| First Name | Harold |
| Last Name | Richardson |
| Year of Conviction | 1997 |
| Year of Exoneration | 2012 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Illinois |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Trial |
| Type of Crime | Rape and Murder |
| Death Sentence | No |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | Black |
| Juvenile | Yes |
| Types of evidence at trial |
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| Were non-public facts alleged? | Yes |
| Type of Forensic Evidence |
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| Types of Flawed Forensics |
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| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Location of the murder ● Victim’s injuries ● Describes the shovel ● Clothing placed with body of victim in dumpster BUT DNA excluded defendants at the time of trial. Victim’s clothing not found inside sheet. |
| Quotes from law enforcement testimony | Q. Is any of that information there incorporated from what the detectives or assistant state’s attorney told you or is that what the defendant told you? A. That’s what he told me other than the words that I say after being advised, things like that, this statement is a summary of what he told me, Michael Saunders.” |
| Interrogation Recorded | Written and signed confession statement |
| Highest level reached | Appeal |
| Claims Raised During All Appeals and Postconviction |
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| Citations to judicial opinions | People v. Richardson, 724 N.E.2d 1273 (Ill., February 02, 2000) |