Conviction review
Convictions that were overturned, and innocence claims courts are ruling on this week. Read what the evidence was and where it broke.
Rubin Carter
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (May 6, 1937 – April 20, 2014) was an American middleweight boxer who was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for murder, until released following a petition of habeas corpus after spending 18 years and 4 months in prison. In 1966, Carter and his co-accused, John Artis, were arrested for a triple homicide which was committed at the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey, United…
2013 · New JerseyExonerated 2013Gerard Richardson
In 1995, Gerard Richardson was wrongly convicted of a murder he did not commit in New Jersey. He was later exonerated in 2013.
1996 · New JerseyExonerated 2018Eric Kelley
In 2018, Eric Kelley was exonerated of a 1993 murder and robbery in New Jersey after DNA tests identified the actual perpetrator.
2016 · New JerseyExonerated 2016Dion Harrell
Dion Harrell served four years in prison and nearly 20 years on the sex offender registry fighting to clear his name of a 1988 rape.
2001 · New JerseyExonerated 2001John Dixon
In July 1991, John Dixon was wrongfully convicted of a rape in Irvington, New Jersey. He was exonerated by DNA testing in December 2001.
1999 · New JerseyExonerated 1999McKinley Cromedy
In 1994, McKinley Cromedy was wrongly convicted of a sexual assault he did not commit based on eyewitness misidentification.
2006 · New JerseyExonerated 2006Larry Peterson
In 1989, Larry Peterson was wrongly convicted of a murder he did not commit in New Jersey. He was later exonerated in 2006.
2007 · New JerseyExonerated 2007Byron Halsey
Byron Halsey spent 19 years in prison in New Jersey for two heinous child murders committed in 1985 by another man.
2025 · Supreme Court of New JerseyIn courtState v. Darryl Nieves; State v. Michael Cifelli
Supreme Court of New Jersey issued an opinion on November 20, 2025 that deals with an innocence claim. From the opinion: “…not hypothetical, but the leading cause of wrongful conviction. The professors who study false confessions…”
1995 · New JerseyExonerated 1995David Shephard
In 1994, DNA testing exonerated David Shephard of a 1983 rape in New Jersey. He had spent nearly 10 years in prison.