Gerald Growden

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	0.67
Year Crime:	1929
Year Convicted:	1931
Year Cleared:	1932
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Michigan
County or Region of Crime:	Wayne
City of Crime:	Romulus
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Gerald Growden was wrongly convicted in 1931 of the murder of a candy salesman on the streets of Romulus, Michigan in 1929. Growden was one of four men charged in October 1931 with the crime. During the trial in Wayne County two of Growden's codefendants changed their plea to guilty and in the presence of the jury testified Growden was innocent. However, the jury disregarded that testimony and convicted Growden based on the testimony of two eyewitnesses who identified him as one of the four men involved in the shooting. After Growden was convicted he was sentenced to life in prison. In June 1932 William Burroughs was arrested related to another crime, and he confessed that he was the fourth man involved in the shooting. Based on that new evidence the charges were dismissed against Growden on June 18, 1932 and he was released. He had served 8 months in prison for a murder he didn't commit."
Conviction Caused By:	"Eyewitness error by two witnesses and prosecutorial misconduct for using the fabricated testimony of "jailhouse" snitches."
Innocence Proved By:	"On June 18, 1932 the charges were dismissed and Growden was released after the fourth man involved in the murder was arrested related to another crime and confessed his guilt to the crime Growsen had been convicted of committing."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 121."
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Information Source 2:	In Spite of Innocence
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Information Source 3:	"''Not Guilty," Judge Jerome Frank and Barbara Frank, Doubleday, NY, 1957, pp. 190-191."
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Gerald Growden

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

0.67

Year Crime:

1929

Year Convicted:

1931

Year Cleared:

1932

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Michigan

County or Region of Crime:

Wayne

City of Crime:

Romulus

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"Eyewitness error by two witnesses and prosecutorial misconduct for using the fabricated testimony of "jailhouse" snitches."

Innocence Proved By:

"On June 18, 1932 the charges were dismissed and Growden was released after the fourth man involved in the murder was arrested related to another crime and confessed his guilt to the crime Growsen had been convicted of committing."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 121."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

In Spite of Innocence

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

"''Not Guilty," Judge Jerome Frank and Barbara Frank, Doubleday, NY, 1957, pp. 190-191."

Information Location 3:

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: