July 20, 2005 -- A year-long investigation by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund has uncovered evidence that the State of Missouri may have executed Larry Griffin for a crime he did not commit. Griffin maintained that he was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted until his execution on June 21, 1995.
The report by the NAACP notes that several eyewitnesses to the crime have now said that Larry Griffin was not responsible. The NAACP supplied the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s office with the names of three men it suspects committed the crime; all three of the suspects are currently in jail for other murders.

As a result of this report, prosecutor Jennifer Joyce has reopened the investigation and will conduct a comprehensive review of the case over the next few months.

New York Times columnist Bob Herbert wrote on July 14th, “If Larry Griffin were being tried today for the murder of Quintin Moss, he would almost certainly be acquitted. The evidence is overwhelming that he did not kill Mr. Moss...While significant, this development is not that much of a surprise to those who understand that human beings are fallible and that much of the criminal justice system in the United States is a crapshoot. Whether it is this case or some other, it is inevitable that we will learn of someone who has been executed for a crime that he or she did not commit.”

Read the report by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Convicted, Executed, Not Guilty
New York Times
EDITORIAL DESK | July 14, 2005, Thursday
By BOB HERBERT

NEW YORK (NY Times Op-Ed) -- If Larry Griffin were being tried today for the murder of Quintin Moss, he would almost certainly be acquitted. The evidence is overwhelming that he did not kill Mr. Moss.

But Mr. Griffin is not being tried today. He has already been executed for the murder.

While significant, this development is not that much of a surprise to those who understand that human beings are fallible and that much of the criminal justice system in the United States is a crapshoot. Whether it is this case or some other, it is inevitable that we will learn of someone who has been executed for a crime that he or she did not commit.

Judges and juries are no less prone to mistakes than politicians, reporters, doctors, engineers or center fielders. Which is why the death penalty should be abolished.

Larry Griffin's case is probably not the best one for advancing this argument, but it's the case at hand. He was not a solid citizen. While it seems clear that he did not commit the crime for which he was executed - the killing of Mr. Moss - he did plead guilty to killing someone else.

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