Robert Lee Stinson

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Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	Life Imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	24.5
Year Crime:	1984
Year Convicted:	1985
Year Cleared:	2009
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Wisconsin
County or Region of Crime:	Milwaukee
City of Crime:	Milwaukee
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Robert Lee Stinson was wrongly convicted in 1985 of the 1984 murder of a 63-year-old woman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin based on erroneous bite mark testimony by two prosecution expert witnesses that Robert Stinson's teeth matched bites on the victim. The experts said the woman, who was Stinson's neighbor, had been bitten by a man missing a tooth, and Stinson was missing a tooth. Robert Stinson was sentenced to life in prison. Stinson's conviction was overturned in January 2009 based on new bite mark evidence discrediting the trial bite mark testimony, and DNA tests of crime scene evidence that excluded Stinson as the woman's assailant. On July 27, 2009 the murder charge was dismissed by the prosecution. In May 2010 it was annonced that the DNA was matched to a man convicted of rape and murder in another case and that he had confessed to the murder Stinson had been convicted of. In December 2010 Stinson was awarded $25,000 in compensation by the Wisconsin Claims Board. $25,000 is the maximum the Board can award, and it said it would recommend that the Wisconsin legislature approve another $90,000 in compensation, which was approved in 2014, for a total award of $115,000."
Conviction Caused By:	Erroneous bite mark testimony by two prosecution expert witnesses that Stinson's teeth matched bites on the victim.
Innocence Proved By:	"Stinson's conviction was overturned in January 2009 based on new bite mark evidence discrediting the trial bite mark testimony, and DNA tests of crime scene evidence that excluded Stinson as the woman's assailant. On July 27, 2009 the murder charge was dismissed by the prosecution."
Defendant Aided By:	Wisonsin Innocence Project
Compensation Awarded:	"$115,000 total. $25,000 (State of Wisconsin, Dec. 2010) and $90,000 (State of Wisconsin, Dec. 2014)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	19
Age When Released:	44
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Judge frees man after 23 years, By Sharif Durhams (staff writer), Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 30, 2009"
Information Location 1:	http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/38736747.html
Information Source 2:	"Wisconsin man freed 23 years after wrongful conviction, By Dinesh Ramde and Todd Richmond (AP writers), Detroit Free Press, January 31, 2009"
Information Location 2:	http://www.freep.com/article/20090131/NEWS07/90131014
Information Source 3:	"Innocence Project helps reverse wrongful murder conviction, University of Wisconsin-Madison News, January 30, 2009"
Information Location 3:	http://www.news.wisc.edu/16219
Information Source 4:	"Freed Wis. inmate gets homicide charge dismissed, Associated Press, July 27, 2009"
Information Location 4:	http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5haTAytnGTQkuwL3z20B_Jbn1mpTQD99N048G0
Information Source 5:	"Wrongly imprisoned man on verge of exoneration, Dee J. Hall, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison), May 10, 2010"
Information Location 5:	http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_cf347e1d-f93c-5492-8aa2-a3d8fb644d2b.html
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Robert Lee Stinson

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

24.5

Year Crime:

1984

Year Convicted:

1985

Year Cleared:

2009

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Wisconsin

County or Region of Crime:

Milwaukee

City of Crime:

Milwaukee

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Erroneous bite mark testimony by two prosecution expert witnesses that Stinson's teeth matched bites on the victim.

Innocence Proved By:

"Stinson's conviction was overturned in January 2009 based on new bite mark evidence discrediting the trial bite mark testimony, and DNA tests of crime scene evidence that excluded Stinson as the woman's assailant. On July 27, 2009 the murder charge was dismissed by the prosecution."

Defendant Aided By:

Wisonsin Innocence Project

Compensation Awarded:

"$115,000 total. $25,000 (State of Wisconsin, Dec. 2010) and $90,000 (State of Wisconsin, Dec. 2014)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

19

Age When Released:

44

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Judge frees man after 23 years, By Sharif Durhams (staff writer), Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, January 30, 2009"

Information Location 1:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/38736747.html

Information Source 2:

"Wisconsin man freed 23 years after wrongful conviction, By Dinesh Ramde and Todd Richmond (AP writers), Detroit Free Press, January 31, 2009"

Information Location 2:

http://www.freep.com/article/20090131/NEWS07/90131014

Information Source 3:

"Innocence Project helps reverse wrongful murder conviction, University of Wisconsin-Madison News, January 30, 2009"

Information Location 3:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/16219

Information Source 4:

"Freed Wis. inmate gets homicide charge dismissed, Associated Press, July 27, 2009"

Information Location 4:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5haTAytnGTQkuwL3z20B_Jbn1mpTQD99N048G0

Information Source 5:

"Wrongly imprisoned man on verge of exoneration, Dee J. Hall, Wisconsin State Journal (Madison), May 10, 2010"

Information Location 5:

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_cf347e1d-f93c-5492-8aa2-a3d8fb644d2b.html

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