Richy Maria Jacob
Keith Harward’s case is a phenomenal one from the diaries of the Innocence Project. The non-profit has moved forward to create history by going ahead to exonerate iconic cases from the past based on solid evidence that was often misplaced or misread by law enforcers of various degrees. Their journey in this path is traced by Netflix’s documentary series, ‘The Innocence Files.’ The nine-episode long series digs into many such cases, which gave a renewed chance at life for wrongfully convicted individuals who have spent decades in prison.
Formy Navy Official Keith Harward’s Exonerations Brought About Crucial Changes to the System
Keith Harward was sent to prison for the rape of Teresa Perron and the murder of her husband. The real culprit, who was seen by a guard as wearing a sailor’s uniform, was traced to Harward. Harward, at the time, was a sailor at Carl Vinson. The key evidence against him was the bite mark analysis that was found to be a perfect match by two expert odontologists. This led Harward to be convicted for the first-degree felony along with other charges that placed a life sentence on his head. It is important to note that though circumstantial evidence led to Harward, not once did Perron ever confirm that Harward looked like the rapist she had seen that night.
DNA tests from the crime scene led to Harward’s exoneration. By then, he had already spent 33 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. The uptake of the exoneration led to the entry of the newfound DNA into a national database, after which it found a match. This DNA identification led the case to find its real culprit who turned out to be Jerry Crotty, a sailor who was also stationed at the USS Carl Vinson. This shows how the system came really close to catching the criminal but, at the same time, zeroed in on a completely innocent man.
Jerry Crotty Died Behind Bars in 2006
Jerry Crotty died in prison in the year 2006. He was in Ohio correctional facility on an on and off basis, as reported by ‘Richmond Times-Dispatch.’ He was known to have committed felonies like rape, murder, robbery, and many other crimes. The reason for his death has not been disclosed. At the time he was in prison, he was serving a sentence for around 25 years due to the many felonies he had committed over time. The DNA evidence pointed to him as being behind the rape of Teresa Perron and the murder of her husband, yet he was never arrested, charged, tried, or convicted of it because he had already long passed.
Keith Harward Now Leads a Quiet Life as a Free Man
Keith Harward is now a free man who admittedly currently has many bucket list plans to tick off. The wrongfully convicted individual still gets emotional when he talks about the 33 years he spent in prison, but he is seemingly doing his best to move on in life. In fact, from what we can tell, he currently owns a motor home, with which he plans to travel all around the country and experience the world in a way he couldn’t during his time behind bars. We should also mention he admittedly finds comfort in doing routine chores like raking the field, so he has started devoting himself to structure and timetable too, which helps him a lot.
In a discussion with the students of Duke Law Forensics Forum, Keith has even talked about his plans for his future, which he hopes will be full of nothing but joy moving forward. He also talked about how the time he spent in prison will always be an integral part of him, so although he was once mad over being wrongfully convicted, he is now grateful for the experience. Interestingly, he also wants to go meet other exonerated individuals to know what their experience was like. Harward is also supporting bills that seek to debunk odontology as credible. He seems to have minor and major goals for his new future rooted in freedom.
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