Earl Washington Jr

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Charge:	Murder and Rape
Sentence:	Death and later resentenced or commuted to Life
Years Imprisoned:	17
Year Crime:	1982
Year Convicted:	1984
Year Cleared:	2000
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Virginia
County or Region of Crime:	Culpeper
City of Crime:	Culpeper
Result:	Pardoned
Summary of Case:	"Earl Washington Jr. falsely confessed to rape and murder and spent 9-1/2 years on death row before his death sentence was commutted to life in prison when DNA evidence strongly indicated his innocence. Pardoned in October 2000 after new DNA tests conclusively excluded him as the rapist and murderer. Released from prison on February 12, 2001. Awarded $2.25 million by a federal court jury in May 2006, after Washington sued the estate of Virginia State Police investigator Curtis Reese Wilmore, for fabricating Washington's alleged murder confession that resulted in his conviction and sentence of death. The Wilmore Estate appealed, and in March 2007 a settlement was reached for $1.9 million, ending the case. Washington's legal fees and expenses will come out of the settlement, with the balance being put in a trust fund for Washington."
Conviction Caused By:	False confession fabricated by VA State Police Special Agent.
Innocence Proved By:	DNA tests unavailable at the time of Washington's conviction excluded him.
Defendant Aided By:	Innocence Project NY
Compensation Awarded:	"$1,900,000 (Estate of Virginia State Police investigator Curtis Reese Wilmore, March 2007)"
Was Perpetrator Identified?	Yes
Age When Imprisoned:	22
Age When Released:	39
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Wrongfully Jailed Man Wins Suit -- Va. Officer Falsified Confession, Jury Rules, by Jerry Markon (staff), Washington Post, May 6, 2006, p B01"
Information Location 1:	"file:///C:/hans/justice%20denied/washington,%20earl/wrongfully%20jailed%20man%20wins%20suit%20-%20washington%20post%20-%2005-06-2006.htm"
Information Source 2:	"Tentative deal gives wrongly convicted man $2 million, By Michelle Washington, The Virginian-Pilot, March 28, 2007"
Information Location 2:	http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=121888&ran=205916
Information Source 3:	Death Penalty Information Center
Information Location 3:	http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/Innocentlist.html
Information Source 4:
Information Location 4:
Information Source 5:
Information Location 5:	"An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr., by Margaret Edds, New York University Press, 2006, paperback."
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Earl Washington Jr

Charge:

Murder and Rape

Sentence:

Death and later resentenced or commuted to Life

Years Imprisoned:

17

Year Crime:

1982

Year Convicted:

1984

Year Cleared:

2000

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Virginia

County or Region of Crime:

Culpeper

City of Crime:

Culpeper

Result:

Pardoned

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

False confession fabricated by VA State Police Special Agent.

Innocence Proved By:

DNA tests unavailable at the time of Washington's conviction excluded him.

Defendant Aided By:

Innocence Project NY

Compensation Awarded:

"$1,900,000 (Estate of Virginia State Police investigator Curtis Reese Wilmore, March 2007)"

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Yes

Age When Imprisoned:

22

Age When Released:

39

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Wrongfully Jailed Man Wins Suit -- Va. Officer Falsified Confession, Jury Rules, by Jerry Markon (staff), Washington Post, May 6, 2006, p B01"

Information Location 1:

"file:///C:/hans/justice%20denied/washington,%20earl/wrongfully%20jailed%20man%20wins%20suit%20-%20washington%20post%20-%2005-06-2006.htm"

Information Source 2:

"Tentative deal gives wrongly convicted man $2 million, By Michelle Washington, The Virginian-Pilot, March 28, 2007"

Information Location 2:

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=121888&ran=205916

Information Source 3:

Death Penalty Information Center

Information Location 3:

http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/Innocentlist.html

Information Source 4:

Information Location 4:

Information Source 5:

Information Location 5:

"An Expendable Man: The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr., by Margaret Edds, New York University Press, 2006, paperback."

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Book Information:

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