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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Interferring with police officer |
Sentence: |
Exonerated After Conviction But Prior to Sentencing |
Years Imprisoned: |
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Year Crime: |
2014 |
Year Convicted: |
2014 |
Year Cleared: |
2014 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Kansas |
County or Region of Crime: |
Shawnee |
City of Crime: |
Topeka |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Jeanie Becerra and Arthur Morris were codefendants wrongly convicted on November 3, 2014 of a number of misdemeanor charges related to the police investigating a 911 call on September 27, 2014 that came from their home in Topeka, Kansas. When the 911 operator answered a woman said the number had been called by mistake, but three officers were dispatched to investigate. After the police arrived and talked to them, Morris was arrested and charged with disobeying a police order, disturbing the peace, assault on a law enforcement officer and interfering with law enforcement. Becerra was arrested and charged with disobeying a police officer and interference with law enforcement. Six days after their arrests they were tried in Topeka Municipal Court and after a bench trial Judge Vic Miller found Morris and Becerra guilty of all charges based on the testimony of the three police officers. An hour before their trial a police body cam video taken during the incident was provided by the Topeka police to the City of Topeka's Prosecutor's Office, but it wasn't viewed prior to their and its contents were unknown to the city prosecutors office. Two days later, on November 5, 2014 the city prosecutors office filed a motion to vacate the convictions of Morris and Becerra based on the new video evidence that one of the officers assaulted and beat Morris and Becerra, and they had committed no crime. Based on the new evidence the three officers had lied during their trial, Judge Miller vacated Morris' conviction on November 19, and Becerra's convictions on December 3, 2014. Morris and Becerra filed a compensation claim with the City of Topeka, and on June 2, 2015 the city council voted to pay Morris $40,000 and Becerra $10,000." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Perjury by three police officers. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On November 5, 2014 the city prosecutors office filed a motion to vacate the convictions of Morris and Becerra based on the new video evidence that an officer assaulted Morris and Becerra, and they had committed no crime. Based on the new evidence, Judge Miller vacated Morris' conviction on November 19, and Becerra's convictions on December 3, 2014." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
"$10,000 (City of Topeka, KS, June 2015)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
21 |
Age When Released: |
21 |
Sex: |
Female |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"KBI, DA investigating former Topeka police officer accused of assault, lying in court: Convictions reversed after city attorney's office reports video evidence; city council awards $50,000 to couple, By Luke Ranker, The Topeka Capital-Journal, June 4, 2015" |
Information Location 1: |
http://cjonline.com/news/2015-06-04/kbi-da-investigating-former-topeka-police-officer-accused-assault-lying-court |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org