Donovan Allen

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole
Years Imprisoned:	15.8
Year Crime:	2000
Year Convicted:	2002
Year Cleared:	2015
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Washington
County or Region of Crime:	Cowlitz
City of Crime:	Longview
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Donovan Allen was wrongly convicted of murder in 2002 of the murder his 49-year-old mother, Sharon Cox, in February 2000 in Longview, Washington. Allen's prosecution was based on a confession that he racanted as coerced by the police, and a jailhouse informant who testified that Allen confessed to him. After his conviction by a jury, Allen was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Post-conviction DNA testing matched crime scene evidence to Donovan's cousin Brian Kitts, who was charged with the murder on December 1, 2015. The Cowlitz County DA then agreed to the vacating of Donovan's conviction and the judge granted the DA's motion to dismiss the charges. Donovan was released on December 2, 2015. On August 25, 2016 a jury acquitted Kitts of Sharon Cox's murder."
Conviction Caused By:	"Police coerced false confession, and perjury by jailhouse informant."
Innocence Proved By:	"Post-conviction DNA testing matched crime scene evidence to Donovan's cousin Brian Kitts, who was charged with the murder on December 1, 2015. The Cowlitz County DA then agreed to the vacating of Donovan's conviction and the judge granted the DA's motion to dismiss the charges. Donovan was released on December 2, 2015. On August 25, 2016 a jury acquitted Kitts of Sharon Cox's murder."
Defendant Aided By:	Innocence Project Northwest
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	18
Age When Released:	34
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"With 1 exonerated and 1 acquitted, no suspects left in 2000 killing, By Associated Press, Seattle Times, August 27, 2016"
Information Location 1:	http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/1-exonerated-1-acquitted-in-longview-womans-2000-killing/
Information Source 2:	"Innocence Project Northwest Client Donovan Allen Freed After 15 Years in Prison, By Staff, www.law.uw.edu, December 2015"
Information Location 2:	https://www.law.uw.edu/news/2015/ipnw-donovan-allen/
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Donovan Allen

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole

Years Imprisoned:

15.8

Year Crime:

2000

Year Convicted:

2002

Year Cleared:

2015

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Washington

County or Region of Crime:

Cowlitz

City of Crime:

Longview

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"Police coerced false confession, and perjury by jailhouse informant."

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Innocence Project Northwest

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

18

Age When Released:

34

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"With 1 exonerated and 1 acquitted, no suspects left in 2000 killing, By Associated Press, Seattle Times, August 27, 2016"

Information Location 1:

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/1-exonerated-1-acquitted-in-longview-womans-2000-killing/

Information Source 2:

"Innocence Project Northwest Client Donovan Allen Freed After 15 Years in Prison, By Staff, www.law.uw.edu, December 2015"

Information Location 2:

https://www.law.uw.edu/news/2015/ipnw-donovan-allen/

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

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