Wrongful Convictions | 60 Minutes Full Episodes

The Wrongful Conviction of Glenn Ford

• Glenn Ford spent nearly 30 years on death row in solitary confinement at Angola prison in Louisiana before new evidence proved his innocence 0s.
• Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976, 149 inmates have been exonerated from death row 15s.
• Former prosecutor Marty Stroud admits to his role in the wrongful conviction of Glenn Ford, describing his actions as a significant injustice that negatively impacted both their lives 25s.

Prosecutorial Misconduct in the Ford Case

• In 1983, Marty Stroud was assigned his first death penalty case involving the robbery and murder of a local jeweler named Isidor Roseman 55s.
• Glenn Ford became the primary suspect because he had performed yard work for Isidor Roseman and admitted to pawning some of the stolen jewelry 1m5s.
• Marty Stroud acknowledges that he was motivated by arrogance and a desire to win, leading him to ignore potential evidence regarding other individuals' involvement in the crime 1m15s.
• Glenn Ford was represented by court-appointed lawyers who lacked experience in criminal law, as one practiced general civil law and the other specialized in wills and estates 1m45s.
• Marty Stroud admits that he found the lack of experience in the defense team amusing at the time and expected a quick trial 2m0s.
• The prosecution lacked physical evidence linking Glenn Ford to the murder, and the primary witness against him testified in court that police had coerced her into providing false testimony 2m15s.
• Marty Stroud intentionally excluded African Americans from the jury because he believed they would be reluctant to impose the death penalty on a black defendant in a case involving a white victim 2m30s.
• In Caddo Parish, Louisiana, 77% of individuals sentenced to death over the past 40 years have been black, despite the area being predominantly white 2m50s.
• The jury convicted Glenn Ford in less than three hours, after which Marty Stroud and his legal team celebrated the verdict 3m5s.

Imprisonment and Exoneration of Glenn Ford

• Following his conviction, Glenn Ford was held in solitary confinement at Angola, a maximum-security prison where death row inmates were confined to 5-by-7-foot cells with only one hour of time outside per day 3m30s.
• While Glenn Ford served one of the longest terms on death row, Marty Stroud continued to pursue a successful legal career 4m0s.
• The case against Glenn Ford changed when Jake Robinson, an initial suspect who is currently imprisoned for a different murder, confessed to a police informant that he had killed the jeweler Isidor Roseman three decades earlier 0s.
• A court review of this new information determined there was credible evidence that Glenn Ford was neither present at nor a participant in the robbery and murder of Isidor Roseman 13s.
• Marty Stroud, who was involved in the original case, expressed physical nausea and horror upon learning of Ford's innocence and realizing he had caused Ford significant pain 20s.
• Glenn Ford was exonerated and released from Angola prison last year after spending 30 years on death row 42s.
• Ford described his release as feeling like stepping into a brand new world and breathing fresh air for the first time 53s.
• Shortly after his release, Ford was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and was told by doctors that he had only a few months to live 1m5s.
• During his time on death row, Ford came within one week of an execution date because a retiring judge wanted to set a date for his death 1m25s.

Controversies Surrounding Caddo Parish Prosecution

• Dale Cox, the acting district attorney of Caddo Parish, was responsible for Ford's release after receiving the informant's information 1m40s.
• Dale Cox maintains that the justice system did not fail in Ford's case because Ford is no longer on death row, and he argues that no one involved in the original prosecution did anything wrong 1m48s.
• Between 2010 and 2014, the Caddo Parish office under Dale Cox put more people on death row per capita than any other location in the United States 2m25s.
• Dale Cox stated that he is reasonably confident in his past decisions but acknowledged that it would be arrogant to claim he could not make a mistake 2m45s.
• When asked if the potential for executing an innocent person is a risk society must take, Dale Cox responded affirmatively 3m5s.

State Denial of Compensation to Glenn Ford

• Under Louisiana law, Glenn Ford is entitled to $330,000 in compensation, amounting to $11,000 for each year of his wrongful imprisonment 3m25s.
• The state of Louisiana is denying Ford this compensation, citing the original trial prosecutors' claim that Ford knew about the robbery of the jewelry shop but failed to report it 3m35s.
• Although Ford was never charged with the crime of failing to report the robbery, the state argues that the statute requires Ford to prove he did not commit other crimes to receive compensation 3m55s.
• To receive financial compensation from the state of Louisiana, a wrongfully convicted person must prove their innocence regarding other uncharged and untried crimes 0s.

The Final Days and Legacy of Glenn Ford

• Upon his release from Angola prison after 30 years on death row in solitary confinement, Glenn Ford was provided with a $20 gift card 35s.
• Glenn Ford stated that the $20 gift card covered only one meal, leaving him with approximately $4 after three decades of incarceration 42s.
• A representative for the state argued that the state's obligation ended once Glenn Ford was released from jail and maintained that the state is in the "legal business" rather than the "compassion business" 1m5s.
• The state representative acknowledged that while the situation involving Glenn Ford may be perceived as unfair, it was neither illegal nor immoral under the law 1m35s.
• Marty Stroud, who was involved in the prosecution of Glenn Ford, sought to apologize to him for the 30 years of life that were taken away 1m55s.
• Glenn Ford expressed that he had not yet forgiven Marty Stroud, noting that the conviction affected not only his own life but also the lives of his entire family 2m10s.
• Marty Stroud described the experience as having left a permanent sense of coldness and disgust, stating that he felt he did not deserve forgiveness for his role in the case 2m30s.
• Three weeks after being interviewed, Glenn Ford died penniless, with his final months supported by charity and his funeral costs covered by donations 2m55s.
• The state representative maintained that there was no evidence of illegal or improper conduct in the handling of the Glenn Ford case 3m15s.
• In his will, Glenn Ford directed that any potential state compensation be distributed to his 10 grandchildren 3m30s.
• Marty Stroud requested that the Louisiana Bar Association discipline him for his role in the wrongful conviction, describing his actions as being the "engineer" of a "train to injustice" 3m40s.

The Hasty Mart Murder Investigation

• Harry Granger and David Alexander have spent 22 years in prison following their convictions for the robbery and murder of Lewis Gladu at a convenience store in New Iberia, Louisiana, in 1976. 0s
• At the time of the incident, Harry Granger worked in construction and David Alexander was a taxi driver. 35s
• Steve Wooding, who currently leads the Baton Rouge Police Department's armed robbery division, was an inexperienced sheriff's deputy working on his first murder case when the crime occurred. 52s
• The sheriff's department initially lacked significant evidence or primary suspects in the murder investigation. 1m2s
• Mary Arseno, a convicted criminal on parole with pending charges, approached the police six days after the murder claiming she participated in the crime and could identify the perpetrators. 1m15s
• Mary Arseno claimed she could lead police to guns buried at Cypress Island, but the weapons were not found there, and she later admitted to fabricating that part of her story. 1m35s
• Mary Arseno alleged that the group involved in the crime included herself, Harry Granger, David Alexander, and several others, some of whom did not know each other. 1m52s
• Herbert Derowan, one of the men identified by Mary Arseno, was interrogated for hours by Captain Ko in a manner described as highly suggestive, leading him to parrot information provided by the interrogator. 2m10s
• Although Herbert Derowan eventually confessed and became a key prosecution witness, Steve Wooding expressed strong concerns about the validity of the confession at the time, which he claims were not taken seriously. 2m35s
• The prosecution's theory was that seven individuals arrived in two cars to rob the Hasty Mart, with Mary Arseno waiting in one vehicle while six men committed the robbery and murder. 2m55s

Conflicting Evidence and Convictions in the Hasty Mart Case

• Malcolm Roy, who is currently serving time for burglary and cocaine possession, stated that Harry Granger and David Alexander were not involved in the crime. 3m12s
• Malcolm Roy confessed to driving the car to the Hasty Mart and stated that two of his friends went inside, returned covered in blood, and admitted to killing Lewis Gladu. 3m35s
• Malcolm Roy was implicated by a friend who had already confessed and led police to the murder weapon, which ballistics tests confirmed was used to kill Lewis Gladu. 4m5s
• The sheriff's department rejected the confessions of Malcolm Roy and his associate, maintaining that they had evidence suggesting those individuals were lying. 4m15s
• Two individuals who initially confessed to an armed robbery and murder later recanted their statements, claiming they had been offered bribes to lie 0s.
• Despite one individual confessing again during the trial of David Alexander and Harry Granger, the jury disregarded this testimony and instead relied on the testimony of Mary Arseno and Herbert Derowan, who were granted immunity 25s.
• Following a two-day trial, Alexander and Granger were convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 99 years in prison 42s.
• Ronald Miller and John Nelson Collins, the remaining two defendants, opted to plead guilty to receive lesser sentences because they believed they had no chance of acquittal 52s.
• Miller and Collins each served 20 months in jail and have maintained their innocence since their release 1m5s.
• Miller and Collins stated they did not know Mary Arseno prior to the trial 1m35s.

Questionable Testimony and Legal Defense

• During the trial, Arseno initially appeared uncertain when identifying the defendants, but her demeanor changed after being approached by police captain Horus Como 1m45s.
• Woodring, who had early doubts about the case and Arseno's credibility, confirmed his suspicions nine years after the trial when Arseno falsely identified a man as the perpetrator in a different series of robberies 2m10s.
• Woodring expressed absolute certainty that Alexander, Granger, Miller, and Collins were wrongfully convicted and suggested that the sheriff's department deliberately built a case against them due to pressure and a desire to avoid embarrassment 2m45s.
• Bernard Budro, the current district attorney of Iberia Parish, maintains that the original convictions were proper and that the correct men are in prison 3m25s.
• Budro justifies his position by citing the lack of credible alibis for the defendants, failed lie detector tests, the identification of Alexander's car at the crime scene, and the perceived credibility of the testimony provided by Derowan and Arseno 3m45s.

Ongoing Efforts to Exonerate Granger and Alexander

• Mary Arseno, who resides in Baton Rouge, previously identified Harry Granger and David Alexander as the individuals responsible for the Hasty Mart robbery and murder 0s.
• Mary Arseno currently asserts that Harry Granger and David Alexander are innocent and did not commit the robbery or kill the victims 12s.
• Mary Arseno admits to receiving money from the sheriff's department in exchange for providing information regarding the case 32s.
• Criminal charges previously filed against Mary Arseno in St. Martin Parish were dismissed 42s.
• Harry Granger and David Alexander have been incarcerated for 22 years 1m5s.
• Jim McCloskey, the executive director of Centurion Ministries, leads an organization that investigates claims of wrongful imprisonment 1m12s.
• Centurion Ministries has spent two years investigating the Hasty Mart murder with the objective of securing a new trial for Harry Granger and David Alexander 1m32s.
• Previous appeals for the case have been denied by various state and federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court 1m40s.
• Jim McCloskey characterizes the conviction of Harry Granger and David Alexander as a significant miscarriage of justice and maintains that they are innocent 1m52s.
• The possibility that racial bias within the law enforcement community influenced the case is raised, noting that the defendants were young Black men 2m12s.

Healing Justice for Victims and Exonerees

• Jennifer Thompson, a rape victim who previously identified an innocent man who was subsequently convicted, has worked to address the impact of wrongful convictions 2m45s.
• Jennifer Thompson initiated a project called "healing justice," which brings together crime victims and individuals who were wrongfully convicted 3m15s.
• Jennifer Thompson facilitates a multi-day retreat for individuals impacted by wrongful convictions, including both survivors of sexual assault and men who were wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they did not commit 0s.
• During a therapeutic exercise, participants work to repair smashed bowls, symbolizing the process of healing while sitting alongside individuals who were on opposite sides of the same wrongful conviction cases 15s.
• The group includes survivors of sexual assault, men exonerated of rape and murder, and family members of murder victims, all of whom were affected by cases where the wrong person was incarcerated 35s.
• Wrongful convictions are described as "bombs" rather than single bullets, as the harm extends beyond the wrongfully convicted individual to include their families, the original victims, and the community, which remains at risk when the actual perpetrator is not apprehended 55s.
• It is estimated that hundreds of people are negatively impacted by every single wrongful conviction case 1m15s.

The Psychological Impact of Wrongful Identification

• In 1984, Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint in her apartment and subsequently identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker through police lineups and court testimony 1m20s.
• After Ronald Cotton served 11 years in prison, DNA evidence proved his innocence and identified the actual perpetrator, whose photo had not been included in the original police lineup 1m45s.
• Following the exoneration of Ronald Cotton, Jennifer Thompson experienced significant guilt and shame, which eventually led her to advocate for reforms in police and prosecutorial procedures to prevent future wrongful convictions 2m0s.
• While the release of a wrongfully convicted person is a moment of celebration for them and their families, Jennifer Thompson notes that this event often creates a "nightmare on top of a nightmare" for the original crime victims 2m45s.
• Victims such as Tamishia Carrington Artist, Penny Bernson, and Loretta Zillinger White, who were all sexually assaulted, share the experience of having identified a suspect provided by police, only to later learn that the men they identified were innocent 3m15s.
• These victims often struggle with the long-term psychological impact of their assaults and the additional trauma of realizing their identification led to the imprisonment of an innocent person 3m45s.
• Crime victims who identify the wrong person in a lineup often face intense public backlash, including accusations that they intentionally sent an innocent person to prison 0s.
• Memory experts, such as Professor Gary Wells, have demonstrated that when an actual perpetrator is absent from a lineup, witnesses frequently select an innocent person, which can cause that person to replace the true offender in the witness's memory 35s.
• In cases involving Jennifer, Tamisha, and Penny, DNA evidence later revealed that the actual perpetrators were never included in the original police lineups 1m15s.
• Victims of wrongful identification often feel that the justice system avoids accountability by shifting the blame onto the victim, creating a narrative that the victim lied or acted with malice 1m35s.
• The failure of the justice system in these cases negatively impacts the victim, the victim's family, the wrongfully convicted person, and the family of the wrongfully convicted person 2m15s.

Trauma and Challenges Following Exoneration

• Andrea Harrison and her father, Dwayne Jones, experienced significant trauma when Larry Peterson, who had been convicted of the 1987 rape and murder of Andrea's mother, Jacqueline, was exonerated by DNA evidence after serving over 17 years in prison 2m35s.
• Families of murder victims often feel that their loved ones become an afterthought following an exoneration, as public and media attention focuses primarily on the wrongfully convicted individual rather than the original crime 3m25s.
• Exonerated individuals, such as Raymond Tower, who spent 29 years in prison, face a difficult, years-long struggle to rebuild their lives and cope with the lingering stigma of being accused of heinous crimes 3m55s.
• Wrongful convictions often involve significant systemic failures, such as abusive interrogations leading to false confessions in the case of Chris Ooa, or the withholding of exculpatory evidence by prosecutors in the case of Howard Dudley, who served over 23 years for a crime he did not commit 25s.
• Individuals who are exonerated frequently face daunting challenges upon release, including difficulty adjusting to life outside of prison, feelings of isolation, and a profound loss of trust 5s.

Therapeutic Retreats for Healing

• Jennifer Thompson, a victim survivor, founded the nonprofit organization Healing Justice in 2015 to support those harmed by wrongful convictions, including exonerees, crime victims, and their family members 1m35s.
• Healing Justice hosts retreats where exonerees, crime victims, and family members from various cases gather to share their experiences, rebuild trust, and engage in emotional recovery 1m5s.
• The organization utilizes programs designed in collaboration with psychologists and trauma recovery experts to facilitate healing, including group exercises that address the lasting wounds caused by the justice system 1m45s.
• Retreat activities include symbolic exercises, such as repairing broken bowls and painting "broken places" with gold, based on the Japanese concept of kintsugi, which emphasizes that individuals remain strong and valuable despite their trauma 2m15s.
• During group sessions, participants use a rock to signify who has the floor, allowing them to discuss personal losses, such as the loss of self-belief or the trauma of witnessing violence and death while incarcerated 2m45s.
• The retreat provides a space for crime victims to hear about the experiences of exonerees, and for exonerees to understand the perspectives of victims, which is described as a powerful and effective healing process 1m15s.
• Beyond retreats, Healing Justice advises prosecutors and law enforcement agencies across the country on how to interact more effectively and empathetically with crime victims during exoneration cases 1m38s.
• On the second day of the retreat, participants engage in exercises to address the internalization of harsh labels, such as being called a "liar" or a "rapist," that were directed at them during their legal ordeals 3m25s.

Processing Guilt and Self-Compassion

• Participants in a group setting were asked to write letters to themselves from the perspective of their "critical mind," articulating the negative internal loops they experience 0s.
• Individuals read these critical letters aloud to the group, expressing harsh self-judgments such as feelings of failure, worthlessness, and anger 15s.
• Loretta, a victim of a sexual assault, faces a difficult psychological situation because DNA evidence exonerated the man she identified as her assailant, yet she remains unable to remove his face from her memory 42s.
• Loretta experiences guilt and confusion, feeling as though she did something wrong despite the DNA evidence clearing the man she previously identified 1m5s.
• Andrea Harrison, whose mother’s killer remains unidentified, shares the struggle of having believed for years that a specific person was responsible, only to find that the justice system failed both her family and the exonerated individual 1m25s.
• The discussion highlights that exonerated individuals and victims are often pitted against each other, even though both are victims of the actual perpetrator who remains free 1m45s.
• When an innocent person is imprisoned, the guilty party remains at large, which can lead to further crimes; one participant noted that the person who committed their assault went on to commit six additional first-degree rapes before being caught 2m0s.
• Participants were subsequently asked to write a second letter to themselves from a place of self-compassion, using the same tone they would use for someone they love 2m15s.
• Upon reading these compassionate letters aloud, participants displayed positive emotional shifts, including smiling and expressing self-affirmation 2m25s.
• The exercise revealed that many participants found it more difficult to write the compassionate letter than the critical one, noting that they do not say positive things to themselves often enough 2m55s.

Building Connections and Moving Forward

• Following two days of emotional work, the group participated in improv games, acting like animals and engaging in laughter and play 3m15s.
• Participants at a retreat engage in playful activities designed to create a safe environment where individuals feel comfortable expressing themselves and connecting with others 0s.
• During an art project, attendees engage in impromptu conversations that allow them to process the trauma of being accused of heinous crimes 15s.
• Exonerees and crime victims discuss the emotional burden of their experiences, with exonerees expressing the pain of being wrongly accused and victims questioning their own feelings of guilt 30s.
• By the third and final day of the retreat, participants report feeling lighter, more courageous, and nurtured, noting that sharing painful experiences helps others in the group 55s.
• The retreat provides a space for exonerees and crime victims to remove their social masks and engage in honest dialogue about their respective perspectives 1m20s.
• One participant notes that before the retreat, they had never viewed the situation from the perspective of the other side, having previously harbored fear and uncertainty about how they would be received 1m35s.
• A participant who held onto guilt for 30 years finds relief after speaking with an exoneree named Raymond, confirming that the interaction helped them release that burden 2m0s.
• Participants emphasize that the relationships built between those who have been harmed and those who have been wrongly convicted are central to their ongoing healing process 2m25s.
• The facilitator, Jennifer, explains that while she helps others heal, the participants are simultaneously helping her on her own journey 2m45s.
• Following the initial report, three exonerees—Howard Dudley, Chris Ooa, and Raymond Tower—have gotten married 3m5s.