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Kansas Voices

Lawrence Journal-World publishes in-depth account of Kansas felony exoneree

  Kansas is not immune to the problems that other states face within the justice system. The first Kansan exonerated through DNA evidence after serving time in a Kansas prison granted an exclusive look into the challenges he has faced since being punished for a crime for which he was innocent.   Of the more than 270 people in the United States exonerated by DNA … [Read more...] about Lawrence Journal-World publishes in-depth account of Kansas felony exoneree

The Darryl Hunt Project Reaches Lawrence

On Tuesday over 80 people, students and community members alike, gathered at the Ecumenical Campus Ministries at the University of Kansas to hear the heart wrenching story of Darryl Hunt, who was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1984. During the event,  a documentary, “The Trials of Darryl Hunt,” was shown, explaining the series of legal errors and neglect which led to … [Read more...] about The Darryl Hunt Project Reaches Lawrence

Voices of Innocence

Innocent Lives in the Balance In a death penalty system, there is always a real and unacceptable risk of executing an innocent person. Since 1973, 152 people nationwide have been exonerated from death row because new evidence came to light after they were sentenced to die for crimes they did not commit. Even with the best intentions, police officers, lab technicians, … [Read more...] about Voices of Innocence

Voices of Innocence: Eddie Lowery

Eddie Lowery: A Kansas Wrongful Conviction In the early morning hours of July 26, 1981, an Ogden, Kansas woman was brutally raped in her home.  Nearby that same night, Eddie Lowery, a 22 year-old soldier stationed at Fort Riley, was involved in a car accident. Because of his accident’s proximity to the location of the rape, Lowery was questioned by police about the … [Read more...] about Voices of Innocence: Eddie Lowery

Voices of Innocence: Juan Melendez

A Death Row Exoneration. Juan Melendez spent nearly 18 years on Florida’s death row for a crime he did not commit.  Convicted of the brutal murder of Delbert Baker in 1984, Melendez was eventually exonerated in 2002. But how does an innocent man get convicted of murder? Barely able to understand English at the time of his arrest, Melendez unknowingly waived his … [Read more...] about Voices of Innocence: Juan Melendez

Voices of Innocence: Ruben Cantu

An Execution and a Prosecutor’s Regret       Ruben Cantu was 17 years old at the time Pedro Gomez was murdered and Juan Moreno was wounded.  On November 8, 1984, both Gomez and Moreno were shot, but Moreno survived the attack with serious injuries.  Moreno, who was not a legal citizen of the United States at the time, was pressured into … [Read more...] about Voices of Innocence: Ruben Cantu

Voices of Innocence: Beatrice Six

Plea Deals Risking Innocent Lives Less than 30 miles north of the Kansas border, a 68 year-old woman named Helen Wilson was raped and murdered during the winter of 1985.  The heinous crime rocked the small town of Beatrice, Nebraska, and put into motion a series of events that would put not one, but six innocent people behind bars. The FBI’s initial investigation, which … [Read more...] about Voices of Innocence: Beatrice Six