Exonerated men discuss wrongful convictions
Two exonerated men who spent a total of 35 years in prison will discuss their journey to justice during a presentation, "Do False Confessions Cause Wrongful Convictions?" at 6 p.m., Nov. 19, at ASU's College of Nursing & Health Innovation auditorium.
Dennis Fritz, who was featured in John Grisham's book, "The Innocent Man," and Darryl Burton will discuss their experiences being wrongfully convicted and eventually exonerated.
The event is hosted by ASU's Criminology and Criminal Justice Graduate Student Association, in cooperation with ASU's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and the Arizona Justice Project.
Fritz was exonerated in 1999 after spending 11 years in prison as an innocent man. He is the author of the biography, "Journey Toward Justice." Burton was exonerated in 2008 after spending 24 years in prison.
Gary Stuart, policy adviser to the dean of the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, will discuss a case on which he based his forthcoming book, "Innocent Until Interrogated: The Story of the Buddhist Temple Massacre and The Tucson Four."
"It is the true story of how and why the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office coerced five men into giving false confessions in two seemingly unrelated 1991 murder cases," Stuart says. "The killers executed 10 victims. The government spent millions of dollars investigating and trying the criminal cases, and millions more to settle the wrongful arrest cases. At the end of it all, the prosecutors may have to do it all over again, if the recent reversal of the only man taken to trial stands up to further appellate scrutiny."
According to the Innocence Project, in 25 percent of the wrongful convictions overturned through DNA testing nationwide, innocent people confessed or admitted to crimes they did not commit. In 5 percent of all cases that resulted in DNA exonerations, innocent people actually pled guilty to crimes they didn't commit.
Admission is free for all ASU students, but seating is limited. Pre-registration is required.
This event may qualify for 2.0 hours of Continuing Legal Education credit. For information or to register, visit http://www.azjusticeproject.org.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Katie Puzauskas, katherine.puzauskas@asu.edu
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
(480) 965-7695