TOO MANY WRONGFULLY CONVICTED - The Innocence Project

200BRUCE DALLAS GOODMAN0TOO MANY WRONGFULLY CONVICTEDDAVID ALLEN JONES20049 YEARSCALIFORNIALos Angeles policeinvestigating severalmurders interrogatedDavid Allen Jones, whohas the mental abilityof an eight-year-old,for over two days. Afterdetectives “reminded”Jones that he hadalready admitted tothe crimes, he falselyconfessed and wasconvicted. Nine yearslater, DNA testing provedJones’s innocence —and matched a convicted200419 YEARSUTAHConvicted of the rapeand murder of hislive-in girlfriend basedlargely on inconclusiveforensics, Bruce DallasGoodman maintainedhis innocence. Heultimately sought thehelp of the RockyMountain InnocenceCenter, and DNAtesting exonerated him.DONALD WAYNE GOOD200413.5 YEARSTEXASDonald Wayne Goodwas convicted ofrape, based only onthe victim’s eyewitnessidentification. Hecontinued to fight toprove his innocencefor years after hewas paroled. DNAtesting finally led tohis exoneration inDecember 2004.DENNIS BROWN • 200519 YEARSLOUISIANAAt age 17, DennisBrown was accused ofrape and confessed tothe crime when adetective threatenedhim. The victim saidher attacker’s facewas almost completelycovered, yet sheidentified Brown. TheInnocence ProjectNew Orleans requestedDNA testing in Brown’scase, which provedhis innocence. He hadspent over half of hisWRONGFULLY CONVICTEDserial murderer.DONTE BOOKER • 200515 YEARSOHIOAfter he was paroled,Donte Booker soughtpost-conviction DNAtesting in the 1986 rapecase for which he hadbeen convicted. Herefused opportunitiesfor an earlier parolebecause he wouldnot admit to a crimehe didn’t commit.In 2005, DNA testingexcluded him, andhis conviction wasoverturned.life in prison.Y WRONGFULLY CONVICTED15% were convicted basedat least in part32 | Innocence Project