Non-IPNO exonerees

Gerald Burge was arrested as an early suspect in a 1980 St. Tammany Parish murder.

As the investigation developed, evidence came to light that indicated he was innocent. However, the police officer investigating the case continued to pursue Mr. Burge as the primary suspect.

During the course of the investigation, the investigating officer started dating the murder victim's sister (he later married her), and advised her and her mother to testify untruthfully at trial.

Furthermore, the investigating officer kept evidence which legally established Mr. Burge’s innocence in the trunk of his car that was not shared with Mr. Burge’s attorney or presented in court.

Mr. Burge was convicted of second-degree murder in 1986 and sentenced to life without parole.

The conviction was reversed six years after Mr. Burge was first arrested, when the withheld evidence was revealed, including a confession by the actual murderer and an affidavit that contradicted a primary witness’ statements.

Mr. Burge filed suit against St. Tammany Parish, and at trial the supervisor of the investigating officer testified that he had told him, “If some of this [evidence] got out, we would have lost the case.”

In 2001, a jury awarded Mr. Burge $4.3 million after deciding that the St. Tamany Sheriff’s office and lead detective Gary Hale had violated Mr. Burge’s civil rights by withholding key evidence. However the jury did not specify the amount to be paid by Mr. Hale and the amount to be paid by the Sheriff’s office. The Sheriff’s office appealed, while Mr. Hale did not, and the judgment was thrown out by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2003. The final amount that Mr. Burge will receive is still before the courts.