Everything That is Wrong with the DPIC List

Did you know there is a Death Penalty Information Center Innocence List? The Death Penalty Information Center Innocence List is also known as the Innocence: Freed from Death Row.

The Death Penalty Information Center Innocence List is always heavily cited as a credible source that claims 102 prisons were on death row and they were innocent across the United States. 

The Death Penalty Information Center Innocence List is always accepted as fact and nothing less than facts. But, with examining some of the sources and premises that brought the list together, it starts to raise some major questions about whether these prisoners are innocent. 

You should note that there is heavy analysis of the cases on the cases on the Death Penalty Information Center Innocence List tends to exaggerate many of the inaccurate convictions. 

For a few cases, the list will make up conclusions and even mistake some of the implications of what happened citing that the inmate was innocent. 

The Death Penalty Information Center Innocence List also falsely exonerates some of these death row inmates on the list as well.

To be honest about 68 out of the 102 death row inmates on the list should not be on the list at all. This only really leaves 34 inmates who are innocent, which is less than 0.05 percent of the cases between 1973 to 2000. 

Background of Death Penalty Innocence List

It was not until the year of 1972 when this all started. This was the start of the modern-day death penalty punishment within the United States. 

During this year, the United States Supreme Court decided that ALL death penalty laws within ALL states were NOT constitutional. 

This is when each state had to immediate makeup new statutes that would meet all the requirements and concerns that were outlined in the Furman v. Georgia case. 

Then in 1976, the United States Supreme Court officially approved some of the new death penalty statutes that would narrow down the number of murderers that would be eligible to receive the death penalty. 

There will be many sources hat point that numerous innocent inmates are sitting on death row, but of course, the main source will be the Death Penalty Innocence List. The Death Penalty Innocence List is commonly referred to as the non-profit organization that serves the public and media with information and analysis on issues that surround the capital punishment. 

When the Death Penalty Innocence List is just another anti-death penalty organization that was founded to bring press coverage to the death penalty. 

The Death Penalty Innocence List now states that they changed their standards for what is innocent when it comes to these capital defendants on their list. 

Now, being innocent on the Death Penalty Innocence List will require the capital defendants who had their convictions reversed or had their charges formally dismissed. 

The Death Penalty Innocence List will also include those in cases where the governor granted absolute pardon as well. 

So, this now means with its new standards put in place, the Death Penalty Innocence List will not include those capital defendants who pleaded guilty to lesser-known charges as well. 

You should note that the Death Penalty Innocence List was first started out in 1993. It was started at the request of the House Subcommittee when it came to the Constitutional and Civil Rights. 

What is the Concept of Actual Innocence? 

To further analyze the Death Penalty Innocence List, you will need to know the difference between legal innocence and actual innocence. 

Legal Innocence is where the defendant cannot be the one legally convicted of the crime, even if that individual was the perpetrator when it came down to the offense. While on the other hand, actual innocence is where the defendant is the wrong person in the case and is NOT the perpetrator of the crime at hand. 

What Cases on the Death Penalty Innocence List is Actually Innocent or Falsely Exonerated?

After much examination of the Death Penalty Innocence List and all the supporting materials that includes academic articles, newspaper reports, and appellate opinions, it is known that the below 68 defendants on the list should be removed. 

Why should they be removed? They should be removed due to the fact that the Death Penalty Innocence List did not take into account that there are many factors that we have talked about previously that possibly lead to a prosecutorial decision or an acquittal or the defendant was not actually 100-percent innocent. 

Which in return results in defendants whose guilt was completely debatable, and it is hard to conclude that he or she was truly innocent. 

For easy seamless viewing, we have provided you with the below cases that should be OMITTED from the Death Penalty Innocence List. They are in the same numerical order as they appear on the official list. 

David Keaton – Keaton was sentenced and convicted prior to 1972.

Samuel A. Poole – Poole’s evidence is extremely “weak” to say the least. 

Wilbur Lee – Lee was sentenced and convicted prior to 1972

Freddie Pitts – Pitts was sentenced and convicted prior to 1972.

James Creamer – Creamer’s sentence was reduced to life in prison on September 28, 1973.

Thomas Gladish – Gladish was exonerated in 1975.

Richard Greer – Greer was exonerated in 1974.

Ronald Keine – Keine was exonerated in 1975.

Clarence Smith – It is under speculation if or if not, Smith would have been sentenced to death under the guided discretion statute or not. 

Delbert Tibbs – Tibbs evidence in his trial was much too tainted for a retrial and the evidence hardly supported that he was truly innocent. 

Jonathan Treadaway – in the recent the United States Supreme Court Decision in the case of Ring v. Arizona that the jury could have possibly found out that Treadaway was eligible to receive the death sentence anyway.

Gary Beeman – It is heavily speculated that Beeman would have still received the death sentence even under the appropriate law as well. 

Charles Ray Giddens – In Giddens case all evidence that was presented was not enough to prove any sort of guilt, but it was not a case in which Giddens was exonerated. 

Michael Linder – In this case, Linder was acquitted of charges on his retrial case due to the grounds of self-defense. 

Johnny Ross – Ross’s name should be removed from the list due to his sentence was under the unconstitutional Louisiana death penalty statute. 

Annibal Jaramillo -Jaramillo couldn’t have been innocent when the evidence showed his fingerprints on numerous objects that were big-ticket items of the crime at hand.

Lawyer Johnson – Convicted and sentenced prior to 1972.

Joseph Green Brown – Brown cannot be determined he was innocent in this case. 

Henry Drake – in the case of Drake v. State this cannot be actual innocence due to witness recantation.

John Henry Knapp – It is heavily speculated that Knapp would have still received the death sentence even under the appropriate law as well.

Vernon McManus – McManus was acquitted which only really means they found reasonable doubt, but not actually found actual innocence. 

Robert Wallace – Wallace was acquitted and not retried due to self-defense. 

Richard Neal Jones – Jones was never truly considered as actually innocent.

Jerry Bigelow – Bigelow was never truly considered as actually innocent

Willie A. Brown – Brown was exonerated in 1988.

Larry Troy – Troy was never truly considered as actually innocent due to the recantation that happened during the trial. 

William Jent – Jent’s alibi contradicts many pieces of information of this case.

Earnest Miller – Miller’s alibi contradicts many pieces of information of this case. 

Jesse Keith Brown – The evidence in Brown v State is considered weak, thus making it hard to believe that Brown is truly innocent. 

Robert Cox – Evidence in the Cox v. State case still had a strong suspicion that Cox was indeed guilty of the crime. 

James Richardson – Richardson was sentenced and convicted prior to 1972.

Patrick Croy – Croy was acquitted during a retrial due to claiming self-defense. 

John C. Skelton – Evidence in the Skelton v. State case was relatively weak and did not find that Skelton was truly innocent. 

Dale Johnston – Evidence in the Johnston v. State case was relatively weak and did not find that Johnston was truly innocent.

Jimmy Lee Mathers – The appellate court reverse Mather’s conviction. This was not because he was actual innocence.

Bradley Scott – Scott’s conviction was reversed due to not enough evidence. 

Jay C. Smith – Smith was only freed due to the Pennsylvania’s double jeopardy clause not because smith was truly innocent. 

James Robison – Robison was acquitted on retrial because of faulty testimony. 

Muneer Deeb – Deeb’s second trial the jury did not find him guilty, but they also did not find him innocent either. 

Andrew Golden – Evidence ultimately proved that Golden was not innocent as he said he was. 

Robert Charles Cruz – It is heavily speculated that Cruz would have still received the death sentence even under the appropriate law as well.

Rolando Cruz – Cruz was pardoned by the Illinois Governor in 2002. 

Alejandro Hernandez – Ultimately nearly all of Hernandez convictions were reversed for one reason or another. 

Sabrina Butler – Ultimately nearly all of Butler convictions were reversed for one reason or another. 

Gary Gauger – To be honest Gauger was never even given the death sentence. 

Troy Lee Jones – Jones was acquitted due to not having any witnesses or evidence to retry the case for a second time. 

Carl Lawson – Evidence was too hard to not show that Lawson was guilty of this crime. 

Ricardo Aldape Guerra – Case could not show any actual innocence here. 

Benjamin Harris – Harris could not be retried. 

Robert Hayes – Hayes was acquitted based on reasonable doubt not that he was innocent. 

Curtis Kyles – Kyles had many mistrials over a 14-year period and the prosecutors decided not to try to go to trial again. 

Shareef Cousin – Cousin was not retried due to that the prosecution thought was truly innocent. 

Steven Smith – Smith’s conviction was reversed.

Ronald Keith Williamson – Williamson was exonerated in 1999.

Warren Douglas Manning -Manning’s convictions was reversed. 

Steve Manning – Prosecution decided not to retry the case as Manning was already serving two life sentences on top of an additional 100 years. 

Joseph N. Green, Jr. – The evidence did not portray that Green was innocent or even that Green was guilty. 

William Nieves – Nieves was acquitted of his charges. 

Michael Graham – Graham was exonerated in 2000.

Ronnie Burrell – Burrell was exonerated in 2001.

Peter Limone – Limone was sentenced and convicted prior to 1972.

Joaquin Martinez – Martinez charges were reversed because the prosecution could not present the same evidence at the second trial. 

Jeremy Sheets – Charges were dismissed. 

Charles Fain – It is heavily speculated that Fain would have still received the death sentence even under the appropriate law as well.

Thomas H. Kimbell – Kimbell was acquitted on his retrial. 

Larry Osborne – Osborne was exonerated in 2002.