|
USA - California. Larry Roberts Becomes the 200th Person Exonerated from Death Row
July 1, 2024: July 1, 2024 - California. Larry Roberts Becomes the 200th Person Exonerated from Death Row
Roberts (Black) was wrongfully convicted in 1983 for the August 17, 1980 murders of Charles Gardner, a fellow prison inmate, and Albert Patch, a correctional officer at the California Medical Center in Vacaville, California. The only witnesses to these stabbings were fellow prisoners who testified against Mr. Roberts. He was sentenced to death for both killings. Years later, the California Supreme Court overturned Mr. Roberts’ conviction for the death of the prison guard but left his death sentence in place. In Mr. Roberts’ case, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California found that prosecutors “suppressed exculpatory evidence, suborned perjury, and presented evidence the prosecutor knew or should have known was false” in the killing of a corrections officer, and granted Mr. Roberts a new trial. After 41 years, the California Attorney General’s Office has now agreed with the Court, and has said it will not retry him.
Mr. Roberts is the ninth person to be exonerated after being wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for a murder that took place while they were incarcerated on unrelated charges.
Mr. Roberts’ exoneration is a powerful reminder of the fallibility of the death penalty, and one more reason 50% of the American public no longer believes their government can fairly use the death penalty.
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/larry-roberts-becomes-the-200th-person-exonerated-from-death-row
https://www.witnesstoinnocence.org/single-post/breaking-news-200-people-exonerated-from-death-row (Source: DPIC, 01/07/2024)
|
