Three Ohio men were exonerated in November and December of this year after being wrongfully convicted of the murder of a traveling salesman in 1975. Chiefly, police misconduct, unreliable witness testimony, and failure of the justice system were to blame in the convictions of Ricky Jackson and Ronnie and Wiley Bridgeman.
The only eye witness to the crime was 13 at the time of his testimony and had attempted to retract his identification of the three men during the police lineup. According to recent testimony by the witness, the police told him it was "too late to change his story," and pressured him to remain consistent.
Additionally, the getaway car used by the men seen fleeing the scene was registered to a man who lived in the area and had a criminal record including robbery and a shooting (and who later pled guilty to multiple counts of armed robbery during the same time period as the murder). Police failed to follow-up with the license plate after the witness falsely identified Jackson and the Bridgeman brothers.
When being accused of a crime, it is imperative that you hire defense counsel who will work to preserve your rights.
At Cantafio & Song PLLC, our Defense team prides itself on working tirelessly to make sure you are afforded every right you are entitled to when accused of a crime in the United States. If you are accused of a crime, contact our attorneys as soon as possible to ensure every defense available is considered and preserved.
https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4555