| First Name | Verneal |
| Last Name | Jimerson |
| Year of Conviction | 1985 |
| Year of Exoneration | 1996 |
| Testing inculpated culprit | Non-Cold Hit |
| State of Conviction | Illinois |
| Trial, Bench Trial, or Guilty Plea | Trial |
| Type of Crime | Rape and Murder |
| Death Sentence | Yes |
| Gender of Exoneree | Male |
| Race of exoneree | Black |
| Juvenile | No |
| Type of Innocence Defense |
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| Description / Quotes from Testimony Concerning Defense | ● Defendant’s wife testified that she was with the defendant throughout the night when the murder occurred. |
| Did the defendant testify at trial? | Yes |
| Quotes from Exoneree Testimony | “Q: Now, I’m going to ask you Verneal, were you involved in this horrendous crime? A: No, I wasn’t.” |
| Types of evidence at trial |
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| Type of Forensic Evidence |
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| Types of Flawed Forensics |
|
| Reason why invalid | (2) Invalid failure to exclude |
| Brief Quote / Description of Testimony | The victim was Type O as was Jimerson. Yet though the stain had A and O antigens, the analyst did not exclude Jimerson: “Q. So when we say that the defendant could not be excluded, that is based simply on the proposition that he has O, and O grouping blood was found on the smear? A. O blood group substance was found, yes, on the swab. Q. And that would represent possibly 47 percent of the population, is that not correct? A. Approximately, yes.” Regarding laboratory error, see Adams. |
| Identity of eyewitness |
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| Lineup Procedures |
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| Suggestive Procedures | Yes ● Suggestive line-up – see Adams |
| Unreliable Identification? | Yes ● Initial non-identification, see Adams |
| Jailhouse informant, Co-defendant, Incentivized Witness | CD, J |
| Examples of Non-Public or Corroborated Facts and Inconsistencies | ● Non-public details in codefendant Paula Gray’s reported and false confession see False Confessions Appendix. ● Non-public details in jailhouse informant’s statements |
| Quotes from testimony #3 | Jailhouse informant testified: “He was saying that the guy that kept running off with his mouth, they say they’re glad they took care of him…” “[H]e was telling Tuna don’t worry about nothing because they’re gone. They’ll never find the pistol, you know.” And “that they was gonna get somebody to take care of the lady that seen them in the neighborhood the day they got arrested.” |
| Highest level reached | State Post Conviction |
| Claims Raised During All Appeals and Postconviction |
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| Harmless Error Rulings |
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| Citations to judicial opinions | People v. Jimerson, 535 N.E.2d 889 (Ill. 1989) |