John H. Chance

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Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	12
Year Crime:	1898
Year Convicted:	1898
Year Cleared:	1911
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Massachusetts
County or Region of Crime:	Suffolk
City of Crime:	Boston
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"John H. Chance was wrongly convicted in 1898 of murder for the death of a clerk during the robbery of a drug store in Boston, Massachusetts. Chance's prosecution was based on the identification that he ownded a coat found near the crime scene that resembled the coat allegedly worn by the perpetrator. Chance was convicted by a jury, while his co-defendant, Arthur Hagan, was acquitted. John Chance was sentenced to life in prison. In 1905 Chance notified Massachusetts Governor William L. Douglas that Hagan who was living in Chicago, had confessed that he committed the crime by himself. More than five years later the authorities investigated Chance's claim. In exchange for immunity, Hagan admitted that he committed the crime alone, and Chance was innocent. Hagan’s confession was corroborated. Chance submitted a pardon application that included Hagan's confession and statements by both Hagan’s lawyer and the trial judge that supported his innocence. On June 7, 1911, Governor Eugene Noble Foss pardoned Chance, and he was released after twelve years in prison. A bill to award compensation to Chance failed to pass in the Massachusetts legislature."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On June 7, 1911, Governor Eugene Noble Foss pardoned Chance, and he was released after twelve years in prison."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Stanley Z. Fisher, Convictions of Innocent Persons in Massachusetts: An Overview,” 12 Boston Univ. Public Interest L.J. 1, 13-14 (2002)."
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John H. Chance

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

12

Year Crime:

1898

Year Convicted:

1898

Year Cleared:

1911

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Massachusetts

County or Region of Crime:

Suffolk

City of Crime:

Boston

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"On June 7, 1911, Governor Eugene Noble Foss pardoned Chance, and he was released after twelve years in prison."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Stanley Z. Fisher, Convictions of Innocent Persons in Massachusetts: An Overview,” 12 Boston Univ. Public Interest L.J. 1, 13-14 (2002)."

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Movie About Case:

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