Man Convicted of Murder in 2006 Asks for New Trial

06.01.17 By Innocence Staff

Man Convicted of Murder in 2006 Asks for New Trial

Last week, lawyers for a Tennessee man filed a petition to overturn his murder conviction, saying their client is innocent and a key witness selected the wrong man from a highly suggestive photo lineup.

Adam Clyde Braseel has been in prison for over a decade for the 2006 murder of Malcolm F. Burrows. Prosecutors alleged Braseel lured Burrows from his home saying he had car trouble, then beat him to death and stole his wallet.

But, no physical evidence links Braseel to the crime and alibi witnesses accounted for his whereabouts at the time of the murder.

In addition, the former officer who found Burrows’ body stated in an affidavit accompanying Braseel’s petition that the victim’s wallet was, in fact, not stolen or missing from the scene, as other local law enforcement had claimed. Rather, the wallet was in Burrow’s pant pocket at the scene of the crime.

A key eyewitness in Braseel’s trial was Burrow’s sister Becky Hill, who was also attacked by the same man on the night of Burrow’s murder. According to Braseel’s attorneys, Hill was shown a photo lineup with images of men of varying age, only a few of which resembled her description of the perpetrator. Braseel’s attorneys call the lineup “unconstitutionally suggestive.”

“The whole theory of the trial . . . was based on knowingly perjured testimony,” Braseel’s attorney Alex Little wrote. “Mr. Braseel was connected to the crime by faulty and unconstitutional eyewitness identifications which his counsel failed to suppress.”

The petition was also accompanied by an affidavit from a juror from Braseel’s trial saying she didn’t believe that Braseel was guilty of the crime but she felt intimidated by the jury foreman into submitting a “guilty” vote.

“I believed then and I believe now that Adam Braseel is innocent of the charges that were brought against him,” the juror told the News Sentinel in May.

No hearing for Braseel has been set at this time.

Read the News Sentinel Coverage here.

Related: Man Wrongfully Convicted at 14 Challenges Mississippi Compensation Law

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Tammie Capps July 17, 2019 at 8:15 pm Reply   

Thank you, IP for featuring Adam as part of your 25th year. As we told you this day, and many others, even though Adam knows that the project only handles DNA cases, and his is not, the work you guys do means the world to him, and he respects you all so very much. Thank you for all that you do for the men and women who are in prison for someone else’s crime instead of at home with their families. We realize that it takes you away from yours as well. We are asking that you do a follow up story on Adam, as we are hopeful this battle is soon coming to an end. Thank you for continuing to inspire us all to be a better human, and to stand up for those that can’t.

Christy Burns July 16, 2019 at 9:32 pm Reply   

Dear Innocence,

There have been new developments in this case. It would be great to see an updated article to possibly gain new supporters and help free Adam. This innocent man has spent way too many years for someone else’s crime. Both families deserve justice.

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