Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

Go to Database Search Page

Go to  Database Index Page

Daniel Scheidell

 

Charge:

Sexual Assault and Burglary

Sentence:

25 years

Years Imprisoned:

20.17

Year Crime:

1995

Year Convicted:

1995

Year Cleared:

2017

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Wisconsin

County or Region of Crime:

Racine

City of Crime:

Racine

Result:

Judicially Exonerated

Summary of Case:

"Daniel Scheidell was wrongly convicted on October 11, 1995 of attempted sexual assault and armed burglary committed against a woman identified as J.D. on May 20, 1995 in Racine, Wisconsin. Scheidell's prosecution was based on his identification by the victim, who knew Scheidell. After his conviction by a jury Scheidell was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2013 post-conviction DNA testing of the victim's sexual assault kit exluded Scheidell, while identifying the DNA profile of Joseph R. Stephen. Stephen was a convicted rapist serving a sentence for a 1998 rape in Racine. Based on the test result the Racine County District Attorney's Office filed charges against Stephen with the assault of K.C., but they were dismissed because of expiration of the statute of limitations. Scheidell filed a post-conviction petition for a new trial that included not only the new DNA evidence, but new expert sex assault profiling evidence that the characteristics of the attempted rape of J.D. and the 1998 rape Stephen had been convicted of were consistent with each other, and unusual from most rapes. New expert eyewitness identification evidence by Dr. Jeffrey Neuschatz was included that J.D.'s identification of Scheidell as suspect because a weapon was involved, there was dim light, and her assailant's face was covered. The Racine County DA's Office opposed Scheidell's petition. After holding an evidentiary hearing Racine County Circuit Court Judge John Jude granted Scheidell's petition in June 2015 on the basis he had presented evidence that if known by the jury could have affected their verdict, and which provided an evidentiary connection of Stephen to the attempted rape of J.D. On July 15, 2015 Scheidell was released on bond. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Jude's ruling in March 2017, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to review the appeals court's ruling. The Racine County DA's Office declined to retry Scheidell and filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him that was granted on September 21, 2017."

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

"Racine County Circuit Court Judge John Jude granted Scheidell's petition in June 2015. On July 15, 2015 Scheidell was released on bond. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Jude's ruling in March 2017, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to review the appeals court's ruling. The Racine County DA's Office declined to retry Scheidell and filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him that was granted on September 21, 2017."

Defendant Aided By:

Wisconsin Innocence Project at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

46

Age When Released:

66

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Daniel Scheidell, National Registry of Exonerations"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

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:

Comments About Case:

Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

Hosted on forejustice.org and mirrored on justicedenied.org .