Conviction review
Convictions that were overturned, and innocence claims courts are ruling on this week. Read what the evidence was and where it broke.
Clarence Harrison
Clarence Harrison (born 1959) was wrongfully convicted in 1987 for the kidnapping, rape and robbery of a 25-year-old-woman in Decatur, Georgia. He is the first person exonerated through the work of the Georgia Innocence Project. He was married to his 1st wife and He fathered 2 daughters and had 1 step daughter before his incarceration.
Year unknown · AlabamaOverturnedBill Wilson
Bill Wilson (born 1880) was an American farmer in Blount County, Alabama who was wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and youngest child, both of whom were later found alive.
1985 · MarylandOverturnedKirk Bloodsworth
Kirk Noble Bloodsworth (born October 31, 1960) is a former Maryland waterman and the first American sentenced to death to be exonerated post-conviction by DNA testing. He had been wrongfully convicted in 1985 of the 1984 rape and first-degree murder of a nine-year-old girl in Rosedale, Maryland. By the time an appeal based on the DNA evidence was underway, his sentence had been commuted to two consecutive life…
1989OverturnedGary Dotson
Gary E. Dotson (born March 8, 1957) is an American man who was the second person to be exonerated of a criminal conviction by DNA evidence (after David Vasquez was given an unconditional pardon on the 4th of January 1989, for the 1984 murder of Carolyn Hamm). In May 1979, Dotson was found guilty and sentenced to 25 to 50 years' imprisonment for rape, and another 25 to 50 years for aggravated kidnapping, the terms to…
1984 · IllinoisOverturnedLeroy Orange
Leroy Orange (born July 20, 1950, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American man, who on January 12, 1984, was arrested along with his half-brother, Leonard Kidd, for the murders of four people (Ricardo Pedro, 25, Michelle Jointer, 30, Renee Coleman, 27, and Coleman's 10-year-old son, Tony) at 1553 W 91st Street in Chicago's South Side Brainerd neighborhood based on false accusations by Kidd. Orange was convicted on the…
2026 · Court of Criminal Appeals of TennesseeIn courtMatias Dudley v. State of Tennessee
Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee issued an opinion on November 6, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim.
2026 · Ohio Court of AppealsIn courtState v. Coleman
Ohio Court of Appeals issued an opinion on November 6, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…colloquy, and the defendant does not assert actual innocence. Fontanez at ¶ 47. {¶13} A criminal…”
1999 · TexasOverturnedMichael Roy Toney
Michael Roy Toney (December 29, 1965 – October 3, 2009) was charged and wrongfully convicted in 1999 for a bombing that killed three people and injured two others in Lake Worth, Texas, in 1985. Toney was sentenced to death and spent ten years on death row. On December 17, 2008, Toney's conviction was vacated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals because of prosecutorial misconduct.
2007 · TexasInnocence Project caseMelissa Lucio
Melissa Lucio was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for the accidental death of her daughter.
2026 · Ohio Court of AppealsIn courtState v. Abdi
Ohio Court of Appeals issued an opinion on November 5, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…which “a defendant pleads guilty yet maintains actual innocence of the charges”). {¶ 5} After accepting…”
2020 · PennsylvaniaExonerated 2020Termaine Hicks
In 2002, Termaine Hicks was wrongly convicted of a sexual assault he did not commit in Philadelphia. He was exonerated in 2020.
2026 · Ohio Court of AppealsIn courtState v. Goodykoontz
Ohio Court of Appeals issued an opinion on October 29, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…element. 43. Cuyahoga County was bias. 44. Actual Innocence. 45. The pictures had different backgrounds…”
2026 · Ohio Court of AppealsIn courtState v. McCrary
Ohio Court of Appeals issued an opinion on October 28, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…defendant pleads guilty but still maintains actual innocence of the charges.” Fontanez, 2026-Ohio-3291…”
2024 · New YorkExonerated 2024Renay Lynch
In 2024, Renay Lynch was exonerated of a 1995 murder in Amherst, New York by DNA testing obtained by the Innocence Project.
2026 · Court of Appeals for the Tenth CircuitIn courtUnited States v. Barrett
Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an opinion on October 27, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…unconstitutional residual clause can pursue actual-innocence claims under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. 936 F.3d at…”
2026 · Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitIn courtBrett Cormier v. Florida Department of Corrections
Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued an opinion on October 26, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…entitled to equitable tolling and the actual innocence exception for timeliness, these issues are…”
2002 · VirginiaExonerated 2002Marvin Anderson
Marvin Anderson served 15 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of robbery, sodomy, abduction, and rape.
2026 · Superior Court of DelawareIn courtState v. Mayfield
Superior Court of Delaware issued an opinion on October 23, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…only other exception, Rule 61(d)(i), the “actual innocence” exception to Rule 61’s procedural bars.…”
2026 · Ohio Court of AppealsIn courtState v. Peterson
Ohio Court of Appeals issued an opinion on October 23, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…{¶22} Further, Appellant did not assert actual innocence. “[A] defendant who has entered a guilty…”
2011 · TexasExonerated 2011Cornelius Dupree
Cornelius Dupree was exonerated on April 4, 2011, after spending more than 30 years in prison for a rape and robbery he didn’t commit.
2026 · District Court of Appeal of FloridaIn courtHerman Lindsey v. State of Florida
District Court of Appeal of Florida issued an opinion on October 21, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…indicate verifiable and substantial evidence of actual innocence, and did not state with particularity the…”
2026 · Court of Appeals for the Eighth CircuitIn courtCharlie Foster v. United States
Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an opinion on October 19, 2026 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…denied the motion as untimely, concluding the actual innocence exception does not apply because Foster had…”
2002 · TexasInnocence Project caseRobert Roberson
Robert Roberson faces execution on Oct. 16, 2025 for a crime he did not commit. Read key facts about the case and act to stop this injustice.
Year unknown · GeorgiaInnocence Project caseSheila Denton
In September 2026, more than 20 years after she was arrested, Sheila Denton was exonerated of a murder in Waycross, Georgia.