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Stoll was convicted of 17 counts of child molestation involving six children including his five-year-old son.  Two of Stoll’s codefendants won their state appeal 15 years before he did.  His own appeal was denied in part because of a mistake his lawyer had made during the trial—failing to introduce a psychologist’s finding that Stoll showed none of the telltale traits of a pedophile.

Of the six kids who had testified against Stoll then, five—now grown— recanted at a hearing.  Only his son Jed continued to insist that his father had molested him, though under questioning he could give no details.  Stoll's conviction was overturned after he served 20 years of a 40-year sentence.  His charges were dropped.  [6/05]

In 1983, a mentally unbalanced woman named Judy Johnson enrolled her two-year-old son, Matthew, in the McMartin Preschool.  She became obsessed with Matthew's rectal problems and began thinking they were a result of sexual abuse.  Soon Judy was making accusations against Ray Buckey, 28, the only male who worked at the school and who was the grandson of Virginia McMartin, 79, the school's founder.  Matthew denied abuse at first, but soon Judy was making more accusations against Ray based on what Matthew allegedly said.

The police obtained a list of all children who ever attended the school and began questioning parents.  They asked them to question their children.  The police later encouraged parents to bring their children to abuse counselors who encouraged children using anatomically correct dolls to change from their alleged natural state of denial to giving details of abuse.

Reports of abuse snowballed and soon the entire staff of the preschool was indicted and arrested, including Ray Buckey, his mother Peggy, his sister Peggy Ann, his grandmother Virginia, and 3 female teachers.  They were charged with 208 counts of child abuse and except for Virginia McMartin, all were denied bail.  The original accuser soon disintegrated.  Her husband left her, she was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and she died of alcoholism.

At a preliminary hearing lasting 19 months, the prosecution claimed to have solid evidence of abuse—hundreds of photographs of the anuses and vaginas of the children, but no one could quite see what the expert medical interpreter did.  Even the three medical doctors for the prosecution could not agree on what they saw.  Many children told wild tales that could not possibly be true.  The prosecutors even began to break ranks.  Prosecutor Glenn Stevens resigned, claiming that they were putting seven innocent people through an ordeal and he wanted no further part in it.  Another member of the original team, Christine Johnson, also asked to be removed.  At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, charges were dropped against all defendants for lack of evidence except for Ray and his mother, Peggy Buckey.

To get a change of venue, the defense attorneys commissioned an opinion survey.  An astounding 97.5 percent of the people in the area believed the defendants were guilty, one of the highest figures of prejudice ever recorded in a poll.  Nevertheless, the change of venue motion was denied.

Jury selection for the trial began in April 1987, almost 4 years after the initial accusation.  In testifying about abuse, using photographs, a so-called medical expert pointed out suspect "white tissue," which turned out to be reflections of light on the photographs.  A child abuse investigator could name no credentials or training she had but was only a grant writer.  The trial lasted 28 months even though the judge began striking defense witnesses at the end because only one alternate juror remained, raising the possibility of a mistrial.

In Jan 1990, the jury hung on 13 counts (all against Ray) but acquitted both Ray and Peggy of the remaining charges.  Five months later, another trial began against Ray, but the jury in it became deadlocked as well and charges were dismissed.  After 7 years the McMartin case was the longest and most expensive legal proceeding in American history.  It had cost the community almost $16 million, and resulted in no convictions.  (CrimeLibrary)  [6/05]

Randolph was convicted of sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl.  The girl did not initially recognize Randolph as her assailant.  However, a few minutes later, after talking to her aunt, she accused Randolph.  During a grand jury investigation, the girl described her assailant in ways that did not match Randolph, including his clothing and height.  There was also no physical evidence connecting Randolph to the assault.

At his lawyer's request, Randolph entered a Alford plea in which he did not have to admit guilt in exchange for a time served sentence of 4 months plus 10 years of probation.  Randolph later failed to show up for an alcohol counseling session, a condition of his probation.  A judge then incarcerated him for the remainder of the 10 years.  Following Randolph's release, he had to register as a sex offender.  In 2008, after prosecutors said the case against Randolph was so weak it should not have been pursued, a judge exonerated Randolph of all charges and declared him innocent.  (Boston Globe)  [6/08]

Perry, a kindergarten teacher, was convicted of sexually assaulting two boys, ages 4 and 5 based on the boys’ testimony.  The complaint began when the mother of the 5-year-old complained her son had been “tea-bagged” – slang for oral sex.  She also said her son had been the victim of a similar assault in Chicago.  Under questioning, the 5-year-old identified Perry and said he was only fondled, but said another boy, the 4-year-old, had been “tea-bagged.”  The 4-year-old initially denied being assaulted.

At trial, the boys claimed to have been pulled from a lunch line and assaulted in an empty Special Education classroom during lunchtime.  However, post-conviction interviews with school personnel indicate that the classroom always contained students who do not go out for lunch, and at least one teacher to watch over them.  (Detroit Free Press)  [3/07]

Jerry L. Parker was convicted of sexually molesting three girls, K.B., age 10, H.R., age 11, and B.C., age 13.  He was sentenced to 195 1/2 years of imprisonment.  The girls said they were kidnapped at gunpoint from a gazebo in Gerald City Park and forced to walk to a woman’s rest room about a block away where they were molested.  The girls’ story contains numerous implausible or impossible details.  A deputy indicated that he did not believe the story.  Police undertook no further action on the girls’ report until two weeks later when Parker became a suspect.  At trial, on cross examination, the Gerald Police Chief conceded his office received over 50 leads and the names of three suspects regarding the alleged assault but Parker was the only person ever questioned about it.

The girls’ initial descriptions of the perpetrator and his car did not match Parker or his car.  When shown a photo lineup, the girls failed to identify Parker.  They were later shown a second lineup in which Parker’s photo stood out.  H.R. recognized no one in the lineup.  B.C. identified Parker.  She remarked, however, “The man in the picture was heavier than the attacker, had a ‘double chin’ whereas the man who assaulted her was slender and did not have a double chin.”  K.B. identified a person other than Parker as the perpetrator.  H.R. then asked to look at the lineup a second time because B.C. had picked someone out and H.R.’s dad asked her if she could look again.  After looking at the lineup a second time, H.R. identified Parker.

The police then conducted a live lineup to which they invited Parker’s defense attorney to attend, even though Missouri law did not require them.  However, at the time of the live lineup, they changed their minds about allowing the attorney to witness it.  After the girls viewed the lineup and identified Parker, police congenially staged a repeat of the live lineup so that the defense attorney could witness it.

Parker’s first trial ended in a hung jury, but he was convicted at his second trial.  Parker had four alibi witnesses who placed him 22 miles away from the crime scene at the exact time of the crime.  His defense attorney called the witnesses at his first trial, but inexplicably did not call them at his second trial.  Parker had earlier tried to fire his attorney and represent himself, but the judge would not allow him.  His attorney seemed incapable of disbelieving the girls’ story and would not question them aggressively to show the jury that the girls might be stretching the truth.

The trial judge, who presided over both trials, apparently did not want the second trial to end in another hung jury.  To avoid that possibility, he told the jurors a false story about a case where a jury was charged for the cost of the trial because they did not come to a unanimous decision.  (Source)  [10/07]

In Feb. 1996, 18-year-old Sarah Jane Adams filed a police report, accusing James F. Love of orally raping her six, seven, eight years earlier.  After being charged with five rapes, Love filed a notice of alibi, stating that he was out of the United States during a large portion of the time period mentioned in his indictment.  His lawyers requested more specific dates and times of the alleged rapes, but the prosecutor repeatedly denied that any dates were available.

At Love’s trial in June 1996, Adams testified that the first rape occurred “the week after Christmas 1988.”  She testified next three rapes occurred “at least once a month each month after the first time.”  Which would have been January, February, and March 1989.  Regarding the fifth rape she testified, “I can’t remember when the last time was.”  Love told his attorneys he was in Mexico during the time period Adams said she was raped.  He obtained his mother’s telephone records, which showed his mother had received collect calls from Mexico in late 1988 and early 1989.  The prosecutor argued that there was no proof the collect calls to Love’s mother had been made by Love.  The jury convicted Love on four of the five rape charges.  Love was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences.  Love will be eligible for parole in 2036 when he is 85-years-old.

Since Love’s conviction, he has assembled abundant evidence proving that he was in Mexico, before, during, and after the period in which the alleged rapes occurred.  In Nov. 2006, Love’s conviction was overturned.  Love has written numerous articles on wrongfully convicted persons.  Many of those articles are posted on the Innocent Inmates of Ohio website.  (JD30 p5)  [9/07]

Nancy Smith and Joseph Allen were convicted of child abuse.  Smith, a Head Start school bus driver allegedly drove students to Allen’s house where the students were molested.  Smith, a white woman, and Allen, a dark complexioned black, were an unlikely pair and denied ever having met each other.  The two were convicted on the testimony of child witnesses whose testimony changed over time, and on the testimony of adults who were facing unrelated criminal charges.  School attendance and bus records show the crimes to be impossible.  Smith was sentenced to 30 to 90 years in prison and ordered to pay the costs of prosecution.  Allen was sentenced to five consecutive life terms.  No physical evidence existed that any child was molested.  (Crime Magazine) (JD29 p3)  [2/07]

Jimmy “Spunk” Williams was convicted of the rape of a 12-year-old girl.  An attorney, appointed to represent him at a parole hearing in Dec. 2000, set up a meeting with the father of the victim.  Three months later the victim recanted her identification of Williams.  The victim originally claimed she was raped after her parents confronted her about sucker marks, which were on her neck.  The victim and a girlfriend testified they had been experimenting with sexual activity, and the girlfriend, who was also 12, had made the sucker marks.  At trial, doctors could not say that the victim was raped.  They could only say the victim was not a virgin.  The victim apparently still maintained she had been raped, but stated in court that she did not see her assailant’s face.  Williams was released in 2001 and awarded $750,000 by the state of Ohio in 2005.  (AP News) (Dredmund)  [9/07]

Waller was convicted of raping a 12-year-old boy, identified as Jay S.  Jay initially described his assailant as a black man, 5 foot 8 inches tall and weighing 150 lbs.  He said a red bandanna concealed his assailant’s face.  Later that day at a 7-Eleven, Jay heard his assailant’s voice, and turned to see Waller.  Waller is nearly 6 foot 4 inches tall and was heavy.  Waller’s family was the only black family living in Jay’s apartment complex.  At trial, Waller presented witnesses stating he was home at the time of the assault, but Waller was convicted anyway.  Waller was paroled in 1993.  DNA tests exonerated him of the crime in 2007, making him the 12th person in Dallas County to be exonerated by DNA tests.  (NY Times)  [2/07]

Daniel L. Sanders was convicted of child molestation. In late May and early June of 1997, Sanders stayed with his former girlfriend, Patti Kelley, to spend time with his 14-year-old son, Gabe. Kelley also lived with her three-year-old son, Tyler, who was not Sanders’ child. After Kelley accused Sanders of molesting Tyler, Sanders said she was retaliating against him for threatening to call Child Protective Services after Tyler had gotten got into Kelley’s stash of methamphetamine. Kelley had told police that Sanders had masturbated and ejaculated in Tyler’s face. During a preliminary hearing, Tyler stated, “My mom told me to say these things about [Sanders],” and he would not, or could not, identify Sanders in the courtroom. The judge found Tyler incompetent to testify.

Kelley said she had put Tyler’s clothes and the washcloth used to clean him in a bag for police, but no semen was found on any of the items. Tyler was examined the day after the alleged incident, and though Kelley said she had not bathed him, no semen was found on him.

Sanders identified numerous exculpatory witnesses, but his attorney, Thomas Ladouceur, refused to call or interview them. Sanders identified a neighbor who had witnessed his dispute with Kelley. Sanders claimed that Kelley had a history of threatening and making false charges. Sanders identified witnesses who would testify that Kelley, in the course of various disputes with Sanders, had frequently threatened to call the police and falsely report that he had committed crimes or violated his parole. Sanders had no prior conviction for sexual offenses. Sanders identified witnesses who would testify that Kelley had a history of coaching her children and forcing them to lie. Ladouceur, however, did not call or interview any of these witnesses.

Sanders claimed that Kelley had previously fabricated molestation charges against another man. According to Sanders, Kelley had a dispute in 1995 with a man nicknamed Grizzly about drug money. Kelley called the police and claimed that Grizzly had molested Gabe. Grizzly was convicted of the charges, but Gabe later told Sanders that Kelley had told him to make up the story. Sanders spoke with Grizzly and asked Ladouceur to interview him, but Ladouceur made no effort to investigate the incident involving Grizzly and Gabe.

Finally, Sanders identified a disinterested third-party witness, Dee Ann Wren, who could establish an alibi. After his dispute with Kelley, Sanders telephoned Wren, whom he had never met before, and discussed the possibility of moving into Wren’s house. During the time that Kelley claimed Sanders assaulted Tyler, Wren says that she and Sanders were on the telephone together. Wren had talked to Sanders at length, asking him questions to evaluate whether he would be a good tenant. After Sanders had been arrested, Wren contacted Ladouceur and offered to testify, but Ladouceur did not interview Wren or call her to testify.

Other than Sanders himself, Ladouceur did not seek or call any witnesses. Nor did he seek to introduce Tyler’s pretrial statement. The federal Ninth Circuit Court overturned Sanders’ conviction in Sept. 2003 based on Ladouceur’s failure to investigate and interview potentially exculpatory witnesses. Sanders also claimed that the prosecutor, who Sanders had worked for as an informant, was retaliating against him for failing to provide information satisfactory to the prosecutor. (Sanders v. Ryder) [2/08]