the day of their release, promises of help pour in. But in the months and years after exoneration, the attention fades. Exonerees struggle to rebuild lives interrupted by injustice, sometimes without the support of family or friends.
The lead story yesterday on CBS News “Sunday Morning” explores life after exoneration and the difficulties faced by the wrongfully convicted.
“The minute you’re falsely accused, your life is gone,” says Beverly Monroe in the CBS piece. “Your life as you know it will never be the same. You lose everything that you had in a normal life. For me it was house, job, career, income, separation from my family. You lose all of those normal basics.”
Monroe served eight years in prison before she was cleared, and was 62 years old when she was released.
In addition to Beverly Monroe’s case, the CBS report visits the cases of Innocence Project clients Larry Peterson and Thomas McGowan.
Watch the full CBS video here.
Tags: Thomas McGowan, Larry Peterson, Life After Exoneration
Improper Hair Analysis Results in Nearly 17 Years in Prison
Posted: May 28, 2010 11:46 am
The Innocence Project took Peterson’s case in 2005 and obtained STR and mitochondrial DNA testing on the pubic hairs. The results matched the victim and excluded Peterson as a possible contributor. Two different male profiles were also found: one from a consensual partner earlier in the night; the other from an unknown male—likely the murderer. More testing also revealed the same unknown male profile on semen found in the victim’s mouth, vagina and anus.
In light of this evidence, Peterson’s conviction was vacated in July 2005, and he was freed on bail a month later. However, despite the evidence pointing to Peterson’s innocence, prosecutors intended to retry him. It was not until four years ago this week that the prosecution decided to drop all charges after Elder recanted his testimony.
Peterson now lives in Pennsylvania and recently started his own lawn care business. Like all exonerees, he essentially had to start a new life when he was freed after so many years behind bars. Learn more about the Innocence Project’s post-exoneration work here.
Other Exoneree Anniversaries This Week:
Marvin Mitchell, Massachusetts (Served 7 Years, Exonerated 5/23/97)
Orlando Boquete, Florida (Served: 12 Years, Exonerated: 5/23/06)
Thomas Webb, Oklahoma (Served 13 Years, Exonerated 5/24/96)
Willie Jackson, Louisiana (Served: 17 Years, Exonerated 5/26/06)
Dean Cage, Illinois (Served: 11.5 Years, Exonerated: 5/27/08)
Paul Kordonowy, Montana (Served: 13 Years, Exonerated: 5/27/03)
Tags: Larry Peterson