Non-IPNO exonerees

Cheryl Beridon

Years transpired between initial arrest and exoneration - 26
Causes of Wrongful Conviction - Law Enforcement Misconduct and Witness Perjury
Release Date - November 19, 2000
Pardon Date - July 29, 2003

Cheryl Beridon spent 20 years in prison after being framed by Terrebonne Parish District Attorney Norvel Rhodes.

Mr. Rhodes and Ms. Beridon were having an affair, and when Ms. Beridon refused to see him after the relationship soured, Mr. Rhodes threatened her with prison. Ms. Beridon refused to acquiesce and charges were brought against her.

Mr. Rhodes was the primary witness, and Ms. Beridon was convicted of selling $125 of heroin to a police informant in the summer of 1977.

She was sentenced to life in prison.

The NAACP lobbied for Ms. Beridon and won her release in 1997. Two years later, she was granted a full pardon by former Louisiana Governor Mike Foster.

Further Reading:
- Thurston, Dee Dee, “Freedom for Beridon” The Courier [Houma, Louisiana] November 20, 2000.
- Thurston, Dee Dee, “Local Woman Seeks Pardon.” The Courier [Houma, Louisiana]. May 4, 2003.
- Thurston, Dee Dee, “Foster Grants Pardon to Local Woman.” The Courier [Houma, Louisiana], July 30, 2003.