Steve E. Snipes

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Charge:	Robbery (includes armed robbery)
Sentence:	7 years 6 months
Years Imprisoned:	5
Year Crime:	1998
Year Convicted:	1998
Year Cleared:	2003
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	North Carolina
County or Region of Crime:	Lee
City of Crime:	Sanford
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"Steve Snipes was wrongly convicted of the armed robbery of a Sanford, North Carolina convenience store. The robber wore a ski mask, and the clerks were not even sure of his race, but two clerks said the robber's voice could sound like Snipes' voice if he tried to mask it. Snipes was convicted based solely on the clerks' testimony and no physical, forensic or confession evidence implicated him in the crime. Andre Barrett was Snipes' trial lawyer, and he was later disbarred based on allegations he misappropriated $800,000 in client funds. Bill Huggins was Snipes' trial prosecutor, and he was later indicted for attempting to have his girlfriend kill his wife. Huggins' agreed to pled guilty to obstruction of justice and embezzlement, and was sentenced to prison. After Snipes’ conviction a witness identified Terrance Wyatt as the robber, and Wyatt was arrested for committing a robbery similar to the convenience store robbery. Snipes passed a lie detector test. Snipes filed a petition for a new trial that was granted, and he was released from prison in June 2003 after the Lee County District Attorney's Office agreed to dismissal of his indictment. The DA also decided to indict Wyatt man for the armed robbery. Snipes filed an application for an executive pardon in April 2004. On February 2, 2007 Gov. Mike Easley granted Snipes a pardon on the basis of his actual innocence. Snipes was awarded $100,000 compensation under North Carolina's wrongful conviction compensation statute. In September 2008 Snipes was awarded an additional $150,000 in compensation by the State of North Carolina when the state law limits were increased in July 2008 to $50,000 per year up to a maximum of $750,000 (15 years)."
Conviction Caused By:	Erroneous identification by eyewitness.
Innocence Proved By:	"On February 2, 2007 Gov. Mike Easley granted Snipes a pardon on the basis of his actual innocence."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$250,000 total. $100,000 (State of North Carolina, 2007) and $150,000 (State of North Carolina, Sept. 2008)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:
Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Pardon now far overdue, By Dennis Rogers (staff writer), The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), October 21, 2006"
Information Location 1:	http://www.newsobserver.com/news/rogers/2006/story/501217.html
Information Source 2:	"No postage on that pardon -- He wants rare paper in hand, By Sarah Ovaska (staff reporter), The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), February 3, 2007"
Information Location 2:	http://www.newsobserver.com/167/story/539309.html
Information Source 3:	"Hunt to get additional $391,000 from state, By James Romoser, Winston-Salem Journal, August 20, 2008."
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Steve E. Snipes

Charge:

Robbery (includes armed robbery)

Sentence:

7 years 6 months

Years Imprisoned:

5

Year Crime:

1998

Year Convicted:

1998

Year Cleared:

2003

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

North Carolina

County or Region of Crime:

Lee

City of Crime:

Sanford

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Erroneous identification by eyewitness.

Innocence Proved By:

"On February 2, 2007 Gov. Mike Easley granted Snipes a pardon on the basis of his actual innocence."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$250,000 total. $100,000 (State of North Carolina, 2007) and $150,000 (State of North Carolina, Sept. 2008)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Pardon now far overdue, By Dennis Rogers (staff writer), The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), October 21, 2006"

Information Location 1:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/rogers/2006/story/501217.html

Information Source 2:

"No postage on that pardon -- He wants rare paper in hand, By Sarah Ovaska (staff reporter), The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), February 3, 2007"

Information Location 2:

http://www.newsobserver.com/167/story/539309.html

Information Source 3:

"Hunt to get additional $391,000 from state, By James Romoser, Winston-Salem Journal, August 20, 2008."

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: