Francis Featherstone

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Charge:	Second Degree Murder
Sentence:	Exonerated After Conviction But Prior to Sentencing
Years Imprisoned:	1.33
Year Crime:	1985
Year Convicted:	1986
Year Cleared:	1986
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	New York
County or Region of Crime:	New York
City of Crime:	New York City
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Francis Featherstone was wrongly convicted in 1986 of a murder committed in April 1985 in Manhattan by a man who disguised himself to look like Featherstone. After his conviction but prior to his sentencing the prosecution learned the identity of the actual murderer, and his conviction was vacated on September 5, 1986. It was later learned that Featherstone's attorney had known of his innocence for a year prior to his trial, but didn't reveal it because he also represented the man who actually committed the murder, so he thought it would violate "attorney-client" privilege to disclose that Featherstone was innocent. Featherstone was incarcerated for about 18 months from the time of his arrest in 1985."
Conviction Caused By:	Francis Featherstone's attorney concealed that another client of his was the actual murderer.
Innocence Proved By:	After Francis Featherstone's conviction but prior to his sentencing the prosecution learned the identity of the actual murderer.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	36
Age When Released:	38
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Guilty Verdict In Murder Case Is Overturned, By Kirk Johnson (Staff writer), The New York Times, September 6, 1986"
Information Location 1:	http://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/06/nyregion/guilty-verdict-in-murder-case-is-overturned.html
Information Source 2:	"“In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases,” Michael L Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau, and Constance E. Putnam, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1992 p. 302-303."
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Francis Featherstone

Charge:

Second Degree Murder

Sentence:

Exonerated After Conviction But Prior to Sentencing

Years Imprisoned:

1.33

Year Crime:

1985

Year Convicted:

1986

Year Cleared:

1986

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

New York

County or Region of Crime:

New York

City of Crime:

New York City

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Francis Featherstone's attorney concealed that another client of his was the actual murderer.

Innocence Proved By:

After Francis Featherstone's conviction but prior to his sentencing the prosecution learned the identity of the actual murderer.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

36

Age When Released:

38

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Guilty Verdict In Murder Case Is Overturned, By Kirk Johnson (Staff writer), The New York Times, September 6, 1986"

Information Location 1:

http://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/06/nyregion/guilty-verdict-in-murder-case-is-overturned.html

Information Source 2:

"“In Spite of Innocence: Erroneous Convictions in Capital Cases,” Michael L Radelet, Hugo Adam Bedau, and Constance E. Putnam, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1992 p. 302-303."

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: