How many innocents executed in the USA?

Further to the recent news that the State of Texas have almost certainly put to death an innocent man (see Cameron Todd Willingham's story), the ACLU has just published an article raising more doubts as to how many innocents sentenced to death have actually been executed.

John Holdridge and Christopher Hill write: "There have almost certainly been at least nine others,  and possibly many more given the flaws in our criminal justice system revealed by the recent explosion in DNA exoneration. These include Carlos DeLuna, Ruben Cantu, Gary Graham, Larry Griffin and, perhaps, Sedley Alley names no doubt unfamiliar to most Americans. "

The article goes to review those different cases, concluding that there may be several innocent people who have been executed, which is abhorrent and should give any capital punishment proponent serious pause.

How many innocents on death row in the USA have been executed? Nobody can say because nobody actually knows. No proper research has been conducted, thus leaving the inquisitive mind to speculate how many there could be. Certainly many more than one, judging only by individual testimonies from professionals. For example:

- In Texas, Reverend Caroll Pickett who worked as the death house Chaplain in Texas for 15 years, said: “Out of the 95 inmates that were executed, I believe 15 were innocent” (source: Victoria advocate)

- Harry Foggle, Chief Justice of VI Judicial Circuit, Florida has said: “In my own experience, I know of four persons convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death who later were found to be innocent."

- Reprieve believes that many of our clients are actually innocent and that  Edward Earl Johnson or  Jackie Elliot, who have been executed, were actually innocent. In the case of Edward Earl Johnson (defended by Clive Stafford Smith), the documentary 14 days in May shows that many people from the Mississippi's state penitentiary itself believed in his innocence.

Linda Carty, one of Reprieve's clients, could be next on the list if nothing is done to save her.

Sally Rowen said: “If Texas go ahead with her execution, Linda will die because she had a bad lawyer, and because the British Government was not given the chance to help her at a time when it could have made a difference".

Nobody knows how many innocents have been executed. One thing is for sure: the execution of an innocent person is an irrevocable event that, as Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun once wrote, comes perilously close to  murder. How many more "officially" innocent people need to be executed before the US abolishes the death penalty?