Case Profile Betty Smithey Granted absolute discharge after 48 years Betty Smithey went to prison for murder when John F. Kennedy was president (1963). She had major mental problems at the time stemming from her tumultuous upbringing in orphanages and foster homes – suffering physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Had this evidence been produced at …
Case Profile Khalil Rushdan Granted Relief on the Claim of Vindictive Prosecution The Federal District Court overturned Khalil Rushdan’s conviction on evidence of vindictive prosecution. Khalil was convicted March of 1997 in Pima County for 1st degree felony murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. hidden …
Case Profile Marjorie Phillips Abused by her husband. Convicted of double homicide. Marjorie Phillips was convicted of a double homicide. She was released after criminal defense attorney Bob Hirsh, Professor Andy Silverman, and a team of law students from the University of Arizona proved that Marjorie should not be imprisoned because she was abused by …
Case Profile Bill Macumber Jury never heard the multiple confessions of a third party In 1975, Bill Macumber was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Tim McKillop and Joyce Sterrenberg in 1959. He was sentenced to two concurrent terms of life imprisonment. The Arizona Supreme Court reversed the convictions …
Case Profile Byron Lacy Wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder Byron Lacy’s case is one of this Project’s greatest actual, factual innocence cases. He was wrongfully convicted of first degree murder, and was exonerated after Arizona State University law students and Professor Bob Bartels discovered a bullet hole discrepancy in Byron Lacy’s case. hidden The Events Byron …
Case Profile Ray Krone Sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. Convicted Of First Degree Murder The Arizona Justice Project did not represent Ray Krone in post-conviction proceedings. However, the Arizona Justice Project was involved in a post-mortem analysis of Ray Krone’s case to determine what went wrong. The Arizona Justice Project uses …
Case Profile Brandon Jordan Wrongfully convicted of murder Brandon Jordan, convicted for a murder he did not commit, was released on December 6, 2013, with the help of the Arizona Justice Project. Brandon’s case had facts that did not add up. Brandon was convicted in 2006 for murder and aggravated assault. The incident occurred two …
Case Profile Carol Herriman Battered woman convicted of murder Carol Herriman was The Arizona Justice Project’s first exoneree and her case was the Project’s first of several important cases dealing with Battered Woman’s Syndrome. hidden First Exoneree Carol Herriman was The Arizona Justice Project’s first exoneree. In many ways she exemplifies the best of the …
Case Profile Louis Harper Sentenced to spend the next 50 years of his life in prison for possessing $20 of crack cocaine This is one of the most egregious sentences the Project has ever seen. In 1990, at the age of 26, Louis Harper was convicted of possessing a small amount of crack cocaine and …
Case Profile Larry Bishop Wrongfully convicted of murder, given relief after serving 10+ years In 1998, Larry was convicted of first degree murder, aggravated assault, armed robbery, aggravated robbery, burglary, and theft. His case was settled on appeal after evidence revealed that he was wrongfully convicted. hidden The Day that Changed His Life On Valentine’s …
