Joseph Smith (PA)

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Charge:	Robbery (includes armed robbery)
Sentence:	10 to 20 years
Years Imprisoned:	13
Year Crime:	1950
Year Convicted:	1950
Year Cleared:	1963
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Pennsylvania
County or Region of Crime:
City of Crime:
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Joseph Smith was wrongly convicted of an $800 armed robbery in May 1950 by a jury. Smith was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison and was denied parole because he wouldn't admit gult. While Smith was in prison the actual robber admitted Smith was the victim of a frame-up and was innocent. Joseph Smith was freed in July 1963 after 13 years of imprisonment when his writ of habeas corpus was granted. In December 1971 the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 187-9 on a Senate approved bill to compensate Smith with $75,000. It was reportedly the first time in Pennsylvania history that a wrongly convicted person was compensated by the legislature. At the time of the award Smith was a 53-year-old unemployed longshoreman."
Conviction Caused By:	Frame-up by guilty man.
Innocence Proved By:	Habeas corpus granted after the actual culprit admitted Joseph Smith was the innocent victim of a frame-up.
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$75,000 (State of Pennsylvania, Dec. 1971)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	32
Age When Released:	45
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:
Information Source 1:	"The Innocents, Edward Radin,William Morrow & Co., 1964, p. 250."
Information Location 1:
Information Source 2:	"$75,000 for Wrongful Conviction, By UPI news service, The Stars and Stripes (US Military paper), December 11, 1971, p. 6"
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Joseph Smith (PA)

Charge:

Robbery (includes armed robbery)

Sentence:

10 to 20 years

Years Imprisoned:

13

Year Crime:

1950

Year Convicted:

1950

Year Cleared:

1963

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Pennsylvania

County or Region of Crime:

City of Crime:

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Frame-up by guilty man.

Innocence Proved By:

Habeas corpus granted after the actual culprit admitted Joseph Smith was the innocent victim of a frame-up.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$75,000 (State of Pennsylvania, Dec. 1971)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

32

Age When Released:

45

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Information Source 1:

"The Innocents, Edward Radin,William Morrow & Co., 1964, p. 250."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"$75,000 for Wrongful Conviction, By UPI news service, The Stars and Stripes (US Military paper), December 11, 1971, p. 6"

Information Location 2:

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Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: