Earl Washington Jr.
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Earl Washington Jr. spent 18 years in a Virginia prison, much of it on death row, for a 1982 rape and murder that subsequent DNA testing showed he did not commit. In his original trial Washington, who is mildly retarded, was reported to have confessed to the crime and to have provided details that only the murderer could have known. In 2000 Washington was pardoned by Virginian governor Jim Gilmore after a series of DNA tests showed Washington could not have committed the crime. This testing was performed in response to pressure from Washington's lawyer, Peter Neufeld of the Innocence Project.
In 2002 Washington sued the estate of one of the Virginia State Police investigators who handled his case, and in May 2006 was awarded $2.25 million after a jury found that the investigator had fabricated Washington's confession.
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[edit] External links
- Wrongfully jailed man wins suit. May 5, 2006: Article from the Washington Post.
- Earl Washington case shows reforms to death penalty, criminal cases needed, Neufeld says. February 6, 2006: Web article (with accompanying video and audio) based on a talk given by lawyer Peter Neufeld to the University of Virginia law school.
- Edds, Margaret (2003). An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington Jr.. New York: New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-2222-9.
