Charles Daniels

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Charge:	Attempted Murder and Child sexual assault
Sentence:	6 to 18 years
Years Imprisoned:	4.33
Year Crime:	1978
Year Convicted:	1979
Year Cleared:	1983
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	New York
County or Region of Crime:	Queens
City of Crime:	New York City
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Charles Daniels was wrongly convicted of attempted murder in the throwing of a two-year-old child off the roof of a 3-story building in Queens County, New York on September 20, 1978. The child had also been sexually abused. Seven days later, on September 27, 1978, Daniels was charged with the crimes based on his identification by a 10-year-old who lived across the hall from Daniels and said he had witnessed the child being thrown from the roof. The child was the prosecution's key witness during his trial. Daniels' alibi defense, supported by numerous credible witnesses, was he was miles away at the beach during the period of time when the child was thrown from the roof. After Daniels' conviction by the jury he was sentenced to 6 to 18 years in prison. On August 16, 1982 the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division reversed Charles Daniels' conviction and ordered a new trial based on the trial judge's failure to give the proper jury instruction concerning his alibi defense. While preparing for his retrial his lawyers discovered that the prosecution failed to disclose evidence the prosecution's lone eyewitness -- who was 10 at the time of the crime -- was under treatment at the time for being emotionally disturbed and he was an unreliable witness, and it also wasn't disclosed that the child had identified another man before identifying Daniels. Based on the newly disclosed evidence his lawyers filed a motion to dismiss that was granted in early 1983 and Daniels was released. Daniels' filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of New York, the NYPD, and the detectives involved in investigating the case. In January 1985 the city agreed to settle Daniels' lawsuit for $600,000."
Conviction Caused By:	The trial judge gave an erroneous alibi witness jury instruction.
Innocence Proved By:	"On August 16, 1982 the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division reversed Charles Daniels' conviction and ordered a new trial based on the trial judge's failure to give the proper jury instruction concerning his alibi defense. While preparing for his retrial his lawyers discovered that the prosecution failed to disclose evidence the prosecution's lone eyewitness -- who was 10 at the time of the crime -- was under treatment at the time for being emotionally disturbed and he was an unreliable witness, and it also wasn't disclosed that the child had identified another man before identifying Daniels. Based on the newly disclosed evidence his lawyers filed a motion to dismiss that was granted in early 1983 and Daniels was released."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$600,000 (New York City, 1985)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	34
Age When Released:	38
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"People v. Daniels, 88 AD 2d 392, 453 NYS 2d 699 (NY Appellate Div., 2nd Dept., 8-16-1982)"
Information Location 1:	"http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15671849457920861627&q=%22charles+daniels%22&hl=en&as_sdt=6,48"
Information Source 2:	"Man Wrongfully Imprisoned Is To Get $600,000 From City, By Selwyn Raab (Staff writer), The New York Times, January 18, 1985"
Information Location 2:	http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/18/nyregion/man-wrongfully-imprisoned-is-to-get-600000-from-city.html
Information Source 3:	"N.Y. Man Wrongly Jailed Awarded $600,000 By City, By Staff writers, Jet magazine, February 11, 1985"
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Charles Daniels

Charge:

Attempted Murder and Child sexual assault

Sentence:

6 to 18 years

Years Imprisoned:

4.33

Year Crime:

1978

Year Convicted:

1979

Year Cleared:

1983

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

New York

County or Region of Crime:

Queens

City of Crime:

New York City

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

The trial judge gave an erroneous alibi witness jury instruction.

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$600,000 (New York City, 1985)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

34

Age When Released:

38

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"People v. Daniels, 88 AD 2d 392, 453 NYS 2d 699 (NY Appellate Div., 2nd Dept., 8-16-1982)"

Information Location 1:

"http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15671849457920861627&q=%22charles+daniels%22&hl=en&as_sdt=6,48"

Information Source 2:

"Man Wrongfully Imprisoned Is To Get $600,000 From City, By Selwyn Raab (Staff writer), The New York Times, January 18, 1985"

Information Location 2:

http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/18/nyregion/man-wrongfully-imprisoned-is-to-get-600000-from-city.html

Information Source 3:

"N.Y. Man Wrongly Jailed Awarded $600,000 By City, By Staff writers, Jet magazine, February 11, 1985"

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: