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One of the main causes of wrongful convictions is eyewitness misidentifications. Investigators follow specific guidelines when they are conducting their investigation. However, this does not eliminate human error. Research a case where an eyewitness’ identification led to a suspect(s) wrongful conviction. Describe the specifics of the case and the steps the defence team took to have them freed.
In 2007, three men in New York City were wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for the death of a 16-year-old girl. The conviction was based on the testimony of an eyewitness who claimed that she saw the men commit the crime from up to four blocks away. After they had been imprisoned for 12 years, their lawyers discovered evidence that exonerated them: surveillance video footage taken near the scene of the crime showed that none of them were present at the time it had occurred.
The defence attorneys argued that police pressure and misidentification led to their wrongful convictions; they presented documents showing that investigators used only one photo array with only one picture of each defendant, which is against standard protocol when identifying suspects. They also obtained affidavits from three witnesses — independent individuals who had not been connected to either side — which stated they saw someone else committing the crime. This evidence was enough to have their convictions overturned by a judge and all three men were released in 2019.
The case is a reminder of how important it is for authorities to follow proper protocol when investigating crimes involving eyewitness identification — if this step had been taken here, these innocent men may have never spent more than a decade behind bars for something they didn’t do.