Paul House, an individual convicted and sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of Carolyn Muncey has now been cleared of the charges against him. House’s incarceration and appeals took an exceedingly long and circuitous route (he was convicted in 1986), and it wasn’t until 2006 that the Supreme Court finally heard and considered new evidence challenging House’s conviction.

The 2006 Supreme Court case was noteable, because House managed to establish the very difficult “actual innocence” exception in a federal appeal. House was forced to meet this standard because procedural rules would otherwise have blocked his appeal entirely. As a result, it was not enough for House to simply argue that prosecutors made a mistake during his trial. He actually had to show that if had the jury heard the evidence he was offering, “it is more likely than not that no reasonable juror would have found petitioner guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” House was able to prevail and get his appeal heard, but ended up facing even more delays.

The District Attorney in the matter apparently still suggests that House “House could have been convicted again in a new trial”, but apparently was willing to concede that the “substantial sentence” would have to suffice. House, who now has multiple sclerosis and is wheelchair-bound, faces significant challenges in his post-death row life. Although he could conceivably pursue legal relief against the state in a civil suit, such cases are challenging and can drag on for years even if eventually successful.

“…being more candid than usual for an appeals court judge, [Merritt] said there appeared to be “pure stubbornness and vindictiveness on the part of the state” in wanting to continue to prosecute House when the Supreme Court has said that no reasonable person would convict him on the evidence that was presented at trial.

  • CNN: Man who spent 22 years on death row is cleared
  • Supreme Court’s 2006 Opinion in the Case (FindLaw)
  • Tennessean: Paul House’s defense lawyer wants appeals court to stop new trial
  • Tennessee Capital Punishment Laws (FindLaw)
  • News and Observer: Gell files suit over prosecution (deathpenaltyinfo.org)
  • Finding a Job After a Criminal Conviction (provided by Barnett & Falls)
  • Mercury News: Apology, money for wrongful prosecution (truthinjustice.org)
  • Criminal Law Center (FindLaw)

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