Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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David Bass

 

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

60 years

Years Imprisoned:

6

Year Crime:

2006

Year Convicted:

2010

Year Cleared:

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

New Jersey

County or Region of Crime:

Monmouth

City of Crime:

Neptune

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Posthumously - Died in prison

Summary of Case:

"David Bass was wrongly convicted in 2010 of murder, attempted murder, and other charges related to the shooting death of 19-year-old Jessica Shabazz and the wounding of James Sinclair, in Neptune, New Jersey in 2006. Bass was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison. Bass appealed. Bass died in prison on March 2, 2016. Five days later, on March 7, 2016 the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed Bass' convictions on two grounds. First, his constitutional right to confront the witnesses against him was violated by the trial judge allowing Dr. Frederick DiCarlo, an assistant Monmouth County medical examiner and Middlesex County’s official coroner, to testify about Dr. Jay Peacock’s report on Shabazz’s autopsy. Peacock, who was Monmouth County's medical examiner, died unexpectedly before Bass’ trial. Second, the trial judge the trial judge erred by barring Bass' defense attorney from cross-examining Sinclair, the state’s star witness, about a plea bargain he received from the prosecutor’s office in an unrelated case. In that case Sinclair was facing a possible sentence of life in prison -- because of his prior criminal record -- in a home-invasion robbery case. The prosecutor allowed him to plead guilty to theft for which he was sentenced to probation."

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"On March 7, 2016 the New Jersey Supreme Court reversed Bass' convictions on two grounds. First, his constitutional right to confront the witnesses against him was violated by the trial judge allowing Dr. Frederick DiCarlo, an assistant Monmouth County medical examiner and Middlesex County’s official coroner, to testify about Dr. Jay Peacock’s report on Shabazz’s autopsy. Peacock, who was Monmouth County's medical examiner, died unexpectedly before Bass’ trial. Second, the trial judge the trial judge erred by barring Bass' defense attorney from cross-examining Sinclair, the state’s star witness, about a plea bargain he received from the prosecutor’s office in an unrelated case. In that case Sinclair was facing a possible sentence of life in prison -- because of his prior criminal record -- in a home-invasion robbery case. The prosecutor allowed him to plead guilty to theft for which he was sentenced to probation."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

59

Age When Released:

65

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"High court reverses dead man's murder conviction, By Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press, March 8, 2016"

Information Location 1:

http://www.app.com/story/news/local/courts/2016/03/07/nj-high-court-reverses-neptune-murder-conviction/81433054/

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

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