Miscarriage of Justice Examples. Is Jodi Arias one?

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I am not campaigning for Jodi Arias, but I am concerned about the wider ramifications of her case. There are many miscarriage of justice examples worldwide, going back over 100 years. Take Timothy Evans, in the UK, who was wrongly convicted and executed in 1950. Could Jodi Arias be added to the list.

Miscarriage of Justice: A Long List of Victims

Where there has been a miscarriage of justice, the list is long, and it is a widely held belief that many are still to be unearthed. What is of great concern is that America seems to have learnt very little from these discoveries.

The way the Jodi Arias trial was conducted showed it starkly. It is sad to see justice systems, like the adversarial system, continuing to operate with scant regard for the truth. Is it a recipe for the meltdown of civilised society.

10 Famous Cases of Miscarriages of Justice and Wrongful Executions

1. Joe Hill (1915) – An American labour activist and member of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) who was convicted of murder in Utah and executed despite serious doubts about his guilt.
2. Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1927) – Two Italian-American anarchists who were convicted of murder in Massachusetts and executed, with many historians believing they were wrongfully convicted due to their political beliefs and ethnic background.
3. We-Chank-Wash-ta-don-pee (Chaska) (1862) – A Native American of the Dakota who was executed in a mass hanging in Minnesota despite President Abraham Lincoln having commuted his death sentence days earlier.
4. Chipita Rodriguez (1863) – A woman hanged in Texas for murdering a horse trader, who was exonerated 122 years later by the Texas Legislature.
5. Thomas and Meeks Griffin (1915) – Two African American men executed in South Carolina for murder, who were pardoned 94 years later, likely having been targeted due to their race and wealth.
6. Derek Bentley (1953) – A mentally impaired 19-year-old hanged in the UK for murder, despite his accomplice actually killing the police officer. His conviction was posthumously overturned in 1998.
7. Timothy Evans (1950) – A man hanged in the UK for killing his wife and child, later found to be innocent as the real murderer was his neighbour John Christie.
8. Cameron Todd Willingham (2004) – A man executed in Texas for arson murder, despite evidence suggesting the fire was accidental and no reliable evidence of arson.
9. Troy Davis (2011) – An African American man executed in Georgia for murder despite significant doubts about his guilt, with many key witnesses recanting their testimony.
10. Carlos DeLuna (1989) – A man executed in Texas for murder, later found to be innocent as the real perpetrator was a man with a similar appearance who was never properly investigated.

Timothy Evans: Wrongful Conviction and Execution

Timothy Evans execution was the result of a miscarriage of justice and a decision that can never be reversed. The following abstract from Wikipedia explains more.

Timothy John Evans (20 November 1924 – 9 March 1950) was wrongly accused of murdering his wife and infant daughter at their residence in Notting Hill, London.

In January 1950, Evans was tried, and convicted of the murder of his daughter. He was given the death penalty and executed by hanging on 9 March of the same year. During his trial, Evans accused his downstairs neighbour, John Christie of committing the murders. Christie was the chief prosecution witness,

Three years after Evans’s execution, Christie was found to be a serial killer who had murdered several other women in the same house, including his own wife. Christie was himself sentenced to death, and while awaiting execution, he confessed to murdering Mrs. Evans.

An official inquiry concluded in 1966 that Christie had probably murdered Evans’s daughter, and Evans was granted a posthumous pardon. The High Court dismissed proceedings to officially quash Evans’s murder conviction in 2004 on the grounds of the cost and resources that would be involved, but acknowledged that Evans did not murder his wife or his daughter.

The case generated much controversy and is acknowledged as a miscarriage of justice. Along with those of Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis, the case played a major part in the abolishment of capital punishment for murder in 1965.

Wikipedia

 Herr Speights Ventures view of the Jodi Arias case

Jodi Arias was spared the death penalty after being convicted of a heinous murder. But it was touch and go.

This quote from Richard Speights about Jodi Arias says a lot about society.

“Granted, there are people who will hate Arias forever no matter what the evidence proves. Nonetheless, the public at large will eventually let go of their anger. Generally, people cannot hold such hatred toward anyone too long without causing themselves harm.

But notice the nature of those who speak against my assertions. More often than not, they attack the messenger with the rankest, vilest accusations. This is a shame.

“Come now, and let us reason together.” The love of truth is of greater value than the desire for revenge.

I have no hidden agenda for supporting Jodi Arias. I don’t know her, and chances are I will never meet her.

If she were guilty, I would be willing to bring a rope to her hanging. Nonetheless, when the system is turned on its head to convict anyone of a crime, then that affects me. Because someday that perverted system may unfairly charge and then lock me away, through unconstitutional courtroom practices.

A defendant is not guilty because we want them to be guilty. If there is doubt about her guilt, then fairness demands a thorough examination of the evidence supporting the same.

Don’t pervert the system through overzealous anger.”

Richard Speights

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Updated May 2024