Exonerated
Taron Hill
Spotlight case — not a Xonorate client
16 years, 7 months
Lost
New Jersey
Camden County
Two counts of murder and related weapons offenses
Conviction
Case intelligence
The facts, the evidence, the open questions.
The facts, evidence, developments, and unanswered questions surrounding this case.
The story
Taron Hill was convicted in 2006 of the September 25, 2004 shooting deaths of Robin Battie and Tinesha Lewis in Camden, New Jersey, and sentenced to 60 years without parole. The case against him rested on a single-photo eyewitness identification and two jailhouse informants who later recanted — no forensic evidence ever tied him to the crime, and the murder weapon was never found. New Jersey's Conviction Review Unit, in its first-ever exoneration, found clear and convincing evidence he should not have been convicted. His conviction was vacated July 9, 2021, after more than 16 years in prison.
What we know
Two counts of murder and related weapons offenses
Conviction, 2006
60 years without possibility of parole
Sentence
New Jersey
State
Camden
County
Black
Race / ethnicity
Male
Sex
18
Age at time of crime
No
DNA evidence involved
What raises questions
A single eyewitness identified Hill through a procedure using only one photo. Two jailhouse informants corroborated that identification at trial — both later recanted. No physical or forensic evidence connected Hill to the crime, and the murder weapon was never recovered.
The cost
Impact on family
Taron Hill was 18 years old and working at a McDonald's fast food restaurant when he was arrested. His only child was one month old at the time, meaning the earliest weeks of his child's life were also the last he spent with them before his wrongful conviction separated them. Wrongful convictions damage far more than the individual falsely accused; they fracture families, and some are never able to rebuild.
Case timeline
2006
Conviction
Two counts of murder and related weapons offenses
2021
Exoneration
New Jersey's Attorney General's Office Conviction Review Unit reviewed the case and found clear and convincing evidence Hill should not have been convicted, citing the flawed single-photo identification and the informants' recantations. Camden County Superior Court Judge Edward J. McBride Jr. vacated the conviction on July 9, 2021 — the Conviction Review Unit's first exoneration. Attorney Justin Bonus represented Hill.
Where it stands
Exonerated
New Jersey's Attorney General's Office Conviction Review Unit reviewed the case and found clear and convincing evidence Hill should not have been convicted, citing the flawed single-photo identification and the informants' recantations. Camden County Superior Court Judge Edward J. McBride Jr. vacated the conviction on July 9, 2021 — the Conviction Review Unit's first exoneration. Attorney Justin Bonus represented Hill.
Public attention
The story is reaching people.
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