Maurice Caldwell

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Life in prison with the possibility of parole after 27 years
Years Imprisoned:	21
Year Crime:	1990
Year Convicted:	1991
Year Cleared:	2010
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	California
County or Region of Crime:	San Francisco
City of Crime:	San Francisco
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Maurice Caldwell was wrongly convicted in 1991 of the June 1990 drug-related murder of Judy Acosta in San Francisco. The prosecution's key evidence was a single eyewitness who identified Caldwell. Caldwell was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. In December 2010 Caldwell's conviction was overturned based on ineffective assistance of counsel, and the inconsistency between the witnesses' trial testimony and that she originally told the police she didn't see the killer. The charges were dismissed on March 25, 2011 with the agreement of the district attorney, and Caldwell was immediately released after 21 years of wrongful incarceration. Caldwell's trial attorney was disbarred for his conduct in cases other than Caldwell's case. Caldwell filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that named the City of San Francisco, the San Francisco Police Department, and SFPD officers involved in his case for manipulating a key witness and falsifying evidence. The US District Court judge granted the defendant's motion for summary judgment to dismiss Caldwell's lawsuit. On May 11, 2018 the US 9th Circuit Ct. of Appeal reversed the district court judgment, and ruled that Caldwell's lawsuit can proceed."
Conviction Caused By:	False testimony by an alleged eyewitness who in fact didn't witness the murder.
Innocence Proved By:	"In December 2010 Caldwell's conviction was overturned, and Caldwell was released on March 25, 2011 after the charges were dismissed."
Defendant Aided By:	Northern California Innocence Project
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	22
Age When Released:	43
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Judge frees man awaiting retrial - evidence gone, By Jaxon Van Derbeken (staff writer), San Francisco Chronicle, March 26, 2011"
Information Location 1:	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/25/BA8N1IJUM8.DTL&tsp=1
Information Source 2:	"Man Freed after 21 years in murder case sues S.F., By Henry K. Lee (staff), San Francisco Chronicle, April 18, 2012"
Information Location 2:	http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/17/BAC31O4RFO.DTL
Information Source 3:	"Man who spent 20 years in prison can sue SF police over false evidence claims, By Bob Egelko, San Franciso Gate, May 14, 2018"
Information Location 3:	https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Man-who-spent-20-years-in-prison-can-sue-SF-12914309.php
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Go to Database Index Page

Maurice Caldwell

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Life in prison with the possibility of parole after 27 years

Years Imprisoned:

21

Year Crime:

1990

Year Convicted:

1991

Year Cleared:

2010

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

California

County or Region of Crime:

San Francisco

City of Crime:

San Francisco

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

False testimony by an alleged eyewitness who in fact didn't witness the murder.

Innocence Proved By:

"In December 2010 Caldwell's conviction was overturned, and Caldwell was released on March 25, 2011 after the charges were dismissed."

Defendant Aided By:

Northern California Innocence Project

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

22

Age When Released:

43

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Judge frees man awaiting retrial - evidence gone, By Jaxon Van Derbeken (staff writer), San Francisco Chronicle, March 26, 2011"

Information Location 1:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/25/BA8N1IJUM8.DTL&tsp=1

Information Source 2:

"Man Freed after 21 years in murder case sues S.F., By Henry K. Lee (staff), San Francisco Chronicle, April 18, 2012"

Information Location 2:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/17/BAC31O4RFO.DTL

Information Source 3:

"Man who spent 20 years in prison can sue SF police over false evidence claims, By Bob Egelko, San Franciso Gate, May 14, 2018"

Information Location 3:

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Man-who-spent-20-years-in-prison-can-sue-SF-12914309.php

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: