Wrongful Conviction

On the night of July 15, 2008, 22-year-old Moustapha Oumaria was shot and killed while hanging out with three friends outside his Crown Heights, NY home. The three friends described the shooter as a black male wearing a white t-shirt and dark pants. When shown a photographic lineup, they identified Arvell Marshall as the shooter. But police had in their possession video surveillance footage that clearly showed that someone else was responsible for the murder. Nevertheless, Arvell was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

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In the winter of 1995, Joyce Dennis was killed during her closing shift at a laundromat in North Philadelphia, PA. Police then rounded up a group of teenagers and, over the course of several months, got them to implicate two of their friends for the crime, including Eddie Ramirez. Despite the fact that no physical evidence tied him to the murder scene, Eddie would spend 27 years in prison for a crime he’s always maintained he did not commit. 

On the morning of December 9th, 1984, 19-year-old Christopher Turner woke up to the police breaking into his bedroom with guns drawn. He was arrested for the murder of Catherine Fuller, who was assaulted, robbed, and killed on the evening of October 1st, 1984. Based on testimonies delivered under coercion, Christopher was convicted of first degree murder, along with 8 other defendants, and sentenced to life in prison. It was later revealed that the prosecution withheld vital information, including several eyewitness testimonies implicating a different suspect, thus violating the Brady Rule. Turner remained hard-working, resilient, and optimistic despite the adversity he endured. He was released on parole in 2011 and continues to engage in prisoner advocacy work.

On December 28, 2007, a young man was shot and killed outside an apartment complex in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ten days later, an eyewitness identified Marty Levingston as the gunman, and eventually, a jailhouse snitch would point to him too. Though the eyewitness expressed doubt at trial, Marty was sentenced to 15 to life for a murder he consistently maintained he did not commit.

On August 25, 1994, a woman found her boyfriend shot dead in his Louisiana apartment. His stolen car was found across from 16-year-old Eric Brown’s sister’s house. Without any DNA evidence, eyewitnesses, fingerprints, or murder weapon, the state took Eric to trial, and the jury found him guilty. That jury was composed of eleven white members and one black member. Two members of that jury also found him not guilty. Nevertheless, they sent Eric, a child, to prison for life without the possibility of parole.

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