Donnell Johnson

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	5
Year Crime:	1994
Year Convicted:	1995
Year Cleared:	2000
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Massachusetts
County or Region of Crime:	Suffolk
City of Crime:	Boston
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Donnell Johnson was wrongly convicted twice of murdering a 9-year-old boy based on eyewitness testimony. Johnson's first conviction was by a judge after a bench trial on March 27, 1996, and in accordance with Massachusetts law concerning a juvenile charged with a felony, Johnson requested a trial by a jury. The jury convicted Johnson on November 27, 1996. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison. An unrelated federal drug investigation uncovered testimony that exonerated Johnson. His conviction was overturned in 2000 after five years of wrongful imprisonment. Donnell Johnson sued the State of Massachusetts and in 2006 the settled for $500,000 in wrongful imprisonment compensation."
Conviction Caused By:	Mistaken eyewitness evidence and police perjury and withheld evidence.
Innocence Proved By:	An unrelated federal drug investigation uncovered testimony that exonerated Johnson. His conviction was overturned in 2000 after five years of wrongful imprisonment.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$500,000 (State of Massachusetts, 2006)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	16
Age When Released:	21
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Wrongful Murder Convictions in Massachusetts, March 22, 2006"
Information Location 1:	http://www.nodp.org/ma/mass_mistake.html
Information Source 2:
Information Location 2:	"Johnson case puts spotlight on witness ID, J.M. Lawrence (staff), 'Boston Herald, April 16, 2000"
Information Source 3:
Information Location 3:	"Boston Herald, 4-19-02, 'Wrongly convicted Johnson set to file suit vs. cops,' Laurel J. Sweet (staff)."
Information Source 4:
Information Location 4:	"Wrongful conviction compensation in Massachusetts, The Eye (New England Center for Investigative Reporting)"
Information Source 5:	https://eye.necir.org/investigations/wrongful-convictions-compensation/
Information Location 5:
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Donnell Johnson

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

5

Year Crime:

1994

Year Convicted:

1995

Year Cleared:

2000

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Massachusetts

County or Region of Crime:

Suffolk

City of Crime:

Boston

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Mistaken eyewitness evidence and police perjury and withheld evidence.

Innocence Proved By:

An unrelated federal drug investigation uncovered testimony that exonerated Johnson. His conviction was overturned in 2000 after five years of wrongful imprisonment.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$500,000 (State of Massachusetts, 2006)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

16

Age When Released:

21

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Wrongful Murder Convictions in Massachusetts, March 22, 2006"

Information Location 1:

http://www.nodp.org/ma/mass_mistake.html

Information Source 2:

Information Location 2:

"Johnson case puts spotlight on witness ID, J.M. Lawrence (staff), 'Boston Herald, April 16, 2000"

Information Source 3:

Information Location 3:

"Boston Herald, 4-19-02, 'Wrongly convicted Johnson set to file suit vs. cops,' Laurel J. Sweet (staff)."

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

"Wrongful conviction compensation in Massachusetts, The Eye (New England Center for Investigative Reporting)"

Information Source 5:

https://eye.necir.org/investigations/wrongful-convictions-compensation/

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: