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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Lewd conduct and Attempted rape |
Sentence: |
16 years |
Years Imprisoned: |
14.33 |
Year Crime: |
1998 |
Year Convicted: |
2000 |
Year Cleared: |
2013 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
California |
County or Region of Crime: |
Alameda |
City of Crime: |
Oakland |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated Released |
Summary of Case: |
"Johnny Williams Jr. was wrongly convicted on May 19, 2000 of lewd conduct against a child under 14 and attempted rape in Oakland, California in 1998. Williams prosecution was based on his identification by the nine-year-old victim. Williams was arrested on September 30, 1998. Williams' first trial ended in a mistrial because the jury couldn't agree on a verdict. After his conviction by a jury Williams was sentenced on June 8, 2000 to 16 years in prison, and upon his release required to register for life as a sex offender. Williams' convictions were affirmed in 2002 by the California Court of Appeals, and the California Supreme Court declined to review his case. In 2012 the t-shirt worn by the girl during the assault and upon which her assailant had ejaculated was tested to identify the DNA profile of the assailant. Williams' DNA was excluded as a match for the girl's assailant. Williams' filed a writ of habeas corpus on March 1, 2013 based on the new forensic DNA evidence supporting his actual innocence. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office did not oppose Williams' petition, conceding his factual innocence. The Alameda County Superior Court granted Willaims' habeas petition and vacated his convictions and ordered a new trial. The DA's motion to dismiss the charges was granted and Williams was released. On October 18, 2013 the DA's Office agreed that Williams' was factually innocent and met the standards to require the court to seal his arrest and detention records, and the judge granted Williams' motion to seal the records. On April 7, 2014 Williams filed a claim with the State of California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board. The California Attorney General did not oppose Williams' claim, and on May 22, 2014 the Claims Board approved Williams claim and awarded compensation of $461,600, based on $100 per day for the 4,616 days from his conviction on May 19, 2000 to his release." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Mistaken eyewitness identification by the victim. |
Innocence Proved By: |
"Williams' filed a writ of habeas corpus on March 1, 2013 based on the new forensic DNA evidence supporting his actual innocence. The Alameda County District Attorney's Office did not oppose Williams' petition, conceding his factual innocence. The Alameda County Superior Court granted Willaims' habeas petition and vacated his convictions and ordered a new trial. The DA's motion to dismiss the charges was granted and Williams was released." |
Defendant Aided By: |
Innocence Project NY and California DNA Initiative |
Compensation Awarded: |
"$461,600 (State of California, May 22, 2014)" |
Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
23 |
Age When Released: |
37 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
Black |
Information Source 1: |
"In the Matter of the Claim of Johnny Williams, Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board of the State of California, Proposed Decision, May 22, 2014" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.vcgcb.ca.gov/docs/pc4900/PC-4900-Approved-williams.pdf |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org