|
Wrongly Convicted Database Record
|
Charge: |
Murder and Arson |
Sentence: |
Death and later resentenced or commuted to Life |
Years Imprisoned: |
23.11 |
Year Crime: |
1992 |
Year Convicted: |
1994 |
Year Cleared: |
2016 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
China |
County or Region of Crime: |
|
City of Crime: |
Hainan |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Chen Man was wrongly convicted in November 1994 of murder and arson in the death on Christmas Day 1992 of his landlord, Zhong Zuokuan, in Hainan Province, China. The landlord perished in a house fire, and also had stab wounds in his neck. Man recanted his confession that he gave after intense police interrogation that he killed his landlord during an argument over the rent and had been told to move out, claiming it was coerced under torture. Based on his confession Man was convicted and sentenced to death, but he was given a reprive on his sentence to life in prison. Lawyer Wang Wanqiong began representing Man in 2013, and in 2015 she filed a petition with the top prosecutors’ office in Beijing that requested a new trial based on evidence that Man's purported confession had 18 significant contradictions with the crime scene, and that he only gave his coereced confession after “He was strangled until he almost suffocated and his joints were beaten with sticks and steel rods,” The prosecutors office then filed a petition with China's Supreme People’s Court requesting that Man be granted a new trial. The court ordered a retrial, and assigned the Zhejiang Higher People's Court to hear it. During Man's retrial in late 2015 the prosecutors did not present any evidence, and did not oppose the arguments of Man's lawyer for his acquittal. On February 1, 2016 Chen Man's conviction was overturned by the Zhejiang Higher People's Court, which ordered his acquittal based on insufficient evidence to support his conviction. The Court stated in its ruling: "His role in the murder is not clear and the original judgement lacks evidence, therefore, the guilty verdict cannot be upheld," In March 2016 Chen Man filed a claim for compensation of 9.66 million yuan (about 1.48 million U.S. dollars) for his 23 years of wrongful incarceration. On May 13, 2016 Chen Man was awarded compensation of 2.75 million yuan (429,000 U.S. dollars) by the Hainan Higher People's Court. The award was comprised of 1.85 million yuan compensation for wrongfully deprivation of personal freedom for 8,437 days, based on the standard daily per-capita income, and 900,000 yuan for emotional harm. After being informed of the award, Chen told reporters, "I am disappointed by the final amount, but I accept it," He said he only wanted a normal life and did not want to "waste more time and energy on further appeals."" |
Conviction Caused By: |
Chen Man falsely confessed after “He was strangled until he almost suffocated and his joints were beaten with sticks and steel rods.” |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On February 1, 2016 Chen Man's conviction was overturned by the Zhejiang Higher People's Court, which ordered his acquittal based on insufficient evidence to support his conviction." |
Defendant Aided By: |
|
Compensation Awarded: |
"2.75 million yuan (429,000 U.S. dollars) (Hainan Province, China, 5-13-2016)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
|
Age When Imprisoned: |
31 |
Age When Released: |
54 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Chinese |
Information Source 1: |
"Innocent man cleared of murder 21 years after he was convicted and jailed in China: Judge apologises after a court overturns Chen Man’s murder conviction and suspended death sentence relating to 1994 killing of woman in Hainan, By Jun Mai, South China Morning Post, February 1, 2016" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1908102/innocent-man-cleared-murder-21-years-after-he-was |
Information Source 2: |
"Man wrongfully jailed released after 23 years, By Cao Yin (Staff), China Daily (Beijing), February 2, 2016" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-02/02/content_23348954.htm |
Information Source 3: |
"China Focus: Man gets compensation for wrongful conviction, By Staff, Shanghai Daily (Shanghai, China), May 13,2016" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=329310 |
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: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org