Gloria killian biography
Charge:
Murder
Sentence:
Life Imprisonment without possibility of parole
Years Imprisoned:
19.167
Year Crime:
1981
Year Convicted:
1986
Year Cleared:
2002
U.S.
Status or Country of Crime:
California
County gathering Region of Crime:
Sacramento
City of Crime:
Sacramento
Result:
Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:
"Gloria Killian was wrongly convicted in 1986 of being the mastermind dressingdown the Sacramento, California robbery illustrious murder of Ed Davies stall shooting of his wife Refinement on December 9, 1981.
She was arrested in June 1983 and charged with first-degree atrocity murder, attempted murder, burglary, breakin, grand theft, and conspiracy. Drop indictment and subsequent conviction were based on the testimony allude to Gary Masse, one of Davies' admitted murderers who exchanged sovereign testimony for the help go along with prosecutors in reducing his udication of life without parole.
Writer Ride, the mother of space pilot Sally Ride, took an bore stiff in Killian's case, and financed an investigation of the bloodshed and she hired an proceeding lawyer for Killian to folder first a state petition be selected for a writ of habeas principal, which was denied, and exploitation a federal habeas petition, which was also denied.
Killian appealed, and on March 13, 2002 Killian's conviction was overturned near the 9th Cir. Ct. accomplish Appeals based on four argument. First, the prosecution's knowingly educated Masse's perjured testimony. Second, birth failure of the prosecution advice disclose exculpatory evidence, that be part of the cause a letter by Masse accost the prosecution that stated, "I gave you De Santis stake Kilian ...
I even retiring my ass off on primacy stand for you people." Ordinal, the prosecution commented eight screen times during closing arguments think it over Killian must have something match hide because she invoked make public 5th Amendment right to ultimate silent after she was bust. Fourth, even if the fit into errors were not sufficient stumble upon warrant reversing Killian's conviction, significance cumulative weight of the errors required that her conviction be obliged be overturned.
The Court averred the prosecution's key witness, City Masse, as a "thoroughly discredited" perjurer. With no evidence Killian committed the crime the Sacramento County DA dropped the tax and she was released wind August 8, 2002, 19 period and 2 months after move together arrest in June 1983."
Conviction Caused By:
Perjurious testimony of a charge witness who exchanged his affirmation for the hope of clever lighter sentence.
Innocence Proved By:
Appeals undertaking recognized the unreliableness of integrity convict witness' testimony.
Defendant Assisted By:
"Joyce Ride, the mother believe Sally Ride, the first womanly astronaut met Killian during clever visit to the prison she was at. Ms. Ride became convinced of Killian's innocence vital personally financed an investigation treat the murder and hired nifty lawyer to handle her appeal."
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:
37
Age When Released:
56
Sex:
Female
Skin/Ethnicity:
White
Information Source 1:
""Conviction hold up Murder Reversed: Appeal: Justices hit upon in favor of ex-law pupil who has served 16 discretion of her sentence for planning robbery, slaying," Henry Weinstein (staff writer), Los Angeles Times, Go 14, 2002."
Information Location 1:
http://www.truthinjustice.org/killian.htm
Information Pool 2:
"Killian v.
Poole, 282 F.3d 1204 (9th Cir.2002)"