Clarence Von Williams

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Charge:	Rape
Sentence:	50 years
Years Imprisoned:	2
Year Crime:	1979
Year Convicted:	1981
Year Cleared:	1981
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Texas
County or Region of Crime:	Orange
City of Crime:	Bridge City
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Clarence Von Williams was wrongly convicted in October 1981 of raping a woman and her teenage daughter in their home based on the woman's erroneous eyewitness identification. The mother identifed Clarence Williams even though he did match the description she gave to the police after the crime. Von Williams was retried and found guilty in October 1981 after his first trial ended in a hung jury. Two months after his conviction the police apprehended the actual rapist, known as the "ski mask rapist", and his confession to the rape was filmed. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the charges against Von Williams and after the charges were dismissed during a special court hearing, he was released on December 4, 1981."
Conviction Caused By:	Eyewitness error by the victim.
Innocence Proved By:	Actual culprit discovered
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	42
Age When Released:	44
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"'Witness for the Defense" by Elizabeth Loftus, (Chapter: Sheer, Stark Terror: Clarence Von Williams, pp. 185-209.)"
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Information Source 2:	"Accused get freedom -- not prison, Seattle Times, December 6, 1981."
Information Location 2:
Information Source 3:	"Skimask rapist' confession could free Texas man, By Joan I. Duffy, UPI.com, Dec. 4, 1981"
Information Location 3:	http://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/04/Skimask-rapist-confession-could-free-Texas-man/1010376290000/
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Clarence Von Williams

Charge:

Rape

Sentence:

50 years

Years Imprisoned:

2

Year Crime:

1979

Year Convicted:

1981

Year Cleared:

1981

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Texas

County or Region of Crime:

Orange

City of Crime:

Bridge City

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Eyewitness error by the victim.

Innocence Proved By:

Actual culprit discovered

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

42

Age When Released:

44

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"'Witness for the Defense" by Elizabeth Loftus, (Chapter: Sheer, Stark Terror: Clarence Von Williams, pp. 185-209.)"

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"Accused get freedom -- not prison, Seattle Times, December 6, 1981."

Information Location 2:

Information Source 3:

"Skimask rapist' confession could free Texas man, By Joan I. Duffy, UPI.com, Dec. 4, 1981"

Information Location 3:

http://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/12/04/Skimask-rapist-confession-could-free-Texas-man/1010376290000/

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: