Non-IPNO exonerees
Michael Graham
Years transpired between initial arrest and exoneration - 14
Causes of Wrongful Conviction - Eyewitness with Incentive to Prove Guilt; Ineffective Assistance of Counsels; Prosecutorial/Police Misconduct
Release/Exoneration Date - December 28, 2000
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Michael Graham and his co-defendant Albert Burrell were convicted of murdering an elderly couple in Union Parish, Louisiana in 1987. They were represented by two lawyers who had no previous capital trial experience. No physical evidence linked them to the crime and their convictions were based on three witnesses who, unbeknownst to the jury, had personal motives to testify against them. |
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Years after their convictions, all three witnesses recanted their trial testimonies, and the prosecutor who tried the case testified in court that he was pressured by the Union Parish district attorney to prosecute Mr. Graham and Mr. Burrell in order not to embarrass the recently elected sheriff. Ultimately, the charges in the case were dismissed because the prosecutors withheld key information from the defense. The attorney general’s office citied “a lack of credible evidence” and stated “prosecutors would deem it a breach of ethics to proceed to trial.” Mr. Graham was released from prison on December 28, 2000 and Mr. Burrell was released six days later. Further Reading: |
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