Conviction review
Convictions that were overturned, and innocence claims courts are ruling on this week. Read what the evidence was and where it broke.
Douglas Echols
Douglas Echols was convicted in a 1986 rape case. In 2002, his charges were finally cleared through DNA testing after he served over five years in prison. In 2005, a resolution was introduced in the Georgia Assembly by Representatives Tom Bordeaux and Chuck Sims requesting $1.6 million as compensation for his incarceration; however, the resolution was not approved.
1971 · GeorgiaOverturnedMarietta Seven
The Marietta Seven were defendants on a murder charge who were subsequently exonerated, having been convicted of the murder of Warren and Rosina Matthews in May 1971 in Marietta, Georgia.
1987 · GeorgiaOverturnedClarence Harrison
Clarence Harrison (born 1959) was wrongfully convicted in 1987 for the kidnapping, rape and robbery of a 25-year-old-woman in Decatur, Georgia. He is the first person exonerated through the work of the Georgia Innocence Project. He was married to his 1st wife and He fathered 2 daughters and had 1 step daughter before his incarceration.
Year unknown · GeorgiaInnocence Project caseSheila Denton
In September 2026, more than 20 years after she was arrested, Sheila Denton was exonerated of a murder in Waycross, Georgia.
2002 · GeorgiaExonerated 2002Samuel Scott
In 1987, Samuel Scott was wrongly convicted of a rape, kidnapping, and robbery in Savannah, Georgia. He was later exonerated in 2002.
1999 · GeorgiaExonerated 1999Calvin Johnson
In 1983, Calvin Johnson Jr. was wrongly convicted of two counts of rape and burglary in College Park, Georgia. He was later exonerated in 1999.
2004 · GeorgiaExonerated 2004Clarence Harrison
Clarence Harrison was exonerated in 2004 after serving more than 17 years in Georgia prisons for a rape he didn’t commit.
2002 · GeorgiaExonerated 2002Douglas Echols
In 1987, Douglas Echols was wrongly convicted of a rape he did not commit in Georgia. He was later exonerated in 2002.
2005 · GeorgiaExonerated 2005Robert Clark
In 1982, Robert Clark was wrongly convicted of rape, kidnapping, and armed robbery he did not commit in Georgia.
2021 · GeorgiaExonerated 2021Ronald Jacobsen
In 1990, Ronald Jacobsen was wrongly convicted of a kidnapping and assault that he did not commit in Georgia. He served 30 years before he was exonerated in 2021.