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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
60 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
16 |
Year Crime: |
1992 |
Year Convicted: |
1993 |
Year Cleared: |
2009 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Missouri |
County or Region of Crime: |
Scott |
City of Crime: |
Benton |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Joshua Charles Kezer was wrongly convicted on June 17, 1994 of murdering on November 8, 1992, 19-year-old college student Angela Mischelle Lawless in the Scott County town of Benton, Missouri. There was no physical evidence or eyewitnesses connecting Kezer to Lawless’ murder. Kezer's alibi defense was that he was 350 miles away in Kankakee, Ill., on the night of the murder. The key evidence against Joshua Kezer was testimony by Mark Abbott, a suspect in the crime who came forward months after the murder and said he saw Kezer at a convenience store the night of the killing near the crime scene. However, Abbott offered conflicting testimony in earlier police interviews as well as subsequent statements. Three jailhouse informants also testified Kezer confessed. They all recanted prior to trial but the prosecutor, future U.S. Congressman Kenny Hulshof was able to convince the judge to conceal the information that they recanted from the jury.Kezer was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Post-conviction investigation of Kezer's case resulted in the discovery that the prosecution had failed to disclose key documents identifying Abbott was the likely murderer. Based on the new evidence, Kezer's conviction was overturned on February 18, 2009, and he was released on bail that day. The judge stated in his 44-page written ruling, "There is little about this case which recommends our criminal justice system. The system failed in the investigative and charging stage, it failed at trial, it failed at the post trial review and it failed during the appellate process." The murder charge was subsequently dismissed. In August 2009 Kezer filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that named as defendants Scott County, former sheriff Bill Ferrell and former deputy Brenda Schiwitz. On August 9, 2010, the final documents were signed settling Kezer's lawsuit for $4 million. The three people most responsible for the oveturning of Kezer's conviction were Jane Williams, a Columbia, Missouri social worker, St Louis attorney Charlie Weiss, and Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Perjury by the prosecution's star witness. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"Kezer's conviction was overturned on February 18, 2009, and he was released on bail that day. The murder charge was subsequently dismissed." |
Defendant Aided By: |
"Jane Williams, a Columbia, Missouri social worker, St Louis attorney Charlie Weiss, and Scott County Sheriff Rick Walter." |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$4 million (Scott County, August 2010)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
18 |
Age When Released: |
34 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"Missouri man being freed today after 14 years in prison for wrongful murder conviction, By Tony Messenger, St Louis Post-Dispatch, February 18, 2009" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/F38510F37B004F438625756100640F28?OpenDocument |
Information Source 2: |
"Source says Kezer settlement was $4 million, By Rudi Keller and Erin Hevern (staff), Southeast Missourian, August 12, 2010" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.semissourian.com/story/1655976.html |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org