Experts Make A Difference
Help free an innocent man today by texting EXPERT to 41444 or by clicking here.
The new Netflix documentary series, The Confession Tapes, highlights the problem of false convictions in our criminal justice system. The problem is more common than most people think. More than 1 out of 4 people who were wrongfully convicted, but later exonerated by DNA evidence, made a false confession or incriminating statement.
Even with DNA cases, combating false confessions is an uphill battle. So the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project often relies on expert testimony. Most of our clients have exhausted all legal remedies before they get to us, which makes proving their innocence even more daunting.
Michael Ledford is nearly 18 years into a 50-year sentence for a crime he did not commit.
Michael’s confession – to setting a fire that killed his son – is a textbook example of a coerced false confession. An intellectual disability made Michael susceptible to deceptive interrogation tactics that eventually coerced his false confession. The coerced confession led police to change their theory of where the fire started, despite a lack of scientific support, which led to Michael’s conviction.
For us to demonstrate the flawed logic by which Michael was convicted, we hired two renowned fire investigators to recreate the conditions and scene of the fire. Each test scenario was designed meticulously to replicate the furniture location and material composition at the Ledford’s residence on the day of the fire. Accurately determining a fire’s origin is central for identifying its cause – a key to proving Michael’s innocence.
Building a case upon a crucial but flawed piece of evidence, the prosecution’s entire case against Michael hinged on the source of the fire. In our experts’ recreation of the scene, they determined, after multiple tests, that the fire originated from a location wholly inconsistent with that of the prosecution and Michael’s coerced confession. Given what we know about the timeline of events, it was impossible for Michael to have started the fire.
One of the most effective tools for us when trying to prove a client’s innocence is the use of experts, as in Michael’s case. It is also one of the most costly. Experts often cost upwards of $5,000 for their work on a single case.
For any contribution you can make today toward the cost of an expert in our next case, a generous donor has offered to match your gift up to $2,500, effectively doubling your gift’s impact! More importantly, you will be responsible for helping to free an innocent man.
Help free an innocent man today by texting EXPERT to 41444 or by clicking here.