John J. Tennison

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

Charge:	Murder and Conspiracy
Sentence:	25 years to life imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	14
Year Crime:	1989
Year Convicted:	1990
Year Cleared:	2003
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	California
County or Region of Crime:	San Francisco
City of Crime:	San Francisco
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"John J. Tennison was co-defendant of Antoine Goff. Wrongly convicted in 1990 of an August 1989 San Francisco gang war murder. John Tennison was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. His conviction was vacated by a federal judge in August 2003 based on the prosecution's concealment of exculpatory evidence that could have proved Tennison's innocence. The prosecutor conceded John Tennison's innocence and he was released on August 29, 2003 after almost 14 years of wrongful imprisonment.Both men filed separate federal civil rights lawsuits against the City of San Francisco, the SFPD and several officers. In July 2009 the City of San Francisco agreed to settle the lawsuits by paying Goff $2.9 million and Tennison $4.6 million."
Conviction Caused By:	"Prosecution witness perjury, prosecutorial misconduct of concealing exculpatory evidence, police misconduct and attorney error."
Innocence Proved By:	"Conviction vacated by federal judge in August 2003. Released on August 29, 2003 after prosecutor dropped charges."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:	"$4.6 million (City of San Francisco, July 2009)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	17
Age When Released:	31
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Investigation After SF Man Imprisoned for 13 Years, Wrongly Convicted, Sue McGuire, KCBS-740 AM, 08-30-2004"
Information Location 1:	"http://cbs5.com/news/local/2003/08/30/Investigation_After_SF_Man_Imprisoned_for_13_Years,_Wrongly_Convicted.html"
Information Source 2:	"Wrongly imprisoned man thanks family, attorneys - nbc11 San Francisco, CA - 09-02-2003"
Information Location 2:	http://www.nbc11.com/morenews/2450583/detail.html
Information Source 3:	"Not Guilty After All, San Francisco Magazine, November 2004"
Information Location 3:	http://sanfran.com/archives/view_story/200/
Information Source 4:	"SF agrees to $7.5 million settlement, AP story, San Jose Mercury News, July 28, 2009"
Information Location 4:	http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12931230
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:
Book About Case:
Book Information:
Book About Case (2):
Book Information (2):
Movie About Case:
Comments About Case:

Go to Database Search Page

Go to Database Index Page

John J. Tennison

Charge:

Murder and Conspiracy

Sentence:

25 years to life imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

14

Year Crime:

1989

Year Convicted:

1990

Year Cleared:

2003

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

California

County or Region of Crime:

San Francisco

City of Crime:

San Francisco

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

"Prosecution witness perjury, prosecutorial misconduct of concealing exculpatory evidence, police misconduct and attorney error."

Innocence Proved By:

"Conviction vacated by federal judge in August 2003. Released on August 29, 2003 after prosecutor dropped charges."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

"$4.6 million (City of San Francisco, July 2009)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

17

Age When Released:

31

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Investigation After SF Man Imprisoned for 13 Years, Wrongly Convicted, Sue McGuire, KCBS-740 AM, 08-30-2004"

Information Location 1:

"http://cbs5.com/news/local/2003/08/30/Investigation_After_SF_Man_Imprisoned_for_13_Years,_Wrongly_Convicted.html"

Information Source 2:

"Wrongly imprisoned man thanks family, attorneys - nbc11 San Francisco, CA - 09-02-2003"

Information Location 2:

http://www.nbc11.com/morenews/2450583/detail.html

Information Source 3:

"Not Guilty After All, San Francisco Magazine, November 2004"

Information Location 3:

http://sanfran.com/archives/view_story/200/

Information Source 4:

"SF agrees to $7.5 million settlement, AP story, San Jose Mercury News, July 28, 2009"

Information Location 4:

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12931230

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

Book About Case:

Book Information:

Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: