On April 8, 2002, Ray Krone walked out of the Arizona State Prison in Yuma after spending 10 years behind bars, nearly three of them on death row, for a crime he did not commit. Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said at a press conference on the day of Krone’s release that an injustice was done and that Krone deserved an apology.
Krone is the 100th person in two dozen states found to be wrongly convicted and sentenced to die. “I can’t be (the) only one,” Krone told an Arizona Republic reporter yesterday. “People need to address this issue.”
A common “mistake”?
Ray Krone was twice convicted for the sexual assault and murder of Kim Ancona in a Phoenix lounge in 1991. The evidence that detectives relied on was largely circumstantial. Recent DNA testing proved that Krone was innocent and that another man committed the crime.
Just how common are such mistakes? We may never know with certainty how many other innocent people are on death row or have already been executed because some piece of evidence wasn’t tested, was covered up, or was simply ignored by an incompetent defense lawyer.
As DNA becomes more accessible and advanced, old cases like Ray Krone’s will continue to turn up wrongful convictions. However, most cases have no biological evidence to test. Only 12 of the 100 death row exonerations involved DNA. While DNA is a strong indicator that the system is riddled with problems, DNA testing alone cannot solve those problems.
Taking Action
Hours after Ray Krone walked out of prison, the Town Council of Norlina, NC voted unanimously to become the 70th local government nationwide to call for a moratorium. Nationwide, groups are speaking out about the exoneration of 100 wrongly convicted death row inmates.
Press conferences, letter writing campaigns, and other public events marked this shameful milestone in New Jersey, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and elsewhere. State and national groups, including Equal Justice USA, have called upon citizens to ask, Isn’t 100 innocent people being sentenced to death enough?
