Sylvester Smith

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Charge:	Rape
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	20
Year Crime:
Year Convicted:	1984
Year Cleared:	2004
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	North Carolina
County or Region of Crime:	Brunswick
City of Crime:	Belville
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Wrongly convicted in 1984 of raping two girls, aged 4 and 6. Smith was convicted based on the testimony of the girls. In 2004 the girls came forward and revealed that their grandmother had pressured them into accusing Smith in order to protect their 9-year-old cousin, who actually committed the molestations."
Conviction Caused By:	"Perjured testimony by the two victims pressured by their grandmother to lie in order to protect their cousin, the actually perpetrator"
Innocence Proved By:	"Conviction vacated on November 5, 2004 by a NC Superior Court judge, who then dismissed the case when the District Attorney declined to reprosecute Smith."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	33
Age When Released:	53
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Falsely Accused Man Freed, Barbara Barrett, Charlotte News-Observer, 11-6-2004"
Information Location 1:	http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1803258p-8104514c.html
Information Source 2:	"Sex-Abuse Victims May Free Convict, Kristin Collins, Charlotte News-Observer, 11-5-2004"
Information Location 2:	http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1799235p-8099316c.html
Information Source 3:	"Sylvester Smith is a Free Man, WWAY, Wilmington, NC, 11-5-2004"
Information Location 3:	http://www.wwaytv3.com/global/story.asp?s=2529249&ClientType=Printable
Information Source 4:
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Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
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Sylvester Smith

Charge:

Rape

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

20

Year Crime:

Year Convicted:

1984

Year Cleared:

2004

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

North Carolina

County or Region of Crime:

Brunswick

City of Crime:

Belville

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"Perjured testimony by the two victims pressured by their grandmother to lie in order to protect their cousin, the actually perpetrator"

Innocence Proved By:

"Conviction vacated on November 5, 2004 by a NC Superior Court judge, who then dismissed the case when the District Attorney declined to reprosecute Smith."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

33

Age When Released:

53

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Falsely Accused Man Freed, Barbara Barrett, Charlotte News-Observer, 11-6-2004"

Information Location 1:

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1803258p-8104514c.html

Information Source 2:

"Sex-Abuse Victims May Free Convict, Kristin Collins, Charlotte News-Observer, 11-5-2004"

Information Location 2:

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1799235p-8099316c.html

Information Source 3:

"Sylvester Smith is a Free Man, WWAY, Wilmington, NC, 11-5-2004"

Information Location 3:

http://www.wwaytv3.com/global/story.asp?s=2529249&ClientType=Printable

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: