Bill Wilson (convict)
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Bill Wilson was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and child in 1912.
In 1908, his wife, Jenny, left him taking with her their 19-month-old child. In 1912, Wilson was charged in Blount County, Alabama with murdering the two after skeletal remains of an adult and child were discovered by the Black Warrior River. The remains appeared to be too old, and the child's remains had second teeth, which usually does not occur before the age of four. Six witnesses including Jenny's sister testified to seeing Jenny several months after the prosecution contended she was dead. Nevertheless, Wilson was convicted and sentenced in 1915 to life in prison. In 1918, Wilson's appellate lawyer located Jenny living in Indiana, and the Alabama governor pardoned Wilson the same day that Jenny returned to Blount County and authorities confirmed her identity.
