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Wrongfully Imprisoned 29 Years, Stanley Wrice Wins Second Chance
After maintaining his innocence for 29 years, an Illinois man has earned the right to a hearing on his actual innocence claim. Stanley Wrice was convicted in 1982 after falsely confessing to Chicago Police for a brutal sexual assault. Wrice’s case is set to be heard before the Illinois Supreme Court. Read more about the
Scientific Advances Cloud Past Arson Cases
A recent Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article published states that advances in arson investigation could now make past evidence outdated, and because of this, several convictions in Pennsylvania are now being challenged. Currently, questionable arson convictions are also under review in other states including Texas, Massachusetts, and here in Arizona. From the article:
Justice: Prosecute Prosecutors?
In Virginia, Bennett Barbour served countless years on a sentence for a rape conviction that was based on eyewitness testimony, the least reliable of all the forms of evidence used in courts today. The police learned that, through testing of DNA material, Mr. Barbour was excluded as being the perpetrator in this
Man Wins Supreme Court Appeal For New Trial
In a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, a Louisiana man has won the right to a new trial after a major Brady Rule violation in his case has come to light. Juan Smith was convicted with for an armed robbery in which only one piece of evidence was used to
Death Sentence in Delaware Overturned
A man is once again free after serving 20 years on Delaware’s Death Row. Jermaine Wright’s sentence was overturned after his attorneys proved that, even with a videotaped confession, the evidence against him was not sufficient enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Wright was indeed guilty. According to an article in
Perry v. New Hampshire and Eyewitness Testimony
In a case that was recently argued before the Supreme Court, questions have arisen regarding the reliability of eyewitness testimony. In Perry v. New Hampshire, the State Supreme Court ruled that a trial judge “cannot exclude witness identification based on suggestive circumstances, unless there was improper police manipulation of the
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Articles
Why an Arizona man is asking President Joe Biden for clemency
Written by Jimmy Jenkins, Arizona RepublicOriginally published Dec. 6th, 2024 An Arizona man is seeking clemency from President Joe Biden. Joseph Fuentes, 48, has applied for a commutation of his sentence with the support of the Arizona Justice Project. In 2001, Fuentes was serving an eight-year sentence at the federal
Arizona man sentenced to 292 years for nonviolent crimes released from prison
Written by Jimmy Jenkins, Arizona RepublicOriginally published Sept. 20th, 2024 After serving 10 years of a 292-year sentence for nonviolent offenses, an Arizona man has been released from prison. Atdom Patsalis, who was recently granted clemency and sentenced to home arrest, was greeted by family and supporters as he walked
‘This is a rebirth’: Arizona man given 292 years for nonviolent crimes gets clemency
Written by Jimmy Jenkins, Arizona RepublicOriginally published Sept. 6th, 2024 The sentence was so long, even the judge had a hard time believing it. “Mr. Patsalis, I don’t know if you were doing the math, but I have sentenced you to 292 years in prison,” Judge Pro Tempore Billy K.
AZ Clemency Board Grants AJP Client Release After 292 Year Sentence!
This week, the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency granted release to our client, Atdom Patsalis, who had originally been sentenced to 292 years.
Arizona Justice Project Executive Director Wins Award!
We are proud to announce that Arizona Justice Project Executive Director, Lindsay Herf, is the 2024 recipient of the Learned Hand Emerging Leadership Award! Lindsay has been practicing law for more than 15 years. Twelve of those years have been with the Arizona Justice Project, representing wrongfully convicted individuals and those who have suffered a manifest injustice.
Arizona Justice Project’s 2024 Annual Gala
The Arizona Justice Project will be having its annual gala, One Injustice Is One Too Many, on March 1, 2024 at the Scottsdale Resort and Spa. The event will honor Arizona Justice Project freed and exonerated clients as well as the dedicated people behind the scenes working to free the