| First Name | Michael |
| Last Name | Saunders |
| Year of Conviction | 1997 |
| Year of Exoneration | 2012 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Illinois |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Bench 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 | ● Description of victim’s clothing ● Victim’s injuries ● Presence of a shovel ● Location of the murder BUT DNA did not match the defendants. Did not mention that shovel was used to hit victim. Initially described victim’s jacket as red, then yellow; it was red with yellow lettering. |
| 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.” |
| Quotes from prosecution arguments | “Counsel suggests to you that [the prosecutor who took Saunders’ statement] gets the information he knows from the defendant and all the other people. All these evil people and detectives and state’s attorney… [H]e put it down just the way the defendant told it." |
| 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. Saunders, 723 N.E.2d 1168 (Ill., December 01, 1999) |