Sometimes innocent until proven guilty doesn’t ring true. Check out these disturbing cases where people have wrongly faced the executioners block without even having the law on their side.
The emergence of DNA testing and the ability to use the science of the body’s cells to solve crimes has made significant changes in the criminal justice field. However, in the past decades, DNA evidence wasn’t available. As a result, hundreds of people were convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.
10James Joseph Richardson - 1967
Richardson spent 21 years in prison for killing his 7 children by poisoning their food. Years later their babysitter admitted to the murders.
09Ceri Shipman - 2010
Shipman tried to clear her rapist boyfriend´s name by framing of his victims as liars. She used fake Facebook account that was so convincing the victims were arrested.
08Randall Dale Adams – 1976
Randall framed for shooting dead a police officer by an acquaintance. He spent 12 years on death row before a documentary film “The thin blue line”, led to his release.
07Lynn Dejac – 1994
Lynn spent 13 years in prison for killing her daughter. Her ex-boyfriend got immunity and testified against her – his DNA was later found at the scene. He couldn´t be tried due to his immunity and went on to murder someone else.
06Barry Gibbs – 1986
Gibbs served 19 years in prison for the murder of a prostitute. The case´s lead, detective Eppolito was corrupt and likely framed Gibbs to protect the mafia.
05Brian Banks – 2002
Student Brian Banks spent 5 years in prison for the kidnap and rape of Wanetta Gibson. Wanetta successfully sued her school for 1.5 million dollars but later admitted she´d lied.
04Thomas Kennedy – 2001
Thomas spent 9 years in prison when his 11-year-old daughter accused him of rape. 10 years later she admitted she had lied, as she was upset about her parents´ divorce.
03Arlena Lindley – 2014
Lindley received 45 years jail time after her partner murdered her son. Also a victim of her abusive partner, she was imprisoned for failing to protect her child.
02Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow – 2008
Duhulow, 13, was arrested for adultery after reporting her rape to the Al-Shabaab Islamist militia. Stoned to death as punishment, no effort was made to find her 3 attackers.
01Timothy Evans – 1950
Evans´s wife and daughter were murdered by John Christie, an unknown SERIAL KILLER. Evens accused him of being the killer but police used Christie as a witness instead. The innocent Evens was sentenced to death and hanged.