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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
24 |
Year Crime: |
1984 |
Year Convicted: |
1985 |
Year Cleared: |
2008 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Missouri |
County or Region of Crime: |
St. Louis |
City of Crime: |
St. Louis |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Darryl A. Burton was wrongly convicted of murdering a man near a St Louis gas station in 1985 based solely on the testimony of two witnesses. The jury rejected Burton's alibi that he wasn't near the crime scene and he was sentenced to life in prison. Darryl Burton discovered that the prosecution failed to disclose the criminal history of the informants that could have been used to impeach their testimony. One of those witnesses recanted when interviewed by investigators, and the other, who had been convicted of seven felonies and five misdemeanors, had died. Burton filed a writ of habeas corpus based on the new evidence and his conviction was overturned on August 29, 2008, the prosecution immediately told the judge that they would not refile the charges, and he was released after 24 years wrongful imprisonment. Centurion Ministries accedpted Darryl Burton's case in 2000, and worked for eight years to overturn his conviction." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Two eyewitnesses perjured themselves. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"His conviction was overturned on August 29, 2008, the prosecution immediately told the judge that they would not refile the charges, and he was released after 24 years wrongful imprisonment." |
Defendant Aided By: |
"Centurion Ministries. One of the lawyers was Cheryl Pilate of Kansas City, MO." |
Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
22 |
Age When Released: |
46 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Wrongfully Convicted Darryl Burton -- Set Free Friday, By Jennifer Silverberg, The Riverfront Times (St Louis, MO), September 3, 2008" |
Information Location 1: |
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/stlog/2008/09/wrongfully_convicted_darryl_bu.php |
Information Source 2: |
"Man freed after 24 years in prison, By Kim Bell, St Louis Post-Dispatch, September 2, 2008" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/401DC1679D6AFCE0862574B80010B4D7?OpenDocument |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org