David Keaton

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David Keaton was the first person exonerated from Death Row in the United States, when it was discovered he was wrongly convicted.

[edit] Conviction and release

In 1971, Keaton was accused and convicted of killing a deputy sheriff during a robbery. Based on new evidence, the Florida State Supreme reversed his conviction in 1973 in the case Keaton v. State (273 So.2d 385 (1973)).

The story "The Stigma is Always There", written by Sydney Freedberg,

1. David Keaton Florida Conviction: 1971, Charges Dismissed: 1973 On the basis of mistaken identification and coerced confessions, Keaton was sentenced to death for murdering an off duty deputy sheriff during a robbery. The State Supreme Court reversed the conviction and granted Keaton a new trial because of newly discovered evidence. The actual killer of the sheriff was later convicted.