Benjamin Earl Garfield

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Charge:	Possessing Stolen Firearm
Sentence:
Years Imprisoned:
Year Crime:	2012
Year Convicted:	2013
Year Cleared:	2015
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Washington
County or Region of Crime:	Grant
City of Crime:	Ephrata
Result:	Judicially Exonerated
Summary of Case:	"Benjamin Earl Garfield was wrongly convicted in 2013 of possessing a stolen firearm in Ephrata, Washington after he tried in 2012 to pawn a rifle he bought in 2010 from a Hispanic man who wanted gas money to drive to Mexico. As required by Washington state law the pawn shop provided the rifle's serial number and description to the local police department to check if it was stolen. After the Ephrata police identified the rifle had been stolen in 2008 Benjamin Garfield was questioned. Garfield denied knowing the rifle was stolen. Garfield was charged with possessing a stolen firearm, and after a jury trial he was convicted in 2013. Garfield appealed. On January 20, 2015 the Washington Court of Appeals reversed Garfield's conviction on the basis the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence to prove he had actual or constructive knowledge the rifle he purchased was stolen, and ordered dismissal of his charges."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On January 20, 2015 the Washington Court of Appeals reversed Benjamin Earl Garfield's conviction on the basis the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence to prove he knew it was a stolen rifle, and ordered dismissal of his charges."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	21
Age When Released:	22
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"State of Washington v. Benjamin E. Garfield, No. 31502-9-III (Wash. Ct. of Appeals, 1-20-2015) (Reversing conviction due to insufficient evidence and ordering dismissal of the charges.)"
Information Location 1:	http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/315029.unp.pdf
Information Source 2:	"Stolen-gun conviction overturned, By Jefferson Robbins, The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.), January 21, 2015"
Information Location 2:	http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2015/jan/21/stolen-gun-conviction-overturned/
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Benjamin Earl Garfield

Charge:

Possessing Stolen Firearm

Sentence:

Years Imprisoned:

Year Crime:

2012

Year Convicted:

2013

Year Cleared:

2015

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Washington

County or Region of Crime:

Grant

City of Crime:

Ephrata

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"On January 20, 2015 the Washington Court of Appeals reversed Benjamin Earl Garfield's conviction on the basis the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence to prove he knew it was a stolen rifle, and ordered dismissal of his charges."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

21

Age When Released:

22

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"State of Washington v. Benjamin E. Garfield, No. 31502-9-III (Wash. Ct. of Appeals, 1-20-2015) (Reversing conviction due to insufficient evidence and ordering dismissal of the charges.)"

Information Location 1:

http://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/315029.unp.pdf

Information Source 2:

"Stolen-gun conviction overturned, By Jefferson Robbins, The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.), January 21, 2015"

Information Location 2:

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2015/jan/21/stolen-gun-conviction-overturned/

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: