Instructions for Using the Registry

The table below shows all individual exonerations. By default, the table is set to show exonerations from 1989 through the present. Check "Pre-1989" in the Exoneration Era filter to view Pre-1989 exonerations. Use the filters on the left to search for exonerations with particular criteria. Hover over the symbols for explanations of filters or columns. Use the Keyword Search box to filter for cases that contain those keywords in the narrative summary.

If multiple keywords are entered, the search will show cases in which the narrative contains ANY of those words. Since the table is filtered to 1989 through the present by default, a search for the name of someone who was exonerated before 1989 will not produce results until the Date of Exoneration is adjusted, or the Pre-1989 filter is selected. Once filters have been set, select the column headings you wish to display, and sort the table by whatever column heading you choose by clicking on the column heading. For more detailed instructions, see Understanding the Registry, under "About" at the top right of the Home Page. Note: 1989 was the year of the first DNA exoneration and the dawn of a new era of wrongful convictions. The Registry used to separate the two - pre and post 1989 exonerations - into two separate and distinct databases. They are now synthesized to reflect the entire body of exoneration data. If you wish to view exonerations prior to 1989, check "Pre-1989" in the Exoneration Era filter. Read Less
Total records: 87
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Name State County Convicted Exonerated Crime Sentence Term of Years Years lost Age Race Sex Year of recantation Date of Release Posting Date
Agnew, Gregory Illinois Lake 1988 2001 Robbery Term of Years 30 years 13 28 Black Male 2001 01-18-2018
Amor, William Illinois DuPage 1997 2018 Murder Term of Years 45 years 20 39 White Male 2017 02-23-2018
Armstrong, Craig Illinois Cook 2005 2018 Sex Offender Registration Term of Years 1 year 0 40 Black Male 2005 09-22-2019
Armstrong, Craig Illinois DuPage 2012 2016 Sex Offender Registration Term of Years 3 years 1 46 Black Male 2013 09-22-2019
Beaman, Alan W. Illinois McLean 1995 2009 Murder Term of Years 50 years 14 20 White Male 2009 08-29-2011
Berry, Wilder Illinois Cook 1992 2000 Sexual Assault Term of Years 35 years 7 20 Black Male 1999 08-29-2011
Bray, George Illinois Cook 1942 1958 Sexual Assault Term of Years 99 years 16 28 White Male 1958 06-07-2021
Brooks, Claude Jr. Illinois Cook 2000 2013 Child Sex Abuse Term of Years 22 years 8 35 Black Male 2008 06-20-2017
Burt, Lavale Illinois Cook 1986 1986 Murder Not Sentenced 0 19 Black Male 1986
Carter, Brad Illinois Williamson 2013 2015 Child Sex Abuse Not Sentenced 0 38 White Male 2013 02-09-2015
Casciaro, Mario Illinois McHenry 2013 2016 Murder Term of Years 26 years 2 19 White Male 2014 2015 04-12-2016
Chatmon, Timothy Illinois Winnebago 1990 1995 Murder Term of Years 35 years 5 30 Black Male 1990 1995 03-10-2014
Cleveland, Albert Illinois Cook 1996 2017 Murder Term of Years 45 years 20 20 Black Male 2017 04-16-2019
Cobb, Perry Illinois Cook 1979 1987 Murder Death 7 37 Black Male 1987
Crivens, Algie III Illinois Cook 1992 2000 Murder Term of Years 20 years 7 18 Black Male 1999 08-29-2011
Davis, Andre Illinois Champaign 1981 2012 Murder Life 31 19 Black Male 2012 07-06-2012
Davis, Lavelle Illinois Kane 1997 2009 Murder Term of Years 45 years 9 20 Black Male 2006 08-29-2011
Dick, Steven Illinois Cook 1983 2001 Drug Possession or Sale Term of Years 6 months 1 18 White Male 1984 03-21-2013
Dixon, James Illinois Cook 1972 1974 Murder Term of Years 25 to 60 years 2 18 Black Male 1974 05-29-2020
Dixon, James Illinois Cook 1976 1976 Assault Term of Years 1 year 0 22 Black Male 1976 05-29-2020
Dotson, Gary Illinois Cook 1979 1989 Sexual Assault Term of Years 25 to 50 years 6 20 White Male 1985 1985 08-29-2011
Eardley, James Illinois McLean 1990 1991 Destruction of Property Not Sentenced 0 23 White Male 1990 10-28-2014
Eason, Corey Illinois McLean 2005 2005 Sex Offender Registration Not Sentenced 0 23 Black Male 2005 08-29-2011
Ellis, Bernard Illinois Cook 1996 2001 Murder Term of Years 55 years 6 26 Black Male 1996 2001 08-24-2014
Ezell, LaShawn Illinois Cook 1998 2017 Robbery Term of Years 20 years 7 15 Black Male 2005 03-01-2017
Fowler, Walter Illinois Cook 1937 1953 Murder Term of Years 99 years 12 19 Black Male 1948
Garrett, Sammie Illinois Cook 1970 1976 Murder Term of Years 20 to 40 years 5 21 Black Male 1975
Geralds, Hubert Jr. Illinois Cook 1997 2000 Murder Death 2 30 Black Male 2000 08-31-2011
Gold-Smith, Robert Illinois Will 2016 2023 Other Violent Felony Term of Years 30 years 4 50 White Male 2019 05-01-2023
Harling, Harry Illinois Cook 1973 1976 Manslaughter Term of Years 3 to 9 years 2 31 White Male 1975 04-19-2021
Harpstrite, Valentine Illinois St. Clair 1929 1968 Murder Life 20 24 White Male 1949
Harris, Warren Illinois Cook 1977 1990 Murder Term of Years 50 to Life 12 29 Black Male 1990 07-05-2014
Haynes, Terrence Illinois Kankakee 2000 2019 Murder Term of Years 45 years 18 22 Black Male 2009 2019 06-11-2019
Hill, Robert Illinois Cook 2012 2021 Murder Term of Years 70 years 5 36 Black Male 2017 05-24-2022
Holland, Dana Illinois Cook 1995 2003 Attempted Murder Term of Years 28 years 8 25 Black Male 2003 2003 08-29-2011
Horton, John Illinois Winnebago 1995 2017 Murder Life without parole 22 17 Black Male 1998 2017 10-09-2017
Jordan, Sam Illinois Cook 2013 2019 Theft Term of Years 6 months 0 57 Black Male 2013 09-26-2019
Kayer, Brian Illinois Livingston 2011 2015 Sex Offender Registration Term of Years 3 years 2 34 Asian Male 2013 10-15-2017
Kitterman, Shane Illinois St. Clair 2013 2018 Sex Offender Registration Probation 0 34 Black Male 2013 03-18-2019
Lane, Lionel Illinois Kane 1995 1995 Murder Term of Years 60 years 0 33 Black Male 1995 08-29-2011
Lawson, Carl Illinois St. Clair 1990 1996 Murder Death 6 23 Black Male 1996 08-29-2011
Lenoir, Thomas Illinois Cook 2017 2022 Theft Term of Years 8 years and 6 months 3 55 Black Male 2021 12-12-2022
Lettrich, George Illinois Cook 1951 1953 Murder Death 2 33 White Male 1953
Liebich, Randy Illinois Dupage 2004 2019 Murder Term of Years 65 years 14 22 White Male 2012 2018 04-20-2019
Lindsey, Lloyd Illinois Cook 1975 1979 Murder Term of Years 40 to 80 years 4 17 Black Male 1979
Linscott, Steven Illinois Cook 1982 1992 Murder Term of Years 40 years 3 26 White Male 1985 08-29-2011
Majczek, Joseph Illinois Cook 1933 1946 Murder Term of Years 99 years 12 24 White Male 1945
Marcinkiewicz, Theodore Illinois Cook 1933 1950 Murder Term of Years 99 years 16 25 White Male 1950
McCoy, Troshawn Illinois Cook 1998 2017 Murder Term of Years 55 years 18 17 Black Male 2017 03-01-2017
McDonald, Wilbur Illinois Cook 1971 1973 Murder Term of Years 100 to 150 years 2 31 White Male 1973
Montgomery, Carl Illinois Moultrie 1984 1989 Burglary/Unlawful Entry Term of Years 7 years 4 44 White Male 1987 07-16-2014
Munoz, Cesar Illinois Cook 2000 2013 Murder Term of Years 45 years 9 21 Hispanic Male 2010 08-19-2013
Murphy, Cortez Illinois Macon 2013 2015 Burglary/Unlawful Entry Term of Years 6 years 2 26 Black Male 2015 10-16-2017
Napue, Henry Illinois Cook 1940 1960 Murder Term of Years 199 years 20 23 Black Male 1960
Nelson, Terry Lee Illinois St. Clair 1989 1994 Murder Term of Years 40 years 0 37 White Male 1990 1989 08-29-2011
Palmer, Charles Illinois Macon 2000 2016 Murder Life without parole 17 43 Black Male 2016 12-04-2016
Perez, Victor Illinois Kane 1996 2001 Murder Term of Years 20 years 4 19 Hispanic Male 2000 05-21-2020
Prete, Jennifer Del Illinois Will 2005 2022 Murder Term of Years 20 years 9 31 White Female 2014 10-13-2022
Pugh, Earl Howard Illinois Cook 1937 1953 Murder Life 16 19 Black Male 1953
Relerford, Walter Illinois Cook 2013 2018 Stalking Term of Years 6 years 3 28 Black Male 2016 03-18-2019
Reyes, Andrew Illinois Cook 1992 2010 Attempted Murder Term of Years 12 years 1 22 Hispanic Male 1993 06-02-2020
Seats, Devin Illinois Cook 2009 2022 Other Nonviolent Felony Term of Years 2 years 0 22 Black Male 2009 12-12-2022
Shakirov, Mansur Illinois McLean 2014 2018 Manslaughter Term of Years 4 years 2 28 White Male 2015 06-05-2018
Shannon, Mason Illinois LaSalle 2018 2024 Manslaughter Not Sentenced 0 42 White Male 2018 07-15-2024
Shaw, Anthony Illinois Cook 2012 2018 Robbery Term of Years 6 years 2 29 Black Male 2015 04-24-2019
Simon, Alstory Illinois Cook 1999 2014 Murder Term of Years 37 years 15 32 Black Male 2005 2014 10-31-2014
Smith, Adam Illinois Macon 2016 2020 Threats Term of Years 10 years 4 32 White Male 2019 12-17-2021
Smith, Kenneth Illinois McHenry 2003 2021 Murder Term of Years 67 years 18 25 White Male 2021 08-19-2021
Smith, Steven Illinois Cook 1986 1999 Murder Death 13 37 Black Male 1999 09-03-2012
Spates, Jamie Illinois Winnebago 2018 2021 Murder Not Sentenced 0 41 Black Male 2018 09-08-2021
Starks, Bennie Illinois Lake 1986 2013 Sexual Assault Term of Years 60 years 20 26 Black Male 2006 01-07-2013
Sullivan, Melvin Illinois Cook 1979 1987 Murder Term of Years 20 years 7 27 White Male 1987 12-07-2020
Swift, Terrill Illinois Cook 1998 2012 Murder Term of Years 36 years 14 17 Black Male 2011 01-27-2012
Synon, Michael J. Illinois Cook 1900 1901 Murder Death 1 55 White Male 1901
Taylor, Lavell Illinois Cook 1998 2015 Murder Term of Years 35 years 15 19 Black Male 2015 2013 12-17-2021
Thompson, Franklin Illinois Will 1997 2003 Murder Term of Years 24 years 5 45 Black Male 2003 08-29-2011
Thompson, Patrick Illinois Champaign 2006 2008 Sexual Assault Not Sentenced 0 35 Black Male 2006 07-29-2012
Tillis, Darby Illinois Cook 1979 1987 Murder Death 7 36 Black Male 1987
Ward, Madeleine Illinois DuPage 2006 2008 Theft Term of Years 6 years and 7 months 2 52 White Female 2008 04-05-2013
Ware, Robert Illinois Woodford 2017 2022 Assault Term of Years 4 years 3 40 Black Male 2021 05-31-2023
Williams, Darnell Illinois Cook 2017 2020 Other Violent Misdemeanor Probation 0 36 Black Male 2017 2017 06-28-2024
Williams, Demarko Illinois Cook 2018 2023 Other Nonviolent Felony Term of Years 10 years 5 38 Black Male 2023 08-13-2024
Williams, Robert Illinois Kankakee 2017 2021 Assault Term of Years 9 years 3 28 Black Male 2020 12-10-2021
Willing, Rusty Illinois Adams 2016 2020 Child Sex Abuse Term of Years 30 years 2 34 White Male 2018 06-23-2020
Woidtke, Rodney Illinois St. Clair 1989 2001 Murder Term of Years 45 years 12 27 White Male 2001 08-29-2011
Yanez, Jose Illinois Rock Island 2020 2024 Murder Term of Years 15 years 2 28 Hispanic Male 2022 12-05-2024
Zajicek, Herman Illinois Cook 1907 1917 Murder Death 9 39 White Male 1917