The National
Registry of
Exonerations
Explore data and read stories about exonerations in the United States.
Exonerations by State
Newly Published Exonerations
Shortly before 2 p.m. on April 20, 1990, 15-year-old Peter Cruz was attacked by a man who had a pit bull on a leash near the corner of Drake and Palmer Streets in Chicago, Illinois.Witnesses said…
Shortly after 10 p.m. on February 18, 2016, 17-year-old Timothy Miller, who had just come home from his job at Little Caesars Pizza in Highland Park, Michigan, got a phone call from a number he did…
On September 29, 1990, at approximately 4 a.m., 25-year-old Joseph Healy, an assistant football coach at Hofstra University, was shot and killed near the campus in an Arby’s parking lot. The evening…
On February 19, 2024, a 16-year-old student at Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, accused a fellow classmate, 16-year-old Martel Lee, of sexual assault. The complainant said that Lee…
At about 5:30 p.m. on May 14, 1992, the body of 22-year-old Antonio "Tone" Knight was found in an alley behind a carwash in northeast Detroit, Michigan. Knight's autopsy said he died from a single…
At 10:20 p.m. on March 28, 2007, 42-year-old Hector Flores was shot to death in the parking lot of a dollar store in the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His fiancée, 45-year-…
At 10:20 p.m. on March 28, 2007, 42-year-old Hector Flores was shot to death in the parking lot of a dollar store in the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His fiancée, 45-year-…
On December 10, 1980, Sandra Hemme confessed to a crime she did not commit in St. Joseph, Missouri. She was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. When her case was dismissed on December 3, 2024…
EVERY STORY COUNTS.
The Registry is a living archive of injustice. We collect, analyze, and publish comprehensive information on all known exonerations of criminal defendants in the United States.
We study the frequency and distribution of exonerations, and the causes, costs, and consequences of wrongful convictions. We make our data, research, and stories broadly accessible. Our goal is to be a resource for those who want to improve the criminal legal system and make it more accountable.
The Registry is a project of the Michigan State University College of Law, the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at the University of California—Irvine, and the University of Michigan Law School.
Dynamic Graphs
Reports
In the Press
ABA Journal"Even a wrongful misdemeanor conviction can change someone’s life forever." (10/1/24)
The Associated PressIn many states, compensation for the wrongfully convicted is a hard sell.
The Hill"Marcellus Williams’s execution was a tragedy — hopefully the last of its kind." (9/27/24)