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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Homicide by Child Abuse |
Sentence: |
45 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
2.75 |
Year Crime: |
2009 |
Year Convicted: |
2011 |
Year Cleared: |
2013 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
South Carolina |
County or Region of Crime: |
Laurens |
City of Crime: |
Cross Hill |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Ashley Nicole Hepburn and Richard Brandon Lewis were codefendants wrongly convicted on March 3, 2011 in the death of Hepburn's 16 month old daughter Audrina Claire Hepburn on October 17, 2009. Hepburn was convicted of homicide by child abuse, and her boyfriend Lewis was convicted of aiding and abetting homicide by child abuse. On May 9, 2011 Ashley Hepburn was sentenced to 45 years in prison, and Richard Lewis was sentenced to 10 years with the sentence suspended after 7 years in custody. Lewis' conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Court of Appeals on May 15, 2013 on the basis the State introduced insufficient evidence to support his conviction of all essential elements beyond a reasonable doubt. Lewis was released on bond pending dimsissal of his indictment. Hepburn's conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court on December 11, 2013 on the basis the State introduced insufficient evidence to support her conviction of all essential elements beyond a reasonable doubt. On December 17, 2013 the Circuit Court ordered Hepburn's conviction reversed and she was released on a $10,000 surety bond pending dismissal of her indictment." |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"Hepburn's conviction was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court on December 11, 2013 on the basis the State introduced insufficient evidence to support her conviction of all essential elements beyond a reasonable doubt." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
23 |
Age When Released: |
25 |
Sex: |
Female |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"The State v. Ashley N. Hepburn, Opinion No. 27336 (SC Sup. Ct., 12-11-2013)" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.judicial.state.sc.us/opinions/HTMLFiles/SC/27336.pdf |
Information Source 2: |
"The State v. Ashley N. Hepburn, Opinion No. 27336 (SC Sup. Ct., 12-11-2013)" |
Information Location 2: |
"http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=555696532682444615&q=Ashley+N.+Hepburn&hl=en&as_sdt=6,48" |
Information Source 3: |
"SC mother's homicide by child abuse conviction overturned, By Jennifer Phillips (staff), FoxCarolina.com, Dec 12, 2013" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/24199601/mother-homicide-by-child-abuse-conviction-overturned |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org