Instructions for Using the Registry

The table below shows all individual exonerations. By default, the table is set to show exonerations from 1989 through the present. Check "Pre-1989" in the Exoneration Era filter to view Pre-1989 exonerations. Use the filters on the left to search for exonerations with particular criteria. Hover over the symbols for explanations of filters or columns. Use the Keyword Search box to filter for cases that contain those keywords in the narrative summary.

If multiple keywords are entered, the search will show cases in which the narrative contains ALL of those words. So adding more search terms will narrow the search. Terms with fewer than three characters (e.g., "IQ") are ignored in searches. Searches can be further narrowed by using "quotation marks" to search for exact phrases. Keywords both inside and outside quotation marks can be combined. And, truncated words can be entered: the term "discrim" will return all variants on that root. No "wildcards," such as "*" are necessary for truncation.

Since the table is filtered to 1989 through the present by default, a search for the name of someone who was exonerated before 1989 will not produce results until the Date of Exoneration is adjusted, or the Pre-1989 filter is selected.

Once filters have been set, select the column headings you wish to display, and sort the table by whatever column heading you choose by clicking on the column heading. For more detailed instructions, see Understanding the Registry, under "About" at the top right of the Home Page.

Note: 1989 was the year of the first DNA exoneration and the dawn of a new era of wrongful convictions. The Registry used to separate the two - pre and post 1989 exonerations - into two separate and distinct databases. They are now synthesized to reflect the entire body of exoneration data. If you wish to view exonerations prior to 1989, check "Pre-1989" in the Exoneration Era filter.

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Total records: 21
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Name State County Convicted Exonerated Crime Sentence Years lost Age Race Sex Date of Release Posting Date
Abbott, Stearns Kendall Massachusetts Middlesex 1880 1911 Murder Death 30.5 40 White Male 1911 03-13-2018
Andrews, Herbert Massachusetts Suffolk 1914 1914 Forgery 1.17 years 0.3 White Male 1914 03-13-2018
Cero, Gangi Massachusetts Suffolk 1927 1930 Murder Death 2.9 21 White Male 1930 03-13-2018
Chance, John H. Massachusetts Suffolk 1899 1911 Murder Life 11.7 31 Don't Know Male 1911 03-13-2018
Collins, Benjamin Massachusetts Middlesex 1928 1928 Robbery 2.5 to 3.5 years 0 48 Don't Know Male 1928 03-13-2018
Connor, Myles Jr. Massachusetts Norfolk 1981 1985 Murder Life 3.6 32 White Male 1985 03-13-2018
Dudley, Herbert S. Massachusetts Suffolk 1911 1912 Burglary 4 to 6 years 1.2 White Male 1912 03-13-2018
Ellison, Ella Mae Massachusetts Suffolk 1974 1978 Murder Life 3.7 27 Black Female 1978 03-13-2018
Fields, John W. Massachusetts Essex 1892 1892 Burglary 2.5 years 0.6 19 Don't Know Male 1892 01-18-2019
Fitzgerald, John Massachusetts Suffolk 1904 1904 Sexual Assault 3 to 5 years 0.5 22 White Male 1904 03-13-2018
Grace, Frank "Parky" Massachusetts Bristol 1974 1988 Murder Life 11.0 29 Black Male 1985 03-13-2018
Johnson, Lawyer Massachusetts Suffolk 1972 1982 Murder Death 10.4 20 Black Male 1982 03-13-2018
Leaster, Bobby Joe Massachusetts Suffolk 1971 1986 Murder Life 15.5 21 Black Male 1986 03-13-2018
Loftus, John Massachusetts Berkshire 1886 1888 Robbery 5 years 1.9 19 White Male 1888 03-13-2018
McManus, John Massachusetts Suffolk 1911 1912 Robbery 3 years 1.0 Don't Know Male 1912 03-13-2018
Reissfelder, George Massachusetts Suffolk 1967 1982 Murder Life 9.9 26 White Male 1977 03-13-2018
Rodriguez, Santos Massachusetts Hampden 1954 1957 Murder Life 2.3 26 Hispanic Male 1957 03-13-2018
Taylor, Harold Massachusetts Suffolk 1927 1927 Robbery 4 to 7 years 0.1 Don't Know Male 1927 03-13-2018
Usher, Cornelius Massachusetts Essex 1902 1904 Burglary 3 to 5 years 2.0 Don't Know Male 1904 03-13-2018
Wainwright, George Massachusetts Suffolk 1905 1911 Child Abuse 10 to 15 years 5.7 Don't Know Male 1911 10-06-2025
Ward, Joseph Massachusetts Suffolk 1895 1896 Theft 5 years 0.8 20 Don't Know Male 1896 03-13-2018