Wrongly Convicted Database Record

 

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Frederick Weichel

 

Charge:

Murder

Sentence:

Life Imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

36.67

Year Crime:

1980

Year Convicted:

1981

Year Cleared:

2017

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Massachusetts

County or Region of Crime:

Norfolk

City of Crime:

Braintree

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

"Frederick Weichel was wrongly convicted in 1981 of the murder of Robert LaMonica in 1980 in Braintree, Massachusetts. LaMonica was shot around midnight on the street across from a park. Weichel's conviction was based on a lone eyewitness -- who had been drinking for hours in the park with friends -- who said he saw the gunman run underneath a street light for about a second, and he identified the gunman as Weichel. After his conviction by a jury Weichel was sentenced to life in prison. Years later is was discovered that the FBI was aware at the time of his trial that he was framed for the murder that he didn't commit. On Oct 27, 2004 a Boston Superior Court judge vacated his conviction and ordered a new trial, based on new evidence that the actual murderer had confessed to a person and confessed in a letter. In 2006 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court reversed the order for a new trial based on their belief that Weichel had waited too long to present the new evidence in court. It was later discovered that the prosecution failed to disclose to Weichel's trial lawyers a police report that identified another man as a prime suspect in the murder. Weichel filed a post-conviction petition for a new trial based on the prosecution's Brady violation of failing to disclose the potentially exculpatory evidence. A Norfolk County Judge granted the motion in April 2017, and Weichel was released on bond after almost 37 years in custody."

Conviction Caused By:

FBI concealed evidence Weichel was innocent.

Innocence Proved By:

"The Norfolk County District Attorney elected not to retry Weichel. On August 7, 2017 a motion by the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office to dismiss the charges against Weichel was granted. The motion was to dismiss without prejudice, so if new evidence were to ever surface that Weichel committed the crime he could be reindicted."

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

28

Age When Released:

65

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"Prosecutors won’t retry man who served 36 years in prison for 1980 murder, By Travis Andersen and Aimee Ortiz (Globe Staff), Boston Globe, August 7, 2017"

Information Location 1:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/08/07/prosecutors-won-try-man-who-served-years-prison-for-murder/gC3wqtqCknf2v4xEaYFEHL/story.html?event=event12

Information Source 2:

"Judge, Citing Doubts in Case, Orders New Trial for Weichel, Jonathan Saltzman, The Boston Globe, Oct 27, 2004"

Information Location 2:

http://truthinjustice.org/frederick-weichel.htm

Information Source 3:

"Affidavits: Agent knew of wrongful conviction,' Jonathan Wells (staff), Boston Herald, January 23, 2002"

Information Location 3:

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Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org

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