On May 19th, 1975, in front of a store in Cleveland, OH, two assailants robbed a man, splashed acid in his face, shot and killed him, and then fired into the store injuring the co-owner. 12 year-old Eddie Vernon was riding a bus near the scene and later bragged that he had seen Rickey Jackson, as well as Ronnie and Wiley Bridgeman commit the crime. However, according to all the other occupants of the bus, they were too far away to even see the crime. But police ignored other more compelling leads and focused on Eddie’s story. When he tried to back away from the fib, they threatened to take his parents to prison if he didn’t stick to the story. Eddie’s false testimony at trial helped send all three young men to death row.
To learn more and get involved, visit:
https://lavaforgood.com/false-confessions/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14135822/
https://law.uc.edu/real-world-learning/centers/ohio-innocence-project-at-cincinnati-law.html
Wrongful Conviction is a production of Lava for Good™ Podcasts in association with Signal Co. No1.
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