Wrong Man: A True Story of Innocence on Death Row

by Michael A. Mello

The frightening in-the-trenches story of an attorney's fight to save his client from the death penalty.

In 1976, "Crazy Joe" Spaziano, a member of a widely feared motorcycle gang, was sentenced to death for the murder of Laura Lynn Harberts, whose body was found in a trash dump near Spaziano's trailer. Nine years after his conviction by a Florida jury, a set of audiotapes was discovered that revealed that police had hypnotized...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0816637830
• ISBN13: 9780816637836
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
• Length: 616 Pages
• Weight: 2.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Three Florida cases: Jerry Rogers, Roy Swafford, Peter Ventura

Jerry Layne Rogers, Sr. -- wrongfully convicted and innocent. From 1989 - 1992, I was his investigator at CCR. Mr. Rogers' case consisted in 1992 of at least 80 boxes of documents, from court files, prosecutor and law enforcement files, trial and evidentiary hearing transcripts, etc. Mr. Rogers's case was the largest and most complicated that CCR [The Office of Capital Collateral Representative -- a state agency in the judicial branch of Florida government] has ever represented that I am aware of. The second largest and most complicated was that of Mr. Gerald Stano, whose lead attorney during most of the development of his case was Mark E. Olive. In 1995, Mr. Rogers began receiving pro bono representation from the Washington, D.C. law firm Covington and Burling. The result was an unanimous Florida Supreme Court (FSC) 26 page opinion ordering a new trial in Mr. Rogers' case due primarily to prosecutorial misconduct, in particular Brady v. Maryland violations. To read the opinion, go to the FSC website, then at "Public Information", to the recent opinions, to the year 2001, then toward the bottom at February 15, 2001, one will find the FSC opinion. During the summer of 2002, Mr. Rogers was re-convicted, however sentenced to life upon the jury recommendation. Now twice Mr. Rogers has been wrongfully convicted. In 2004, the Florida 5th District Court of Appeal denied relief. The FSC declined to accept jurisdiction and thus denied the petition for review. Mr. Rogers' case is pending Federal review. For those interested in reading the narrowly decided by four to three vote Florida Supreme Court opinions regarding two more death sentenced persons whose innocence is an authentic issue, please go to the FSC website, then go to the recent opinions, then chose the correct year and scroll down to the following two cases: Roy Swafford: April 18, 2002 Peter Ventura: May 24, 2001 Additionally, the issue in the below cases is DNA testing that proves that Roy Swafford did not rape Brenda Rucker: Roy Swafford: March 26, 2004 Case Nos. SC03.931 and SC03.1153

February 18, 2004 Update on Mr. Spaziano's

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Joseph "Crazy Joe" Spaziano, who avoided Florida's electric chair six years ago when his condemnation for murder was thrown out, was denied parole Wednesday on a sentence of life plus five years for raping a 16-year-old Orlando girl and slashing her eyes in 1974. The state Parole Commission voted against changing Spaziano's April 2060 parole date on the rape conviction after a 40-minute hearing Wednesday when family members and attorneys on both sides testified in the case of the one-time member of the Outlaws motorcycle gang. Spaziano, now 58, will be eligible to seek another parole hearing in 2009.

A new light

I really enjoyed the story of Sonia and Jesse Tafero.It was made abundantly clear that Sonia is innocent, based on the sheer extent of prosecutorial misconduct.My suggestion is that anyone interested in the facts behind the cases represented in this book should do some research on each individual. I feel that Jesse Tafero (if you read the evidence presented posthumously) could not have been the shooter in that particular case. And considering that the prosecution bribed witnesses to lie, suppressed evidence, and conducted a farce of a trial in general, it makes you wonder just WHAT exactly they were trying to hide?...Great read, worth the expense!