Their great-nephew Tom Joyner had achieved the pardons after investigating the case and presenting evidence to the state of the injustice, after learning about his relatives' executions.
"[33] Based on recommendations of the Office of Legal Counsel, Dukakis declared August 23, 1977, the 50th anniversary of their execution, as Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti Memorial Day.
[34] His proclamation, issued in English and Italian, stated that Sacco and Vanzetti had been unfairly tried and convicted, and that "any disgrace should be forever removed from their names.
District Attorney Eugene Gold re-opened the case and confirmed the accuracy of the journalist's claims before formally requesting that Whitmore's conviction be vacated.
[108] The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled in September 1992 that the prosecutorial misconduct was so egregious that a second trial would amount to double jeopardy and barred the state from re-trying Smith.
After coverage by the podcast Undisclosed and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution a potential alternate suspect was identified and DNA testing was pursued by the Georgia Innocence Project.
Forbes was so disturbed by what he found that he asked the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia to appoint a special judge and a panel of lawyers and scientists to investigate the serology department.
[193] On November 4, 1993, Senior Circuit Court Judge James Holliday issued a report finding that Zain had engaged in a staggering litany of misconduct and outright fraud.
The Supreme Court unanimously accepted Holliday's report on November 12, calling Zain's actions "egregious violations of the right of a defendant to a fair trial" and a "corruption of our legal system".
Following Burrows' conviction, Frye recanted his testimony to news reporter Peter Rooney, claiming that police had coerced him in exchange for a lesser sentence.
Confronted with the letter, Potter admitted that she had falsely accused the men in part because she mistakenly believed that Burrows had burglarized her trailer.
During the trial, children were asked to testify about events that had occurred three years previously, with memories "refreshed" in therapy sessions, meetings with the prosecution and repeated discussions with their parents.
[212] The year after the trial, The Oregonian received a series of letters from a serial killer giving details of eight murders, including that of Taunja Bennett.
Law enforcement stated they had fully corroborated Jesperson's confession, but the courts initially refused to overturn the convictions of Pavlinac and Sosnovske.
[240] His case was overturned a third and final time with the appellate court heavily criticizing prosecutors for arguing that Holly was sexually active without evidence and for putting so much weight on a confession obtained while Rivera, who suffered from mental illness, was in an "acute psychotic state" and which contained so many inaccuracies.
In the years after the trial, a series of documentaries suggested that the so-called "West Memphis Three" may have been innocent and were convicted due to moral panic over their interest in the occult, that Jesse Misskelley's confession was coerced, and that other witnesses had testified falsely.
In 2007, DNA from the scene was tested and did not belong to Echols, Misskelley, or Baldwin; however, it was consistent with Stevie Branch's stepfather, Terry Hobbs, and his friend, David Jacoby.
However, before the hearing could take place, prosecutors reached a deal in August 2011 in which Echols, Misskelley, and Baldwin were released from prison in return for entering Alford pleas (pleading guilty without actually admitting guilt).
One of the jailhouse informants also recanted his testimony, and it was revealed that the other had previously admitted that he made up Flowers' confession for a lighter sentence, although he now maintained he was telling the truth.
APM investigators spoke to Clemmie Fleming and Odell Hallman, both of whom recanted their testimony, as did several other witnesses who had supposedly seen Flowers traveling to and from the crime scene.
[284][285] Although evidence from the scene indicated that there was only one assailant, by the time the cases came to trial, police and prosecutors were advancing the notion that there were eight participants in the rape and murder.
[285] In 2009, Virginia governor Tim Kaine granted Dick, Tice, and Williams "conditional pardons", which reduced their sentences to time served, but they were placed on parole and were required to register as sex offenders.
[285] In 2017, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe granted Joseph Dick, Derek Tice, Danial Williams, and Eric Wilson full pardons.
She told police that she met him through a friend named Dion who was five feet, two inches tall, had green eyes, and played on the high school basketball team.
Informed that the photos were of the same person, the woman subsequently provided a statement saying, "The James Clay that is in prison for my rape was my boyfriend in high school who went by the name Chad."
A day earlier, the Wayne County prosecutor's office and Houston had filed a joint motion with the Michigan Court of Appeals seeking to release Clay.
"Based upon our findings so far, we have determined that it is in the best interests of justice to move the court to have Mr. Clay immediately released on a personal recognizance bond until the investigation concludes."
The testing later found foreign male DNA underneath Robert's fingertips and on the murder weapon, excluding Jane as a suspect.
[298] A new suspect emerged when the defense compelled the prosecution to run DNA evidence found on a sweatshirt on the floor of the crime scene through CODIS a second time.
The sweatshirt contained the DNA, prison nickname, and department of corrections number of Charles Boney, a convicted felon with a history of stalking and attacking women.