Michael Clayton Christie

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Charge:	Robbery (includes armed robbery)
Sentence:	5 to 20 years
Years Imprisoned:	3.58
Year Crime:	1969
Year Convicted:	1969
Year Cleared:	1973
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Washington
County or Region of Crime:	King
City of Crime:	Renton
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Michael Clayton Christie was wrongly convicted in early 1970 of the 1969 armed robbery of $82 from a gas station in Renton, Washington. The attendent identified the 17-year-old Christie as one of the hold-up men. Christie was sentenced to 5 to 20 years in prison. Months after his conviction two young men -- William Alfred Crabtree and Kenneth Dwayne Agtuca -- confessed to being the robbers and that Christie had nothing to do with the crime. However, the King County prosecutors office didn't disclose that information to Christie's lawyer and in 1971 stated during a hearing for a new trial that the confessions don't exist. When Christie learned of that information he filed a motion for a new trial, which the prosecutor's office didn't oppose. Christie's conviction was vacated and he was released about May 9, 1973 after 3 years and 7 months of wrongful imprisonment."
Conviction Caused By:	Erroneous eyewitness identification of Christie by the gas station attendent.
Innocence Proved By:	"Christie's conviction was vacated and he was released in May 1973 after 3 years and 7 months of wrongful imprisonment, based on the confession by the two actual perpetrators of the crime."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	17
Age When Released:	21
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:
Information Source 1:	"Prosecutor's Office Joins Move To Free Innocent Man, (AP story), Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, WA), May 7, 1973, p. 1"
Information Location 1:
Information Source 2:	"Justice Was Blind, Editorial, Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, WA), May 13, 1973, p. 6"
Information Location 2:	http://wa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19710719_0040325.wa.htm/qx
Information Source 3:	"Washington v. Michael Clayton Christie, 5 Wn. App. 395 (WA Ct of Appeal, Div I, 7-19-1971)"
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Michael Clayton Christie

Charge:

Robbery (includes armed robbery)

Sentence:

5 to 20 years

Years Imprisoned:

3.58

Year Crime:

1969

Year Convicted:

1969

Year Cleared:

1973

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Washington

County or Region of Crime:

King

City of Crime:

Renton

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Erroneous eyewitness identification of Christie by the gas station attendent.

Innocence Proved By:

"Christie's conviction was vacated and he was released in May 1973 after 3 years and 7 months of wrongful imprisonment, based on the confession by the two actual perpetrators of the crime."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

17

Age When Released:

21

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Information Source 1:

"Prosecutor's Office Joins Move To Free Innocent Man, (AP story), Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, WA), May 7, 1973, p. 1"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"Justice Was Blind, Editorial, Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, WA), May 13, 1973, p. 6"

Information Location 2:

http://wa.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19710719_0040325.wa.htm/qx

Information Source 3:

"Washington v. Michael Clayton Christie, 5 Wn. App. 395 (WA Ct of Appeal, Div I, 7-19-1971)"

Information Location 3:

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: