Donald Paradis

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Charge:	Murder
Sentence:	Death and later resentenced or commuted to Life
Years Imprisoned:	21
Year Crime:	1980
Year Convicted:	1981
Year Cleared:	2001
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Idaho
County or Region of Crime:	Kootenai
City of Crime:
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Donald Paradis was wrongly convicted of murder in 1980 and sentenced to death in Kootenai County, Idaho. After new evidence casting doubt on his guilt was discovered, in May 1996 Idaho's Governor commuted Paradis' sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On March 5, 2001, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal District Court ruling that Paradis had been denied a fair trial and ordered his release if the State of Idaho didn't decide to retry him. Paradis was released in 2001 after 21 years wrongful imprisonment. In April 2003 Paradis filed a federal civil rights lawsuit for false imprisonment against Kootenai County. In August 2006, Kootenai County agreed to settle his suit for $900,000. Paradis was to receive $50,000 plus $3,541 monthly for 11 years, while his lawyers were to receive $380,000."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On March 5, 2001, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal District Court ruling that Paradis had been denied a fair trial and ordered his release if the State of Idaho didn't decide to retry him. Paradis was released in 2001 after 21 years on Idaho's death row."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$900,000 (Kootenai County, Aug. 2006)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	30
Age When Released:	51
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"Paradis v. Arave, 240 F.3d 1169, 240 F.3d 1169 (9th Cir. 03/05/2001) "
Information Location 1:	"Former Idaho Death Row Inmate Gets Settlement, By Associated Press, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 17, 2006, p. B5"
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Donald Paradis

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Death and later resentenced or commuted to Life

Years Imprisoned:

21

Year Crime:

1980

Year Convicted:

1981

Year Cleared:

2001

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Idaho

County or Region of Crime:

Kootenai

City of Crime:

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"On March 5, 2001, the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a federal District Court ruling that Paradis had been denied a fair trial and ordered his release if the State of Idaho didn't decide to retry him. Paradis was released in 2001 after 21 years on Idaho's death row."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$900,000 (Kootenai County, Aug. 2006)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

30

Age When Released:

51

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Paradis v. Arave, 240 F.3d 1169, 240 F.3d 1169 (9th Cir. 03/05/2001) "

Information Location 1:

"Former Idaho Death Row Inmate Gets Settlement, By Associated Press, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 17, 2006, p. B5"

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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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