Joseph Majczek

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Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	99 years
Years Imprisoned:	12.75
Year Crime:	1932
Year Convicted:	1933
Year Cleared:	1945
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Illinois
County or Region of Crime:	Cook
City of Crime:	Chicago
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"Joseph Majczek was codefendant of Theodore Marcinkiewicz. Majczek and Marcinkiewicz were wrongly convicted of murdering a policeman in Chicago based on the perjurious testimony of the prosecution's star eyewitness.. Joseph Majczek and Marcinkiewicz was sentenced to 99 years. Majczek's story was the subject of movie "Call Northside 777" (1948) starring Jimmy Stewart. The men were arrested in December 1932 and convicted in February 1933. Based on new evidence the prosecution's star witness lied, Majczek was granted an unconditional pardon by Illinois Governor Green in August 1945 and released from prison. Majczek was awarded $24,000 in compensation by the Illinois legislature for 12 years of wrongful imprisonment. Marcinkiewicz was released in 1950 when his writ of habeas corpus was granted. Marcinkiewicz wasn't awarded any compensation."
Conviction Caused By:	Perjurious testimony of the prosecution's star eyewitness.
Innocence Proved By:	Majczek was granted an unconditional pardon by Illinois Governor Green in August 1945 and released from prison.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$24,000 (State of Illinois)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	24
Age When Released:	36
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. 142+."
Information Location 1:
Information Source 2:	"'Not Guilty," Judge Jerome Frank and Barbara Frank, Doubleday, NY, 1957, pp. 17-39."
Information Location 2:
Information Source 3:	""The Innocents," Edward D. Radin, William Morrow & Co, New York, 1964, 7-8."
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Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:	"“Call Northside 777,” 1948, Dir., Henry Hathaway, Producer: Twentieth-Century Fox, Starring: James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb."
Comments About Case:

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Joseph Majczek

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

99 years

Years Imprisoned:

12.75

Year Crime:

1932

Year Convicted:

1933

Year Cleared:

1945

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Illinois

County or Region of Crime:

Cook

City of Crime:

Chicago

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Perjurious testimony of the prosecution's star eyewitness.

Innocence Proved By:

Majczek was granted an unconditional pardon by Illinois Governor Green in August 1945 and released from prison.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$24,000 (State of Illinois)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

24

Age When Released:

36

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. 142+."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"'Not Guilty," Judge Jerome Frank and Barbara Frank, Doubleday, NY, 1957, pp. 17-39."

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

""The Innocents," Edward D. Radin, William Morrow & Co, New York, 1964, 7-8."

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:

"“Call Northside 777,” 1948, Dir., Henry Hathaway, Producer: Twentieth-Century Fox, Starring: James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb."

Comments About Case: