A New Jersey Woman Claimed Innocence In ‘Shaken Baby’ Death. Now Her Conviction May Get Another Look. Spurred by an Appeal investigation into Michelle Heale’s controversial 2015 case, a law professor is asking New Jersey’s Conviction Review Unit to “correct an injustice” and set Heale free. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Feb 15, 2022
The State Convicted Him of Child Abuse. A Medical Expert Said It Was Likely Diaper Rash A man is serving two life sentences for a crime that, according to his legal team, never occurred. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Jun 29, 2021
A Manhattan D.A. Candidate Touts Her Leadership of a Conviction Review Unit. Why Did It Exonerate So Few People? Under Tali Farhadian Weinstein’s leadership, Brooklyn’s unit exonerated just four people—a far lower rate than in previous years. Sam Mellins May 17, 2021
Her Lawyers Say She Was Coerced To Plead Guilty To A Crime That Never Happened Accused of shaking a baby to death and facing the death penalty, Amy Wilkerson says she is innocent, but pleaded guilty to spare her life. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Sep 23, 2020
Officers Involved In Notorious Wrongful Conviction Aren’t On Prosecutor’s Do-Not-Call List A state investigation found that Detroit police officers fabricated evidence that helped convict a 14-year-old boy. A judge threw out his conviction after he spent nine years in prison, but the officers are still on the job and haven’t been flagged as unreliable to testify in court. Kira Lerner Aug 19, 2020
The Texas Appeals Court Upheld This Man’s Death Sentence Despite New Scientific Evidence The ruling is a setback for the state's so-called junk science statute. Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Apr 01, 2020
Why Has Jackie Lacey’s Conviction Review Unit Exonerated So Few People? Critics say there may be systemic problems with how the unit is run within the Los Angeles County DA’s office. Jessica Pishko Feb 27, 2020
Missouri Attorney General’s Lack Of Courage In Lamar Johnson Case Is A Miscarriage of Justice Eric Schmitt should follow the lead of a Pennsylvania prosecutor who acknowledged that a man deserved a new trial, even when it meant reversing a murder conviction. Ben Miller Feb 25, 2020
How Witness Identifications Send Innocent People to Prison Mistaken identifications have been involved in nearly 70 percent of post-conviction exonerations based on DNA evidence. Jay Willis Feb 11, 2020
Delaware Lawmakers Push Bill That Could Pay Reparations To The Wrongfully Incarcerated Elmer Daniels served nearly 40 years in prison before he was exonerated in 2018. He's one of at least three people who could receive $50,000 for every year spent behind bars. Lauren Gill Feb 06, 2020
The Appeal Podcast: Re-examining the Science of Shaken Baby Syndrome With Appeal staff reporter Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg. Adam H. Johnson Jan 23, 2020
New Lawsuit Is Latest Example Of Residents Seeking Accountability For Wrongful Arrests In New York City Charges in each of four arrests of a city man were subsequently dropped. Now he has become one of a long line of New York City residents who have filed wrongful arrest lawsuits against the city. Dawn R. Wolfe Jan 14, 2020
Prosecutors Can Right Past Wrongs—If Only The System Lets Them More prosecutors are trying to root out wrongful convictions and restore trust in the legal system. They’re meeting opposition on all sides. Nina Morrison, Somil Trivedi Dec 10, 2019
Philadelphia Man Begins Rebuilding His Life After His Wrongful Conviction After more than two decades, Terrance Lewis was exonerated and released from prison earlier this year. He is now an advocate for other innocent people caught up in the criminal legal system. Joshua Vaughn Oct 09, 2019
DNA Testing Could Save This Texas Man’s Life. But Prosecutors Are Opposing It. Rodney Reed, set to be executed on Nov. 20, is innocent of a rape and murder, his lawyers say, and untested evidence will prove it. But prosecutors have pushed back, arguing the evidence is contaminated. Lauren Gill Sep 26, 2019
Why Juries Need Expert Help Assessing Jailhouse Informants Informants are highly motivated to lie. But jurors don’t always have the information or skills to discern the truth. Alexandra Natapoff Sep 23, 2019
San Francisco Is Paying For Jamal Trulove’s Wrongful Conviction. Will Kamala Harris? Police and prosecutors framed a father of four in a 2007 murder case with local and national political implications. Kyle C. Barry Jul 02, 2019
Queens Prosecutor’s Office Failed to Share 911 Tapes in Murder Trial And Then Lost File, Attorneys Say Carlton Roman has been stuck in prison for nearly 30 years for a murder he has long denied. Now, with a crowded primary for Queens district attorney weeks away, he could finally get a chance to go free. Aaron Morrison Jun 05, 2019
It’s Time to Make Chicago Police Pay For Their Misdeeds—Out Of Their Own Budget Chicago hands out millions in settlements and legal fees for police misconduct. Its newly inaugurated mayor should take a dollar from the department’s budget for every dollar the city spends settling with its victims. Jonathan Ben-Menachem May 29, 2019
Man Exonerated In Murder, But Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer As He Awaited Freedom William J. Richards was cleared in the death of his wife. But he says he was the victim of medical neglect while he was behind bars, which led to a cancer diagnosis becoming terminal. Now he's suing. Erika Stallings Feb 19, 2019
Why Rooting Out Rogue Prosecutors Isn’t Enough Experts say New York’s Commission on Prosecutorial Conduct is an important first step, but the problem isn’t just misconduct—it’s the way prosecutors wield their discretion every day. Maura Ewing Aug 28, 2018
Rory Lancman Wants to be the ‘Larry Krasner of Queens’—and Says He Can Prove It The City Council member now eyeing a run for Queens DA has a record of supporting reform, but some critics aren’t convinced. Theodore Hamm Aug 07, 2018
Jailhouse Informant In High-Profile Texas Murder Cases Comes Under New Scrutiny Max Rivlin-Nadler Mar 30, 2018
New Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Hits Reset on the Office’s Troubled Conviction Review Unit Christopher Moraff Feb 15, 2018
Exoneree Accuses Brooklyn DA’s Office Under Joe Hynes of Prosecutorial Misconduct in Denying his Freedom of Information Request Letter from Jabbar Collins warns that his case is likely only “the tip of the proverbial iceberg” Theodore Hamm Jan 11, 2018
Not in Vain: Our Failure to Curb Misconduct Undermines John Thompson’s Legacy Bidish Sarma Jan 03, 2018
Man Declared “Factually Innocent” of Murder is Granted a Full Pardon The pardon vote removes any “residual stain” on his record. Larry Hannan Nov 22, 2017
The Massachusetts Lab Scandals: Confronting the New Normal of Mass Error in Criminal Justice Jennifer Laurin Oct 10, 2017
Indiana man free after misconduct leads to his murder conviction being thrown out Larry Hannan Oct 02, 2017
Not quite free at last: Fred Weichel and the inability of prosecutors to fully let go Daniel Medwed Aug 09, 2017
Local government leader proposes solution for Brooklyn’s “wrongful convictions crisis” Larry Hannan Aug 04, 2017
Illicit affair of Kentucky prosecutor leads to murder conviction being thrown out Larry Hannan Aug 01, 2017
District attorney defends prosecution of man convicted of killing father of basketball superstar Michael Jordan Larry Hannan Jun 20, 2017
Michigan man’s exoneration after decades in prison shows importance of holding prosecutors accountable Larry Hannan Jun 16, 2017
