Many Times the Witness turned out to be the Criminal.

(Slightly related topic: Some murderers are caught on video, including in jail house murders.  And some criminals are against video cameras.)

Question to Google AI:

What are key examples of where the witness against someone that was later exonerated from death row by DNA evidence was a false witness that was actually the Criminal that did the crime, and was covering their own trail by getting another convicted of the crime they did?

Google AI Answer:

https://share.google/aimode/rykI9rTngU17aIWKZ

Google AI Answer:

"In cases where DNA evidence eventually exonerated someone from death row, it is relatively common for the actual perpetrator to have been identified later.

Approximately 50% (180 out of 367) of DNA exonerees had the real perpetrator identified in their cases. In many instances, the real killer was able to avoid detection for years—sometimes by being a witness or by the state relying on false informant testimony—while the innocent person remained incarcerated.

Below are key examples of death row cases where DNA eventually identified the true criminal, some of whom were connected to the original investigation or used as false witnesses.

Kirk Bloodsworth (Maryland):

Kirk Bloodsworth was the first U.S. death row prisoner to be exonerated by DNA evidence. He was convicted in 1984 for the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl based on the testimony of five witnesses who placed him near the crime scene.

The Exoneration: 

DNA testing in 1993 excluded Bloodsworth, leading to his release and a full pardon.

The Real Killer: 

In 2003, a DNA database "cold hit" identified Kimberly Shay Ruffner as the actual perpetrator.

The Connection: 

Remarkably, Ruffner had been incarcerated in the same prison as Bloodsworth, in a cell directly below his. Bloodsworth, serving as the prison librarian, had even delivered books to the man who actually committed the crime for which Bloodsworth was sentenced to die. Ruffner eventually pleaded guilty in 2004.

Ray Krone (Arizona):

Ray Krone, nicknamed the "Snaggletooth Killer" by the media, spent 10 years in prison, including two years on death row, for the 1992 murder of a bartender. 
The False Testimony: The prosecution's case relied almost entirely on a forensic dentist who claimed Krone’s teeth matched bite marks on the victim.

The Exoneration: 

DNA testing on saliva and blood recovered from the bite marks in 2002 proved Krone was innocent.

The Real Killer: 

The same DNA evidence identified Kenneth Phillips, a repeat violent sexual offender, as the actual murderer. Phillips pleaded guilty in 2006 and was sentenced to 53 years to life.

Frank Lee Smith (Florida):

Frank Lee Smith spent 14 years on death row for the 1985 rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl.

The False Witness: 

He was convicted solely on the testimony of a single witness, Chiquita Lowe. Four years after the conviction, Lowe recanted, stating she had been pressured by the prosecutor to identify Smith. She later identified Eddie Lee Mosley as the person she actually saw that night.

The Outcome: 

Despite the recantation and defense arguments that Mosley was the real killer, the state repeatedly denied DNA testing. Smith died of cancer on death row 11 months before DNA testing finally cleared him.

The Real Killer: 

Posthumous DNA testing confirmed that Eddie Lee Mosley—a man the police had failed to investigate despite his history of similar crimes in the neighborhood—was the actual perpetrator.

Ian Schweitzer (Hawaii):

While not exclusively a death row case (Hawaii does not have the death penalty), this case highlights the use of false witnesses to cover for an unknown perpetrator. Ian Schweitzer was exonerated in 2023 after 25 years in prison for a 1991 murder.

The False Testimony: 

The state built its case using false jailhouse informant testimony and misapplied forensic evidence regarding a T-shirt found at the scene.

The Real Killer: 

Advanced DNA testing in 2023 excluded Schweitzer and his co-defendants, linking the evidence instead to an "Unknown Male #1" whose DNA was found on the victim and the T-shirt.

Statistical Context of Wrongful Convictions
Perjury and False Accusations: 

Two-thirds (67.6%) of death row exoneration cases involve false accusations or perjury.

Informant Involvement: 

Approximately 17% of DNA exonerations involve the use of informants, who often provide false testimony to divert suspicion or gain personal benefits.

Actual Perpetrators: 

In 165 DNA exoneration cases where the actual assailant was identified, those perpetrators went on to commit 154 additional violent crimes, including 36 murders, while the innocent individual was in prison."

Question to Google AI: What are key examples of where the witness against someone that was later exonerated from death row by DNA evidence was a false witness that was actually the Criminal that did the crime, and was covering their own trail by getting another convicted of the crime they did?