Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Wayne Forsythe

 

Charge:

Child Sex Abuse and Conspiracy

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment with 285 year min.

Years Imprisoned:

6.5

Year Crime:

1984

Year Convicted:

1985

Year Cleared:

1991

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

California

County or Region of Crime:

Kern

City of Crime:

Bakersfield

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

"Wayne Forsythe was one of the Pitt Seven. On August 2, 1985 all seven were wrongly convicted in Kern County (Bakersfield) CA of a total of 377 counts of child sex abuse and conspiracy. All seven convictions were reversed by the Calif. Ct. of Appeals in 1990 on the grounds that the wrongful convictions were procured by prosecutorial misconduct during the trial and closing arguments that were unprecedented in the Court's experience. "By 1994 all of the child witnesses had recanted and claimed their testimony was coerced." Pitts v. County of Kern at 347."

Conviction Caused By:

"Prosecutorial misconduct of presenting improper evidence, making improper and disparaging remarks about the defendants and defense counsel throughout the trial, and making improper remarks during closing arguments."

Innocence Proved By:

Conviction reversed by the CA Ct. of Appeals.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

28

Age When Released:

34

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"People v Pitts, 223 Cal. App. 3d 606 (1990); 273 Cal. Rptr. 757."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"Pitts v. County of Kern, 17 Cal. 4th 340 (1998)"

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

""Mean Justice," Edward Humes, Simon & Schuster, NY, 1999, p. 450."

Information Location 3:

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Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

""Mean Justice," Edward Humes, Simon & Schuster, NY, 1999, p. 450."

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Book About Case (2):

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Movie About Case:

Comments About Case:

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