Jesse Keith Brown

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Death
Years Imprisoned:	5
Year Crime:	1984
Year Convicted:	1986
Year Cleared:	1989
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	South Carolina
County or Region of Crime:	Spartanburg
City of Crime:	Fingerville
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Jesse Keith Brown was twice wrongly convicted of the murder and other charges releated to the death of John McMillin in Fingerville, South Carolina on January 1, 1984. Brown was convicted by a jury in 1985 and sentenced to death. In 1986 Brown's convictions and sentence were reversed by the South Carolina Supreme Court that ordered a new trial. During his retrial Brown testified in his defense that he was not involved in the murder or the related offenses which included armed robbery. He admitted he had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted armed robbery. In 1987 Brown was again convicted by a jury of murder, grand larceny, armed robbery, and entering without breaking. He was again sentenced to death for murder and consecutive sentences for the other charges. On August 8, 1988 the South Carolina Supreme Court reversed Brown's convictions on the basis the trial court prejudicially erred by failing to instruct the jury that Brown's testimony regarding his unrelated prior convictions could only be considered its value to impeach the truthfulness of his testimony. A jury acquitted Brown of murder on January 15, 1989 after his third trial. The jury did find Brown guilty of armed robbery, grand larceny and entering without breaking. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"Brown was acquitted by a jury of murder on January 15, 1989 after his third trial."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	27
Age When Released:	32
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"`Devastated' by verdict, victim's family rips jury, By Staff, GoUpstate.com, January 16, 1989"
Information Location 1:	http://www.goupstate.com/article/19890116/NEWS/901160312
Information Source 2:	"State v. Brown, 296 S.C. 191, 371 S.E.2d 523 (S.C. Sup. Ct. 8-8-1988) (Reversing conviction)"
Information Location 2:	http://law.justia.com/cases/south-carolina/supreme-court/1988/22898-2.html
Information Source 3:	Death Penalty Information Center
Information Location 3:	http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/Innocentlist.html
Information Source 4:	"Brown Trial Begins, By Debra Lester (Staff writer), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), March 20, 1987, p. 1"
Information Location 4:
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
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Jesse Keith Brown

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Death

Years Imprisoned:

5

Year Crime:

1984

Year Convicted:

1986

Year Cleared:

1989

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

South Carolina

County or Region of Crime:

Spartanburg

City of Crime:

Fingerville

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"Brown was acquitted by a jury of murder on January 15, 1989 after his third trial."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

27

Age When Released:

32

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"`Devastated' by verdict, victim's family rips jury, By Staff, GoUpstate.com, January 16, 1989"

Information Location 1:

http://www.goupstate.com/article/19890116/NEWS/901160312

Information Source 2:

"State v. Brown, 296 S.C. 191, 371 S.E.2d 523 (S.C. Sup. Ct. 8-8-1988) (Reversing conviction)"

Information Location 2:

http://law.justia.com/cases/south-carolina/supreme-court/1988/22898-2.html

Information Source 3:

Death Penalty Information Center

Information Location 3:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/Innocentlist.html

Information Source 4:

"Brown Trial Begins, By Debra Lester (Staff writer), Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC), March 20, 1987, p. 1"

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

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