The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "exonerate" ...
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Wrongfully Convicted
The stories of Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer, two Mississippi men who spent a combined 30 years in prison wrongfully charged with sexually assaulting and killing two 3-year old girls. The were exonerated through DNA evidence in 2008.
Tags: DNA; sex crime; wrongful conviction; murder; exoneration;
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"Final Justice
For seven years, the WEWS-TV Investigative Unit researched and reported the case of a Cleveland man, Darrell Houston, who was serving "33 years to life" in prison. By uncovering new witnesses and interviewing past jurors, the investigation by WEWS eventually led to a new trial, the release of Houston and the exoneration of his "murder and robbery charges."
Tags: Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court; Nancy Fuerst; judge; Ohio Court of Appeals; Cleveland Police Department; Nancy Margaret Russo; jury; court
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Investigation of Louisville Metro Police Det. Marlowe
The reporters find that one local detective accused at least a dozen defendants of crimes they did not commit. Many of these defendants could not possibly have committed the crimes because they were in jail or out of the city at the time. Many of the accused served jail time for days or even months before they were exonerated.
Tags: exonerate; detective; police; criminal justice; innocent
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Mistaken Identities
DNA-based exonerations of wrongly convicted men hit a record high after it was discovered that police used suggestive lineups procedures and pressured witnesses to pick out a suspect. Sometimes shaky identifications were preserved by withholding evidence that would lead to other suspects in the cases.
Tags: accusation; eyewitness; false conviction; DNA test; genetic; rape;
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"Innocent" and "The Duke Case"
In two separate reports, CBS airs the conclusions of their investigations into the Duke Rape Case, in which three white Duke University Lacrosse players were accused of raping a black exotic dancer. "The Duke Case," aired in January, includes an interview with the prosecutor's key DNA expert, who "admitted that crucial exculpatory evidence had been withheld." "Innocent," aired in April, includes an exclusive interview with the North Carolina Attorney General, who explained why he decided to exonerate the three players.
Tags: Duke Rape Case; rape; Duke University; police reports; forensic evidence;
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I Dunnit
Kentucky prison inmate James Mullins was looking at spending more than 25 years behind bars for theft and burglary charges. When a 19-year-old woman turned up murdered in Arizona, he "confessed" to the crime, which had taken place 2,000 miles from him and which he obviously had not committed. He said he hoped that Kentucky police would drop the theft charges and send him to Arizona to stand trial for murder, for which he would be exonerated since no evidence connecting him to the murder existed. Police discovered the inconsistencies in his story, and it turned out that the slain woman was actually a victim of the Baseline Killer, a serial murderer who had terrorized the area. Reporter Paul Rubin tells the story of Mullins' deception, which included a fellow inmate receiving clemency for his false testimony regarding Mullins.
Tags: Baseline Killer; false confession; James Mullins; Georgia Thompson
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Murder at the Palladium
Dateline investigated a 1990 murder at the Palladium nightclub, of which two men were wrongly convicted. Two detectives sought to re-open the case but were turned down by the Manhattan DA. Dateline obtained an interview with a "third shooter" suspect; afterward the two incarcerated men were exonerated and the interviewee was arrested. The New York Times cited the story in an editorial calling for the release of the two innocent convicts.
Tags: New York; murder; Palladium; innocence; wrongful conviction; Homicide Task Force; criminal justice system.
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"The Traitor: the Ed Wilson Story"
Nightline investigated the case of Ed Wilson, a former CIA agent, who was sentenced in 1983 to 52 years in federal prison for selling arms and explosives to Libya. Twenty years later he was quietly exonerated and it was brought to light that prosecutors and government witnesses had fabricated evidence against Wilson and lied under oath. Now, three of those men are federal judges and others prominent lawyers in Washington.
Tags: Miscarriage of justice; perjury; CIA; Justice Department
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Too Many Wrongful Convictions
Investigators in this series of stories found that Massachusetts has a bad record of wrongful criminal convictions. 22 wrongful convicted people have been released in the past 22 years: the second highest number in the country. Many more innocent men and women may remain behind bars. The Boston Police Force also rightly has the reputation of being too quick to close cases and pronounce people as guilty. In some instances the innocent were exonerated, but often only after spending time in prison. After the investigation brought attention to the problem, the county appointed a task force to help prevent too many wrongful convictions in the future. One wrongful conviction was even overturned after the WFXT investigative team found evidence to prove innocence: Sammy Toro spent 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. Also following the investigation, Massachusetts passed a bill that would compensate those who were wrongly imprisoned.
Tags: prison; crime; wrongful conviction; detective; innocent
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Legacy of Wrongful Convictions
These stories systematically examined every DNA and death penalty exoneration in the country, a total of more than 250 cases in which a crime was left unsolved by an inmates exoneration and release from prison. The series found that, in many cases, searching anew for the real culprit would have been a simple task. Often, however, that simple step was not taken by law enforcement.