Christopher Shun Scott

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Charge:	Murder and Robbery
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	12.5
Year Crime:	1997
Year Convicted:	1997
Year Cleared:	2010
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Texas
County or Region of Crime:	Dallas
City of Crime:	Dallas
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Christopher Shun Scott and Claude Alvin Simmons Jr. were codefendants wrongly convicted in 1997 of murder and robbery in Dallas, Texas. The crime was committed in 1996. On March 10, 2010 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ of habeas corpus of Christopher Scott based on his actual innocence. The Court's ruling stated: "Applicant contends that newly discovered confessions establish that he is actually innocent of capital murder. The State agrees that the Applicant is entitled to relief. The trial court has determined that the Applicant has proven by clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable juror would have convicted him in light of newly discovered evidence." On March 3, 2010 the appeals court granted the habeas petition of Claude Simmons Jr. on the same basis. On May 4, 2010 the State of Texas awarded Christopher Scott compensation of a $1,013,333.34 lump sum payment plus a $4,915.19 monthly annuity. On April 20, 2017 the documentary "True Convictions" was released about the cases of how Texas exonerees Christopher Scott, Johnnie Lindsey, and Steven Phillips have rebuilt their lives after their release from prison, and the detective agency they started in Dallas, Texas."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On March 10, 2010 the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted the writ of habeas corpus of Christopher Scott based on his actual innocence. The Court's ruling stated: "Applicant contends that newly discovered confessions establish that he is actually innocent of capital murder. The State agrees that the Applicant is entitled to relief. The trial court has determined that the Applicant has proven by clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable juror would have convicted him in light of newly discovered evidence.""
Defendant Aided By:	"University of Texas, Arlington, Innocence Network and the Actual Innocence Clinic at the University of Texas, Austin."
Compensation Awarded:	"$1,013,333.34 lump sum payment plus $4,915.19 monthly annuity (State of Texas, 5-4-2010)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	26
Age When Released:	39
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"DNA not a factor in this exoneration, By Diane Jennings (Dallas Morning News staff writer), The Seattle Times, October 23, 2009, A10"
Information Location 1:	http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2010120885_exonerate23.html
Information Source 2:	"Texas - Two Inmates Exonerated, By Rachel Marcus (staff), The New York Times, October 22, 2009"
Information Location 2:	http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/us/22brfs-TWOINMATESEX_BRF.html
Information Source 3:	"Dallas County frees 2 men convicted of murder, By Linda Stewart Ball (AP writer), Dallas Morning News, October 23, 2009"
Information Location 3:	http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9BH1J502.html
Information Source 4:	"Ex parte Christopher Shun Scott, No. AP-76,304 (Court of Criminal Appeals, 3-10-2010) (Granting writ of habeas corpus based on actual innocence.)"
Information Location 4:	http://www.search.txcourts.gov/SearchMedia.aspx?MediaVersionID=6ba015a2-c043-4ae3-9da5-f516d5696b35&coa=coscca&DT=OPINION&MediaID=50b56be2-fb0e-4357-be77-b45170ad3bc6
Information Source 5:	"‘True Conviction’ Tribeca Review: True-Crime Doc Takes Dark Twists, By Steve Pond, LMTonline.com, April 22, 2017"
Information Location 5:	http://www.lmtonline.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/True-Conviction-Tribeca-Review-True-Crime-11091755.php?ipid=hphottopics
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:	"True Conviction, Filament Productions LLC, April 20, 2017 (Documentary about Christopher Scott, Claude Simmons and another exonerated man forming a detective agency.)"
Comments About Case:	http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5118014/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt

Christopher Shun Scott

Charge:

Murder and Robbery

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

12.5

Year Crime:

1997

Year Convicted:

1997

Year Cleared:

2010

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Texas

County or Region of Crime:

Dallas

City of Crime:

Dallas

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

"University of Texas, Arlington, Innocence Network and the Actual Innocence Clinic at the University of Texas, Austin."

Compensation Awarded:

"$1,013,333.34 lump sum payment plus $4,915.19 monthly annuity (State of Texas, 5-4-2010)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

26

Age When Released:

39

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"DNA not a factor in this exoneration, By Diane Jennings (Dallas Morning News staff writer), The Seattle Times, October 23, 2009, A10"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"Texas - Two Inmates Exonerated, By Rachel Marcus (staff), The New York Times, October 22, 2009"

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

"Dallas County frees 2 men convicted of murder, By Linda Stewart Ball (AP writer), Dallas Morning News, October 23, 2009"

Information Location 3:

Information Source 4:

"Ex parte Christopher Shun Scott, No. AP-76,304 (Court of Criminal Appeals, 3-10-2010) (Granting writ of habeas corpus based on actual innocence.)"

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

"‘True Conviction’ Tribeca Review: True-Crime Doc Takes Dark Twists, By Steve Pond, LMTonline.com, April 22, 2017"

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

"True Conviction, Filament Productions LLC, April 20, 2017 (Documentary about Christopher Scott, Claude Simmons and another exonerated man forming a detective agency.)"

Comments About Case: