Charles McKenna

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Charge:	Assault (Including Battery)
Sentence:	4 months
Years Imprisoned:	0.04
Year Crime:	1884
Year Convicted:	1884
Year Cleared:	1884
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Massachusetts
County or Region of Crime:	Suffolk
City of Crime:	Boston
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"Charles McKenna was wrongly convicted on April 16, 1884 of assault in the Charlestown District of Boston, Massachusetts. McKenna's prosecution was based on his identification by the victim and several eyewitnesses. After his conviction by a jury McKenna was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Ruffin to four months in prison. After McKenna's conviction District Police Officer Shaw investigated his case, and identified that the actual perpetrator was Edward J. Kirby, who had an uncanny resemblance to McKenna. The victim and eyewitnesses recanted their identification of McKenna. Kirby was charged with the assault, and in pleading guilty before Judge Ruffin, he swore under oath that he committed the crime alone and McKenna was not present. Eyewitnesses corroborated Kirby's description that he alone committed the assault. The Suffolk County District County supported McKenna's pardon. On May 1, 1884 Charles McKenna was granted a full pardon by Massachusetts Governor George D. Robinson based on the new evidence he had been misidentified by the victim and eyewitnesses to the assault."
Conviction Caused By:	Mistaken eyewitness identification of Charles McKenna by the victim and eyewitnesses to the assault.
Innocence Proved By:	"On May 1, 1884 Charles McKenna was granted a full pardon by Massachusetts Governor George D. Robinson based on the new evidence he had been misidentified by the victim and eyewitnesses to the assault."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1885, Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Wright & Potter Printing Co., Boston, 1885, p. 959-960."
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Charles McKenna

Charge:

Assault (Including Battery)

Sentence:

4 months

Years Imprisoned:

0.04

Year Crime:

1884

Year Convicted:

1884

Year Cleared:

1884

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Massachusetts

County or Region of Crime:

Suffolk

City of Crime:

Boston

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Mistaken eyewitness identification of Charles McKenna by the victim and eyewitnesses to the assault.

Innocence Proved By:

"On May 1, 1884 Charles McKenna was granted a full pardon by Massachusetts Governor George D. Robinson based on the new evidence he had been misidentified by the victim and eyewitnesses to the assault."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Acts and Resolves Passed by the General Court of Massachusetts in the year 1885, Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Wright & Potter Printing Co., Boston, 1885, p. 959-960."

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Book About Case:

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Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

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