Marcus Lashun Smith

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Charge:	Robbery (includes armed robbery)
Sentence:	Probation
Years Imprisoned:	1.65
Year Crime:	1994
Year Convicted:	1995
Year Cleared:	2012
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:	"Darryl Washington, Marcus Lashun Smith and Shakara Robertson were wrongly convicted in 1994 of robbery related to a purse snatching in Dallas, Texas. The victim couldn't identify the three assailants, but witnesses identified the three from photo lineups. Smith and Robertson took a plea deal in exchange for probation, but Washington was convicted of aggravated robbery after a jury trial and sentenced to 99 years in prison. In 2002 two men admitted to Tracy Cobb, a law student at the University of Houston assigned to investigate Washington’s case, that they committed the robbery with two other men. The men signed affidavits that were turned over to the Dallas County DA in 2009. The DA's investigation discovered the identity of all four men involved, and in March 2012 they confessed during a hearing that they committed the robbery. They couldn't be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had expired. On April 6, 2012 the charges were dismissed against Washington, Smith and Robertson. They are eligible to make a claim for compensation under Texas' compensation law."
Conviction Caused By:	Erroneous eyewitness identification by witnesses to the robbery.
Innocence Proved By:	"On April 6, 2012 the charges were dismissed against Washington, Smith and Robertson."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$133,333.33 lump sum payment plus $651.02 monthly annuity (State of Texas, 9-28-2013)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	20
Age When Released:	22
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Wrongfully convicted Texas trio exonerated in 1994 robbery, By Molly Hennessy-Fiske (Houston reporter), Los Angeles Times, April 6, 2012"
Information Location 1:	"http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-exonerated-20120406,0,4457646.story"
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Marcus Lashun Smith

Charge:

Robbery (includes armed robbery)

Sentence:

Probation

Years Imprisoned:

1.65

Year Crime:

1994

Year Convicted:

1995

Year Cleared:

2012

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:

Erroneous eyewitness identification by witnesses to the robbery.

Innocence Proved By:

"On April 6, 2012 the charges were dismissed against Washington, Smith and Robertson."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$133,333.33 lump sum payment plus $651.02 monthly annuity (State of Texas, 9-28-2013)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

20

Age When Released:

22

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Wrongfully convicted Texas trio exonerated in 1994 robbery, By Molly Hennessy-Fiske (Houston reporter), Los Angeles Times, April 6, 2012"

Information Location 1:

"http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-exonerated-20120406,0,4457646.story"

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: