Witness to Innocence and its members have received considerable media attention. Read more about the powerful voice of exonerated death row survivors, chronicled across the country by various media outlets.
N.C. District Attorney Supports a Moratorium for Some Executions
September 01, 2010
The president of the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys said Monday that he supported a moratorium on the execution of any death-row inmates whose cases include evidence from the State Bureau of Investigations. Seth Edwards, head of the organization of prosecutors and a district attorney of Eastern North Carolina, acknowledged that some might have doubts after recent blistering audit of the SBI's blood analysis unit highlighted a common practice of withholding test results that might have helped defendents.
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Federal Judge Rejects Troy Davis' Innocence Claim
August 24, 2010
U.S. District Court Judge William T. Moore Jr. rejected Troy Davis’s petition to overturn his conviction for killing a police officer in 1989 in Georgia. Judge Moore chose a high standard of proof that Davis would have to meet to establish his innocence claim: Davis needed to prove by "clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable juror would have convicted him in light of the new evidence." Judge Moore did conclude that it would be unconstitutional to execute "those who can make a truly persuasive demonstration of innocence." He also acknowledged that "the State's case may not be ironclad."
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Randy Steidl: Turn a death row tragedy into triumph
July 21, 2010
Witness to Innocence's Randy Steidl, who has spoken to groups and legislators throughout the country and is a member of our Board of Directors, has a powerful letter in today's State-Journal Register, which serves Springfield, the state capital. "I survived Illinois' death penalty," Randy writes. "I’m living proof why it needs to end." Randy, who was on Illinois' death row for 12 years, has played an integral role in repeal efforts in his home state as part of WTI's collaboration with the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.
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A moral debt to innocent, former death row inmates
July 17, 2010
Stephen Dear, executive director of North Carolina's People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, has brought the issue of wrongful convictions and the death penalty to the forefront in his state. He also has shown unwavering support for death row survivors, as he did in a powerful guest column published last week in the Durham Herald-Sun. In his piece, "A moral debt to innocent, former death row inmates," Steve writes, "Glen Chapman, Alan Gell, Jonathon Hoffman, Levon Jones, Samuel Poole, Alfred Rivera and Christopher Spicer spent nearly five decades on North Carolina's death row and in our prisons for murders and other crimes they did not commit. They were condemned to die in your name and mine. . . . After nearly everything, including their lives, was taken from these men they were released with only the clothes on their backs. No transition. No help. No apology. No money. Nothing." Steve's indictment of a "compensation" system that needs to be overhauled across the country is a topic on which all abolitionists should be educating citizens and elected officials.
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False confessions and wrongful convictions
July 11, 2010
Why would anyone confess to a horrific murder — especially one involving their own child or loved one — if they didn't commit it? It seems unfathomable, yet it happens far more often than most people believe, experts say. In a comprehensive story published recently on the front page of the Chicago Tribune, reporters Lisa Black and Steve Mills examine police interrogation techniques and false confessions, which have been a major factor in wrongful convictions, including cases where innocent people have been sentenced to death. Dr. Robert Galatzer-Levy, a prominent Chicago psychiatrist, says interrogations are designed "not simply to get information," as the police often portray them. Instead, he said, interrogations are "well-thought-through psychological manipulations to get a confession. . . . People all say, 'I'd never confess. Not in a million years.' But it turns out that people who are vigorously interrogated will confess — even if they're innocent."
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Florida creates Innocence Commission
July 02, 2010
As one of his first acts, Florida State Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles T. Canady has issued an administrative order creating the Florida Innocence Commission. The 23-member Innocence Commission will "study the causes of wrongful conviction and subsequent incarceration," and will examine ways to prevent such convictions. Canady took the action on just his second day as chief justice. The panel will study issues related to wrongful convictions as well as the administration.of the death penalty. Florida leads the nation in death-row exonerations, have exonerated 23 people since 1973.
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Witnesses to Innocence Tour North Carolina
June 26, 2010
Witness to Innocence recently partnered with North Carolina-based People of Faith Against the Death Penalty for a tour of the state's eastern cities in June. WTI members Shabaka WaQlimi, Randal Padgett, Gary Drinkard, and Delbert Tibbs shared their stories with a variety of audiences in churches and community centers - and reached thousands more during television, newspaper, and radio interviews. Click here for a compilation of news coverage from the tour.
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Texas judge to hold hearing on risk of executing the innocent
June 25, 2010
Texas State District Judge Kevin Fine scheduled a hearing to consider evidence on whether there is substantial risk that Texas's death penalty laws allow for the possible execution of an innocent person. The hearing, which will begin November 8, will likely include testimony from death penalty experts around the country. Casey Kiernan, one of the attorneys who asked for the hearing said, "I think everybody in the United States would agree that the possibility exists an innocent person has been executed. 'We think there is much more than a possibility, based on all the exonerations, all the problems with the forensics." Defense attorneys also are planning to raise other issues at the hearing, including the legitimacy of eyewitness testimony.
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Innocence Matters
June 28, 2010
Judge Norman Fletcher served on the Georgia Supreme Court from 1989 through 2005 and was in the majority that upheld Troy Davis' original conviction and death sentence on direct appeal. However, Fletcher has noted that he probably would have voted in favor of a new evidentiary hearing for Davis if he was on the court today. He recently wrote about the wisdom of retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, writing, "[His] leadership in [the Davis] case was a triumph of the common-sense notion that innocence matters; it matters more than procedural technicalities. No matter whether one opposes or supports the death penalty, I would hope we can at least agree that the innocent should not be executed."
Read MORE about Justice Stevens' legacy:
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Death Row Survivors Reach out to D.A.
June 17, 2010
A video by Al Dia TV highlights the Witness to Innocence press conference which took place outside Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' office on June 4th.
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DNA Could Show If Claude Jones Was Wrongly Executed
June 15, 2010
Key evidence in the case of Claude Jones, who was executed in Texas in 2000, could prove that he was innocent. If so, Jones may be the first person to be posthumously exonerated. Read Dave Mann's article from the Texas Observer here.
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Former inmates shed light on death penalty
June 08, 2010
The Philadelphia Daily News's Jan Ransom came to hear WTI members at a recent rally outside District Attorney Seth Williams' office. Read her coverage which highlights the stories of Harold Wilson and Bo Cochran.
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Innocence Has to Matter
May 28, 2010
"This idea that the Constitution allows innocent people to be put to death should be abhorrent to anyone who cares about justice," Adam Cohen writes in the current issue of Time magazine in an article detailing Texas death row prisoner Hank Skinner's search for justice. "The Supreme Court — which will take up Skinner's case in its next term — should rule that people accused of capital crimes can use federal civil rights laws to obtain the DNA evidence they need to prove their innocence. And the Justices should use the case to underscore that we, as a nation, care whether people facing the death penalty have actually committed the crimes they were accused of."
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Justice Stevens Warns of Increased Risk of Mistakes in Death Penalty Cases
May 13, 2010
Retiring U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens recently made remarks on his evolving views of capital punishment.
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Not So Fast
May 11, 2010
This article, from the Raleigh, NC News & Observer, highlights innocence by saying, "The possibility of an error, of executing an innocent person, is of course first among the reasons why the death penalty is an unwise alternative in the criminal justice system."
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Randy Steidl Tours Connecticut
May 04, 2010
As part of repeal efforts on behalf of the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty (CNADP), Randy Steidl is spending the first week of May sharing his story with audiences across the state. Click here to read news coverage of his tour.
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Wrongfully convicted man speaks at University of Arizona
April 20, 2010
Juan Melendez told his story to the community at the University of Arizona law school on April 19th. Click here to watch video coverage by Arizona's Fox 11 news station.
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Former inmate discusses need to end death penalty
April 21, 2010
Juan Melendez represented Witness to Innocence admirably at a recent event at Western Oregon University, where he shared truth about innocence to a capacity crowd. As he and WTI Board Chair Freddie Pitts put it "you can release an innocent man from prison, but you can never release him from the grave."
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WTI member published in Ohio newspaper
April 13, 2010
Witness to Innocence member Dale Johnston had a powerful letter published this week in the Columbus Dispatch, one of Ohio's largest newspapers. Dale's compelling words about the need for criminal justice reform in the Buckeye State are yet another example of the influential voice exonerated death row survivors bring to the movement.
READ Dale's letter
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Texas Forensic Science Commission to reopen Willingham discussion
April 10, 2010
After months of delay and internal upheaval, the revamped Texas Forensic Science Commission is poised to reopen discussion of the Cameron Todd Willingham case when it meets April 23.
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Rendell & the death penalty
March 30, 2010
This editorial, originally appearing in Philadelphia Daily News, calls on governor Rendell to see the many ways that a moratorium on executions is warranted in the state of Pennsylvania. Author Dave Lindorff highlights innocence in PA, including the case of WTI member Harold Wilson, as primary reasons for concern with Pennsylvania's use of capital punishment.
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High court gives last-minute stay to condemned Texan
March 25, 2010
The U.S. Supreme Court intervened at the last minute in the case of Texas death row inmate Hank Skinner, staying his execution to allow for further investigation.
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Alabama moratorium bill goes to committee; WTI cited by sponsor
March 25, 2010
A bill proposing a three-year moratorium on Alabama’s use of the death penalty was referred to a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday by Rep. Merika Coleman. Rep. Coleman began her presentation by relating her experience of last November when she met and spoke with Witness to Innocence members at their gathering in Birmingham.
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Press Release regarding Hank Skinner Execution
March 23, 2010
TCADP released the following statement in response to the Board of Pardons and Parole 7- 0 vote against clemency for Hank Skinner. Please call and fax letters to Governor Rick Perry requesting a 30-day stay for Hank Skinner. Talking Points are available at www.tcadp.org.
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Editorial: Hold up Skinner execution for DNA tests
March 22, 2010
This editorial comes from the Dallas Morning News regarding Hank Skinner's scheduled execution - and his denial of access to DNA testing.
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Greg Wilhoit: Unsung Hero
March 16, 2010
Mike Farrell, an anti-death penalty activist (made famous for his work on the TV show M*A*S*H), wrote a beautiful piece in the Huffington Post honoring WTI member Greg Wilhoit.
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DNA testing works, but not if we fail to utilize it
March 09, 2010
Sam Millsap, a friend to Witness to Innocence, wrote this editorial on DNA testing, innocence, and the death penalty. It was published March 9th in the Houston Chronicle.
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Texas judge rules executions unconstitutional
March 05, 2010
A Houston judge on Thursday granted a pretrial motion declaring the death penalty unconstitutional, saying he believes innocent people have been executed. Story by the Houston Chronicle.
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Former death-row inmate tells Alvernia crowd: Seek justice
February 25, 2010
Shujaa Graham delivered a powerful speech to students and community members in Reading, PA at Alvernia College. Coverage by the Reading Eagle's Michelle Park.
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Death row survivors demand end to U.S. executions
February 24, 2010
Witness to Innocence members Ray Krone, Curtis McCarty, and Delbert Tibbs join Executive Director Kurt Rosenberg in calling for an end to U.S. capital punishment at the 4th World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Geneva.
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Establishing Innocence
February 22, 2010
Greg Taylor's exoneration after 16 years - though not a death row case - offers another stunning example of wrongful conviction and how difficult it is to have one's innocence proven. Article from the Durham Herald-Sun.
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Raise Your Voice Against Injustice in Texas
February 18, 2010
An editorial by Witness to Innocence Executive Director, Kurt Rosenberg.
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A STEP AWAY FROM DEATH
February 18, 2010
They are a deserving club of survivors. In the history of the United States, 139 innocent people have been rescued from death row, a place to which they should never have been sent. Here is coverage of Witness to Innocence's Birmingham gathering by El País Semanal (a weekly publication in Madrid) translated from Spanish to English.
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Innocence panel gets push
February 12, 2010
A state senator in Florida is pushing for an investigative panel to examine wrongful convictions called the "Innocence Commission." Witness to Innocence chairperson Freddie Lee Pitts of Florida points out the importance of such a commission saying, "it is critical that we don't risk an innocent person being executed. Nothing can raise an innocent man from the grave or erase the grief of the family and friends of the executed." Furthermore, "wrongful convictions only further injure the victims' loved ones."
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Possibly innocent man denied DNA testing
January 29, 2010
Hank Skinner, a Texas death row inmate, is scheduled for execution on February 24th. But critical DNA testing could justify his claims of innocence and lead to an exoneration - but Skinner is being denied access to these tests.
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A story from death row, by Juan Roberto Melendez-Colon
February 05, 2010
A first-person account by Juan Melendez explaining to readers of the New Hampshire Sentinel about his wrongful imprisonment and the importance of innocence.
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Texas panel meets, skips talk of Willingham case
January 29, 2010
The Texas state panel created to investigate the forensic science used in Cameron Todd Willingham's famous arson case held a meeting on January 29th. Unfortunately, Willingham's 2004 execution and the details of the case were not discussed.
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Johnson files wrongful conviction bill in first step to repeal death penalty
January 14, 2010
State Sen. Constance Johnson in Oklahoma has recognized the injustice of wrongful conviction, and has filed a bill to create an Oklahoma Commission on Wrongful Convictions.
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Exonerated Death Row Inmate Speaks to Students
January 14, 2010
Juan Melendez spoke with high school students in Louisville, KY this January.
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Total of eight Louisiana death row inmates have found innocent, freed
January 24, 2010
Louisiana has had a total of eight death row exonerations since 1976, which are discussed as a serious flaw to the state's employment of capital punishment in this article from the Shreveport Times.
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Texas panel to meet, but Willingham not on the agenda
January 21, 2010
The Texas Forensic Science Commission will meet on January 29th, but the significant case of Cameron Todd Willingham's 2004 execution is not on their agenda for discussion.
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Shujaa Graham Delivers Petition to Texas Governor
January 06, 2010
Witness to Innocence Shujaa Graham delivers a petition to Texas Governor Rick Perry at the 10th Annual March Against the Death Penalty.
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Report: Death sentences decline; death rows shrink
December 18, 2009
Innocence is cited as the leading factor in 2009's record low issues of death sentences.
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Exonerated Death Row Inmate Speaks Out
December 02, 2009
Ray Krone speaks at Belmont University in Nashville, just hours after Tennessee's sixth execution took place.
SEE the coverage
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TOOLS Gathering Interviews
November 19, 2009
ABC Birmingham visits Witness to Innocence at its fall gathering and highlights the stories of several death row survivors.
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Free From Death Row
November 18, 2009
News coverage of Witness to Innocence's gathering in Birmingham Alabama, where death row survivors spoke out about their experience.
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Gary Drinkard Interview
November 13, 2009
Gary Drinkard tells of his wrongful conviction and exoneration, and explains Witness to Innocence's mission, on the television show "Talk of Alabama."
WATCH the video
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Death Row Survivor Talks
May 29, 2009
Printed in the May 29, 2009, Waterbury, Conn., Republican American, writer Paul Hughes writes about Randy Steidl and his efforts to encourage Connecticut Governer M. Jodi Rell to sign legislation abolishing capital punishment.
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Governor, we can’t afford another wrong man on death row
March 15, 2009
Printed in the March 15, 2009, Albuquerque Journal writer Leslie Linthicum writes an open letter to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, encouraging him to sign House Bill 285 which abolishes the death penalty and replaces it with life imprisonment without parole.
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2009 Legislature: Senators hear from former death-row inmate
March 07, 2009
In the March 7, Sante Fe New Mexican, Steve Terrell writes about former death row inmate Randy Steidl's appearance before the New Mexico legislature.
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Shameful Record on Executions
October 28, 2008
Bob Ray Sanders of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote this powerful piece in conjunction with Witness to Innocence's fall 2008 gathering in Texas.
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Can the teeth tell all? The bite-mark debate
May 15, 2008
The York Daily Record's 2008 exploration of "junk science" and how it leads to wrongful convictions. Witness to Innocence staff member Ray Krone is featured prominently.
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Curtis McCarty Speaks
February 25, 2008
The Grand Island (Nebraska) Independent covered a talk given by Curtis McCarty, who spent two decades on death row in Oklahoma for a crime he did not commit. McCarty was released in May 2007.
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Killing An Innocent Man
February 24, 2008
An Op-Ed piece by Witness to Innocence member Ray Krone highlighting the importance of innocence in the conversation on capital punishment. It was printed in the Denver Post on February 24, 2008 and also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and the Arizona Republic.
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A System That Too Often Sacrifices the Innocence
December 02, 2007
An article by Witness to Innocence's Executive Director, Kurt Rosenberg. Published after the US carried out its 1,000th execution.
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