Joseph S. Willams

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Charge:	Voluntary Manslaughter
Sentence:	5 years
Years Imprisoned:	2
Year Crime:	1919
Year Convicted:	1920
Year Cleared:	1921
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Virginia
County or Region of Crime:	Richmond
City of Crime:	Richmond
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Joseph S. Williams was wrongly convicted in January 1920 of manslaughter in the death of his wife in Richmond, Virginia. Judge D. C. Richardson sentenced Williams to five years in prison. On June 16, 1921 Williams' conviction was overturned on appeal because the prosecution failed to introduce any evidence proving his wife was murdered. The Court's ruling stated: " "there was no bruise or outward physical evidence of any blow on the head," and "there is no evidence in the case to support the verdict in the finding that the corpus delicti was proven." The State declined to retry Williams and the charges were dismissed on October 4, 1921."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	Williams' conviction was overturned on appeal because the prosecution failed to introduce any evidence proving his wife was murdered. The State declined to retry Williams and the charges were dismissed.
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Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
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Age When Released:
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	White
Information Source 1:	"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 168+."
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Information Source 2:	"Williams v. Commonwealth, 130 Va. 778, 107 S.E. 655 (6/21/1921) (Reversing conviction due to prosecution's failure to prove the corpus delecti.)"
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Joseph S. Willams

Charge:

Voluntary Manslaughter

Sentence:

5 years

Years Imprisoned:

2

Year Crime:

1919

Year Convicted:

1920

Year Cleared:

1921

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Virginia

County or Region of Crime:

Richmond

City of Crime:

Richmond

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

Williams' conviction was overturned on appeal because the prosecution failed to introduce any evidence proving his wife was murdered. The State declined to retry Williams and the charges were dismissed.

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

Age When Released:

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

White

Information Source 1:

"“Miscarriages of Justice in Potentially Capital Cases,” Hugo Adam Bedau & Michael L. Radelet, Stanford Law Review, November, 1987, Vol. 40, p. 168+."

Information Location 1:

Information Source 2:

"Williams v. Commonwealth, 130 Va. 778, 107 S.E. 655 (6/21/1921) (Reversing conviction due to prosecution's failure to prove the corpus delecti.)"

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Book About Case (2):

Book Information (2):

Movie About Case:

Comments About Case: