United States ยท Alabama, Monroe County
Walter McMillian: wrongly convicted, exonerated
Convicted of Capital murder of an 18 year old woman in Monroeville in 1986.
Convicted1988
SentenceDeath, imposed by the judge overriding a jury verdict of life without parole
Years in prison6
Exonerated2 March 1993
How the conviction was overturnedOfficial misconduct found, with the conviction reversed on appeal and prosecutors dismissing the charges, Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals (reversal on 23 February 1993), followed by dismissal of the charges1,2
What went wrong
- Perjury or false accusation by witnesses who were pressured by police
- Official misconduct, including suppression of exculpatory evidence by prosecutors
- Alibi witnesses disregarded
From conviction to exoneration
- Tried in Baldwin County after the trial was moved there. The jury convicted him and recommended life without parole, and the judge overrode the recommendation and imposed death.1,2
- The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial.1,2
- Prosecutors dismissed the charges and he was released.1,2
- Died.1,2
Today
Died in September 2013, twenty years after his release.
Sources
- Equal Justice Initiative, Walter McMillian
- National Registry of Exonerations, Walter McMillian (18 September 2014)