Many people think that a person on death row is there because they killed someone, but that’s not always the case. In far too many cases, people on death row weren’t the ones who committed the murder. Some of them are exonerated before they’re put to death, but that’s not always how it happens.
Recently, a man in Ohio spoke out about the atrocity of innocent people who are sitting on death row. He was 17 years old when he was charged with murdering a money order salesman. He was given the death penalty. The problem with this is that he wasn’t the killer. Instead, he merely passed the deceased man on the sidewalk. The man’s body was already outlined in chalk.
Why was he wrongfully convicted?
The case against this man was based on the testimony of a child. A 12-year-old boy said that he saw the murder, but he eventually admitted that he lied about it. The man was released from prison in 2003 but was on parole. His friend and brother, who were also in prison for the crime, remained in prison for another 11 years. It took 11 years after his arrest for the man to clear his name and be exonerated. That led to the other two men being released.
While this man’s case didn’t occur in South Carolina, it still has a very important message for the criminal justice system. All too often, people are sentenced to death for a crime they didn’t commit. This atrocity must be corrected. Nobody deserves to face time in prison or a criminal record for something they didn’t do. In some cases, people can avoid this through their defense strategy, so it’s important to get this established quickly after the charges are levied.