This is a list of notable overturned convictions in the United States.
Alabama Blount County
Bill Wilson was convicted of the 1912 murder of his wife and child and sentenced to life in prison. He was exonerated in 1918 when they were both found living in Indiana.
Jackson County
The Scottsboro Boys were nine young black men and teenage boys convicted of an alleged 1931 rape of a young white woman and a 17-year-old white girl, eight of whom were initially sentenced to die by the electric chair. All were later either pardoned or had their convictions overturned.
Jefferson County
Anthony Ray Hinton was wrongfully convicted in 1985 of the murder of two men in Birmingham and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that his defence was inadequate and he was exonerated in 2015 by a Jefferson Court judge after spending nearly 30 years in prison.Phillip, Abbey (3 April 2015) Alabama inmate free after three decades on death row. How the case against him unraveled. The Washington Post, Retrieved 9 April 2015
Arizona Maricopa County
Ray Krone was sentenced to death for the 1991 murder of a bar manager. Bite marks found on the victim were said to match Krone's teeth. DNA tests exonerated Krone in 2001 and identified the real killer Kenneth Phillips. Debra Milke was convicted of ordering her son's murder in 1990. She was sentenced to death. Her conviction was vacated in 2013.
California Alameda County
Huey Newton was convicted of the 1967 manslaughter of John Frey, an Oakland Patrolman. His conviction was overturned in 1970.
Los Angeles County
Francisco "Franky" Carrillo was convicted of the 1991 murder of Donald Sarpy and sentenced to life in prison. His conviction was reversed by the Los Angeles County Superior Court on March 14, 2011, after he had served twenty years in prison. Geronimo Pratt, a Black Panther leader, was convicted in 1972 of the 1968 murder of a white school teacher and sentenced to life in prison. He was exonerated in 1997. Craig Coley, a Vietnam War veteran, was convicted in 1978 for the murder of his ex-girlfriend and her 4-year-old son. The conviction was overturned on the basis of genetic evidence in 2019.
San Francisco County Jamal Trulove was convicted of murder. His conviction was later overturned.
Florida
Miami-Dade County
Joseph Shea was convicted of the 1959 murder of an airline clerk and sentenced to life in prison. He was retried and acquitted in 1966.Joseph Shea Victims of the State, Retrieved 20 November 2014
DeSoto County
James Joseph Richardson was convicted of the 1967 poisoning murder of seven of his children and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 and he was exonerated in 1989.
Gulf County
Wilbert Lee & Freddie Pitts were sentenced to death for the 1963 robbery and murder of two Port St. Joe gas station attendants. Their sentences were commuted to life in prison in 1972, and they were released and pardoned in 1975.
Leon County
Five black men were accused of murdering an off-duty sheriff's deputy in 1970. Two were convicted (David Keaton was given the death sentence) before evidence emerged that exonerated all five.Northern Florida Victims of the State Retrieved 19 November 2014
Georgia
Chatham County
Samuel ScottSamuel Scott The Innocence project, Retrieved 1 January 2015 and Douglas Echols were convicted of a 1986 kidnapping, rape, and robbery. Scott was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years and Echols was sentenced to five years. DNA tests exonerated them both in 2002.
Cobb County
The Marietta Seven were convicted of the 1971 murder of two physicians in Marietta. The seven were exonerated in 1975.
DeKalb County
Clarence Harrison was convicted of the 1986 kidnapping, robbery, and rape of a 25-year-old woman in Decatur and sentenced to life in prison. DNA tests exonerated him in 2004.
Floyd County
Eighteen-year-old Marcus Dixon was convicted in 2003 of the statutory rape and aggravated child molestation of Kristie Brown, a 15-year-old schoolgirl. The aggravated child molestation conviction was later overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court although the statutory rape conviction was allowed to stand.
Fulton County
Leo Frank was convicted of the 1913 murder of a 13-year-old female employee in Atlanta. He was lynched in 1915, and posthumously pardoned in 1986.
Illinois Cook County
Majczek and Marcinkiewicz were convicted of the 1932 murder of a Chicago police officer and were each sentenced to 99 years in prison. They were exonerated in 1945 and 1950. Gary Dotson was convicted of a 1977 rape after he was identified by the victim and sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. The victim recanted in 1985 and DNA tests cleared him in 1989. The Ford Heights Four (two of whom were sentenced to death) were convicted of the 1978 murder of an engaged couple. DNA tests exonerated them in 1996 and identified the true killers who confessed and were convicted.Verneal Jimerson Northwestern University, Bluhm Legal Clinic, Retrieved 20 November 2014 Anthony Porter was sentenced to death for the 1982 murder of an engaged couple. He was exonerated in 1999. However, he later lost a civil case after a jury found that his conviction was not wrongful. David Dowaliby was convicted of the 1988 murder of his stepdaughter and sentenced to 45 years in prison. His conviction was reversed in 1991 on the grounds of insufficient evidence.Warden, Rob (June 2012) David Dwaliby University of Michigan Law School, National Registry of Exonerations, Retrieved 20 November 2014 Mark Maxson was sentenced to life plus 50 years in 1993 for the murder of six-year-old Lindsay Murdoch. After 23 years in jail he was exonerated when DNA evidence proved his innocence in 2015 and identified the true killer Osborne Wade who confessed and was convicted.
Lawrence County
Julie Rea Harper was convicted of the 1997 murder of her 10-year-old son and sentenced to 65 years in prison. She was acquitted on retrial in 2006.The Julie Rea Harper Case University of Illinois Springfield, Innocence Project, Retrieved 20 November 2014
DeKalb County
John Tessier (AKA Jack McCullough) was convicted of the 1957 kidnapping and murder of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in 2012. He received a life sentence and 20 years without parole. His murder conviction was overturned and he was released from prison in April 2016. He was declared innocent of the crime by the DeKalb County Circuit Court on April 12, 2017.
Indiana Floyd County
David Camm was tried twice and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and two children. He was acquitted upon retrial in 2013. DNA found at the scene linked Charles Boney to the murders. Boney is serving 225 years in prison for the murders.
St. Joseph County
Richard Alexander was convicted of committing two 1996 rapes. He was exonerated of the crimes in 2001.
Louisiana Orleans Parish
Shareef Cousin was sentenced to death for a 1995 murder. He was released in 1998. Mychal Bell was sentenced to 22 years for assault. His conviction was overturned in 2007. Gregory Bright was sentenced to life for a 1973 murder. He was released in 2003. Curtis Kyles was sentenced to death in 1994 for the murder of a woman. He was released in 1998. Robert Jones was sentenced to life for a 1992 murder. Overturned November 21, 2015. Archie Williams (singer) was sentenced to life in prison for the rape and attempted murder of a woman in 1983. He was released on March 21, 2019.
Maryland Baltimore County
Michael Austin was convicted of the 1974 murder of a grocery store security guard and sentenced to life in prison. After 27 years in prison, he was exonerated in 2001.Michael Austin Maryland Victims of the State, Retrieved 20 November 2014 Kirk Bloodsworth was convicted of the 1985 rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1987. DNA tests exonerated him in 1993 and identified the real killer Kimberly Shay Ruffner who pleaded guilty when charged.
Massachusetts
Suffolk County
Lawyer Johnson was sentenced to death for a 1971 Roxbury murder. His sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 and he was exonerated in 1982.Lawyer Johnson Victims of the state, Retrieved 20 November 2014
Michigan Macomb County
Ken Wyniemko was convicted of a 1984 rape and robbery of a 28-year-old woman and sentenced to 40–60 years in prison. DNA tests exonerated him in 2003 and identified the real perpetrator Craig Gonser who could not be charged because the Statute of Limitations time had expired. In an unrelated incident, Gonser was found guilty of an indecent exposure charge and sentenced to 10–25 years Thomas and Raymond Highers were convicted in 1988 of first-degree murder in the 1987 slaying of Robert Karey, a known Detroit drug dealer and were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After serving over 25 years in prison, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Lawrence Talon vacated the brothers' convictions based on new eye-witness testimony and released the pair on bond. The Wayne County Prosecutor's office said they intended to re-try the brothers, beginning in October 2013. In September 2013, despite maintaining that her office still thought the pair committed the crime, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced that her office was dismissing all charges against the pair.
Mississippi Montgomery County
Curtis Flowers was repeatedly tried and convicted for the 1996 shooting deaths of four people in Winona and sentenced to death. Each conviction was overturned or resulted in a mistrial, finally with prejudice in 2020, after key witnesses recanted their testimony.
Missouri Boone County
Ryan Ferguson was convicted of the 2001 murder of sports editor Kent Heitholt and sentenced to 40 years in prison. His conviction was overturned in 2013 and he was released after key witnesses recanted their testimony.
St. Louis County
Johnny Briscoe was convicted of a 1982 rape and robbery and sentenced to 45 years in prison. DNA tests exonerated him in 2006 and identified the real guilty criminal Larry Smith.
Lincoln County
Russ Faria was convicted of the 2011 murder of his wife, Betsy Faria, and sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole. His wrongful conviction was challenged and a new trial was ordered in June 2015. He was acquitted on November 6, 2015.
Livingston County
Mark Woodworth was convicted of the 1990 home invasion, murder and attempted murder of his parents' business partners, the Robertsons. In 2014, after two trials and two reversal, a judge ruled the evidence flown to England by a private detective was so egregiously mishandled, that it was barred from being used in a court of law.
New Jersey Essex County
Bill MacFarland was convicted of the 1911 arsenic murder of his wife and sentenced to death in the electric chair. He was acquitted on retrial.Bill MacFarland Victims of the State, Retrieved 20 November 2014
Mercer County
The Trenton Six were convicted of the 1948 murder of a Trenton shopkeeper and sentenced to death. Four of them were exonerated in 1951. One was convicted in 1952 and the other pleaded guilty and implicated his five codefendants. Both received life sentences.
Passaic County
Rubin Carter, a middleweight boxer was convicted twice of a 1966 triple murder and sentenced to a double life sentence. His conviction was overturned in 1985 and the indictments withdrawn in 1987.
New York
New York County
The Central Park Five were five Harlem teens convicted of the 1989 assault and rape of a jogger in New York's Central Park. They served their sentences but their convictions were set aside in 2002 when DNA evidence cleared them and another man confessed to the crime.