William S. Green

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	10
Year Crime:
Year Convicted:	1947
Year Cleared:	1957
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Pennsylvania
County or Region of Crime:	Philadelphia
City of Crime:	Philadelphia
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"William S. Green was wrongly convicted in 1947 of murder in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and sentenced to life in prison based on perjury by two prosecution witnesses. Eyewitness admittted after Green had been imprisoned for ten years that he had committed perjury, because he didn't see him at the scene of the murder. The witness said that another man, who was a homosexual who at one time had been beaten up by Green after propositioning him, paid him $100 to lie about Green's non-existent involvement in the murder as a way of exacting revenge on him. William Green filed a motion for a new trial based on the new evidence that a key prosecution witness admitted the lied and Green was the victim of a frame-up. The trial judge denied Green's motion. Green appealed. On January 17, 1957 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court of Appeal affirmed the denial based on the Court's lack of jurisdiction. Green was granted a pardon by Pennsylvania's governor. No compensation was paid for 10 years of wrongful imprisonment."
Conviction Caused By:	Perjury by prosecution witness necessary for prosecution frame-up
Innocence Proved By:	Pardoned based on new evidence of his innocence.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	No
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 119+."
Information Location 1:
Information Source 2:	"The Innocents, Edward Radin,William Morrow & Co., 1964, p. 250."
Information Location 2:
Information Source 3:	"Commonwealth v. Green, 387 Pa. 515 (Penn. Supreme Ct., 1-17-1957) (Affirming trial court's denial of new trial based on new evidence of witness perjury.)"
Information Location 3:	https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-green-58
Information Source 4:
Information Location 4:
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:
Comments About Case:

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

William S. Green

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

10

Year Crime:

Year Convicted:

1947

Year Cleared:

1957

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Pennsylvania

County or Region of Crime:

Philadelphia

City of Crime:

Philadelphia

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Perjury by prosecution witness necessary for prosecution frame-up

Innocence Proved By:

Pardoned based on new evidence of his innocence.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

No

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 119+."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"The Innocents, Edward Radin,William Morrow & Co., 1964, p. 250."

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

"Commonwealth v. Green, 387 Pa. 515 (Penn. Supreme Ct., 1-17-1957) (Affirming trial court's denial of new trial based on new evidence of witness perjury.)"

Information Location 3:

https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-green-58

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: