Wrongfully Convicted, But Still In Prison

How do you prove innocence when there is no evidence tying the convicted person to the crime, except eyewitness testimony? 

George Gould and Ronald Taylor were wrongfully convicted of murder in 1995 in the state of Connecticut. There was no evidence whatsoever linking them to the murder, only one eyewitness. After a habeas trial that eyewitness recanted her trial testimony explaining that she was a drug addict and prostitute at the time and was threatened prosecution by the police if she did not cooperate. After a six hour interrogation, she cooperated and identified George and Ronald. Based on her recantation and new testimony regarding the threats by the police, the judge found that both men were innocent and reversed their conviction. However, this does not end here. The state appealed to the Connecticut Supreme Court, which found the men have to prove their innocence and that requirement was not met. So, the supreme court remanded it for a new habeas trial.

David Cameron, a political science professor at Yale, wrote an opinion piece in the Hartford Courant about this case and  the burden of proof. "Where should the burden of proof lie?" It is a very compelling piece that everyone should read. Click here to read his article.