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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder and Robbery |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
2.25 |
Year Crime: |
2006 |
Year Convicted: |
2014 |
Year Cleared: |
2017 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
South Africa |
County or Region of Crime: |
KwaZulu-Natal |
City of Crime: |
Pietermaritzburg |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Thenjiwe Ignatia Griffiths was wrongly convicted on December 8, 2014 of murder and robbery in the death of her husband, Allan Griffiths, on January 20, 2006 near Estcourt, South Africa. Thenjiwe and Allan were married in April 2005. Griffiths' prosecution was based on circumstantial and hearsay evidence that she could have killed him for his money, which was in part based on fact she was 35 years younger than the 60-year-old Allan at the time of his murder Griffith's defense was that their car was hijacked and she managed to escape. The police were contacted by her and she led them to his body next to the roadside where she said she escaped. Allan had been beaten and strangled. The prosecution countered her defense by arguing that she set-up the "hijacking" as an alibi by arranging for the killers to pose as hitch-hikers that they picked up -- however, the prosecution had no evidence to support the argument: Allan's killers weren't found and no evidence was found possibly linking them to her. After her conviction following a bench trial, Thenjiwe Griffiths was sentenced to life in prison for murder, and 15 years in prison for robbery with aggravating circumstances. Her bail was revoked and she was taken into custody. In May 2015 the Pietermaritzburg High Court granted Griffiths leave to appeal her convictions, but she was denied bail. On April 6, 2017 the High Court overturned Griffith's convictions on the basis their had been a "serious failure of justice" because the prosecution failed to present evidence establishing a prima facie case against Griffiths. The court noted that the case was entirely based on hearsay and suspect circumstantial evidence: "The state did not tender any direct evidence tending to prove the appellant [Thenjiwe Griffiths] had unlawfully and intentionally robbed and killed the deceased [Allan Griffiths] at all. Nor did it prove that she in any way participated in the commission of the crimes charged." Griffiths was ordered immediately released from custody." |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"On April 6, 2017 the High Court overturned Griffith's convictions on the basis their had been a "serious failure of justice" because the prosecution failed to present evidence establishing a prima facie case against Griffiths. The court noted that the case was entirely based on hearsay and suspect circumstantial evidence: "The state did not tender any direct evidence tending to prove the appellant [Thenjiwe Griffiths] had unlawfully and intentionally robbed and killed the deceased [Allan Griffiths] at all. Nor did it prove that she in any way participated in the commission of the crimes charged." Griffiths was ordered immediately released from custody." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
33 |
Age When Released: |
35 |
Sex: |
Female |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Thenjiwe Ignatia Griffiths and The State, No. AR 189-2016 (HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA, KWAZULU-NATAL DIVISION, PIETERMARITZBURG, 4-6-2017) (Setting aside convictions based on insufficient evidence of guilt.)" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAKZPHC/2017/13.html |
Information Source 2: |
"A free woman as judges overturn murder conviction, By Ingrid Oellermann (The Witness), news24.com, April 7, 2017" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/a-free-woman-as-judges-overturn-murder-conviction-20170406 |
Information Source 3: |
"KZN killer wife to appeal, By Sherlissa Peters (Crime & Courts), Daily News (iol.co.za), May 29, 2015" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/kzn-killer-wife-to-appeal-1865322 |
Information Source 4: |
"Woman acquitted of husband's murder after 2 years in jail, By Tania Broughton (News24 correspondent), news24.com, April 6, 2017" |
Information Location 4: |
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/woman-acquitted-of-husbands-murder-after-2-years-in-jail-20170406 |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org