Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Jarrett M. Adams

 

Charge:

Sexual Assault (includes aggravated)

Sentence:

28 years

Years Imprisoned:

9

Year Crime:

1998

Year Convicted:

2000

Year Cleared:

2007

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Wisconsin

County or Region of Crime:

Jefferson

City of Crime:

Whitewater

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

"Jarrett M. Adams was wrongly convicted in 2000 along with two co-defendants of sexually assaulting a woman in 1998. Jarrett Adams was convicted solely on the basis of his identification by the alleged victim. After the Wisconsin state court's denied Jarrett Adams' post-conviction petition, he filed a federal habeas corpus petition that was denied by the U.S. District Court judge. Adams' appealed, and his conviction was overturned on June 30, 2006 by the federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on the basis that his attorney had been constitutionally inefffective for failing to call a key witness who saw the alleged victim amiably talking with Adams and his two co-defendants immediately after the alleged attack. Adams was released on bail. The Jefferson County DA decided not to retry Adams because of insufficient evidence to prove his guilt, and a motion by the DA to dismiss Adams' indictment was granted on February 12, 2007. The lawyers for Adams two co-defendants called the witness and their trials ended in a hung jury. Adams filed a claim under Wisconsin's wrongful conviction compensation statute for the maximum $25,000 reimbursement for his wrongful conviction plus $56,111 in attorneys fees. On December 17, 2009, the state Claims Board rejected Adams' claim on the basis that "the evidence is not clear and convincing that the claimant was innocent of the crime for which he suffered imprisonment.""

Conviction Caused By:

Perjury by the alleged victim.

Innocence Proved By:

"Jarrett Adams' conviction was overturned on June 30, 2006 by the federal 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on the basis that his attorney had been constitutionally inefffective for failing to call a key witness who saw the alleged victim amiably talking with Adams and his two co-defendants immediately after the alleged attack. The Jefferson County DA decided not to retry Adams because of insufficient evidence to prove his guilt, and a motion by the DA to dismiss Adams' indictment was granted on February 12, 2007."

Defendant Aided By:

Wisconsin Innocence Project

Compensation Awarded:

Denied by State of Wisconsin.

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

17

Age When Released:

26

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Adams v. Bertrand, 453 F. 3d 428 (7th Cir. 2006) (Granting federal habeas corpus on the basis of ineffective trial counsel.)"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"State agency rejects wrongful conviction compensation request, By Dee J. Hall (staff), Wisconsin State Journal, December 23, 2009"

Information Location 2:

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_2c41e548-f01b-11de-8a11-001cc4c002e0.html

Information Source 3:

Information Location 3:

http://www.today.com/news/wrongly-convicted-jarrett-adams-now-clerks-court-gave-him-his-t49321

Information Source 4:

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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

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