When the system gets it wrong, we don't look away.

Richard Barge

New Jersey

A single, coerced eyewitness identification put Richard Barge away for a 2010 murder conviction in Camden County, NJ. That witness has since recanted multiple times, saying he never actually saw the shooter's face and that police coerced his identification. The jailhouse informants who testified against Barge have also recanted or contradicted themselves. New evidence points to two other named suspects, and the murder weapon was used in a separate crime committed after Barge was already incarcerated -- evidence the prosecution disclosed late and never properly investigated. New Jersey's Conviction Review Unit has reportedly recommended Mr. Barge's exoneration. The case now awaits action from the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

Convicted 2010 · 18.5 years served

Stephon Downer

New Jersey

Stephon Downer was convicted in 2002 of the March 1997 felony murder of Carlos Ruiz in Camden County, NJ. Four witnesses say he was not at the scene and have independently identified another man, Jimel Quann (known as "Rat Rat"), as the person involved in the robbery and shooting. The surviving eyewitness, Edelmiro Robles, has since said he could not confirm his identification and that detectives told him Downer was the shooter before he picked him from a photo array. A jailhouse informant has also said he can no longer recall the substance of any conversation with Downer. Downer has now spent over 20 years incarcerated.

Convicted 2002 · 26 years served

Lamar Alford

New Jersey

Lamar (Lance) Alford was convicted in a March 2007 Camden County jury trial for the May 22, 2005 shooting death of Salvador "Alex" Martinez in East Camden, New Jersey, and sentenced to life plus ten years. No physical, forensic, or weapons evidence linked him to the crime; the State's case rested entirely on eyewitness identifications obtained through single-photo showups and testimony from witnesses with undisclosed incentives. He remains incarcerated at New Jersey State Prison after more than 19 years.

Convicted 2007 · 19 Years served