Exoneration Record

United States ยท North Carolina, Alamance County

Ronald Cotton: wrongly convicted, exonerated

Convicted of Two counts of rape and two counts of burglary in Burlington.

Convicted17 January 1985
SentenceLife plus 50 years (1985), then life plus 54 years after a 1987 retrial
Years in prison10.5
Exonerated30 June 1995
How the conviction was overturnedDNA evidence, Alamance County court, on a joint motion of the district attorney and defence, followed by a pardon from Governor James B. Hunt Jr. on 12 July 19951,2

What went wrong

From conviction to exoneration

  1. Arrested after the victim identified him from a photo array, followed by a live lineup on 1 August 1984.1
  2. Convicted of rape and burglary and sentenced to life plus 50 years.1,2
  3. The North Carolina Supreme Court reversed the convictions and ordered a new trial.1,2
  4. Convicted of both rapes and two burglaries at retrial and sentenced to life plus 54 years.1,2
  5. DNA testing excluded him and matched another man, and all charges were vacated and dismissed.1,2
  6. Pardoned by Governor James B. Hunt Jr.1,2

Compensation

110,000 US dollars from the state, according to the Innocence Project and the National Registry of Exonerations

Today

Exonerated and pardoned, free since June 1995.

Sources

  1. Innocence Project, Ronald Cotton
  2. National Registry of Exonerations, Ronald Cotton