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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
18 |
Year Crime: |
1998 |
Year Convicted: |
2000 |
Year Cleared: |
2016 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Illinois |
County or Region of Crime: |
Macon |
City of Crime: |
Decatur |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Charles Palmer was wrongly convicted in 2000 of murder in the death of attorney William Helmbacher from being bludgeoned with a hammer in his Decatur, Illinois apartment in August 1998. Palmer's prosecution was based on testimony from Palmer's cousin, who lived in Helmbacher's apartment complex, and drops of blood on Palmer's shoe that didn't exclude matching Palmer's DNA. After his conviction by a jury Palmer was sentenced to life in prison. In 2010 the University of Illinois Springfield’s Illinois Innocence Project began investigating Palmer's case. Post-conviction DNA testing was granted in 2011. The DNA testing discovered that hair found in Helmbacher’s hand and skin cells beneath his fingernail did not match Palmer's DNA. In addition, the testing of the blood on Palmer's shoe by methods more precise than those available in 2000 excluded a match with Palmer's DNA. Based on the new exculpatory evidence, on October 11, 2016, Palmer's cousin also retracted his testimony. Palmer’s attorneys filed a Successive Petition for Post Conviction relief requesting that Palmer be granted a new trial. The Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to oppose Palmer's petition. Palmer's petition was granted, and a motion by the Macon County State's Attorney's Office to dismiss the charges against Palmer was granted on November 23, 2016. Macon County State's Attorney Jay Scott released a statement that stated: "The totality of the evidence in this case shows that another person was involved in the physical attack upon William Helmbacher, which led to his death. For that reason, justice demands that the case against Charles B. Palmer be dismissed." Palmer was the tenth person whose release was aided by the U of I Springfield's Illinois Innocence Project." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Perjury by the State's key witness and unreliable DNA evidence. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"On October 11, 2016, Palmer’s attorneys filed a Successive Petition for Post Conviction relief requesting that Palmer be granted a new trial. The Macon County State’s Attorney’s Office declined to oppose Palmer's petition. Palmer's petition was granted, and a motion by the Macon County State's Attorney's Office to dismiss the charges against Palmer was granted on November 23, 2016." |
Defendant Aided By: |
University of Illinois Springfield’s Illinois Innocence Project |
Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
44 |
Age When Released: |
62 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"Macon County man exonerated of 1998 murder, By Ryan Huffer, NowDecatur.com (WSOY 1340 AM, Decatur, Illinois), November 23, 2016" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.nowdecatur.com/2016/11/23/macon-county-man-exonerated-of-1998-murder/ |
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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org