After serving 48 years in the Oklahoma prison system for a murder he vehemently denies committing, Glynn Simmons holds the title for the longest-serving wrongful conviction in U.S. history, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. However, Simmons is not the first in Oklahoma to have his lengthy wrongful conviction annulled. Oklahoma County, the county where Simmons was convicted, is now tied with Cuyahoga County in Ohio and Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania for having the second-highest number of death row exonerations in the United States, with Cook County, Illinois holding the highest record.
Out of the death row convictions overturned in Oklahoma, six originated in Oklahoma County. High numbers of wrongful convictions in certain counties indicate a pattern of systemic misconduct by law enforcement and prosecutors. Researchers also argue that race plays a significant role in these wrongful convictions. Although Black individuals comprise only 8% of Oklahoma’s population, they account for almost one-third of the state’s death sentences and executions. Additionally, the likelihood of a person charged with murdering a white female being sent to death row in Oklahoma is 10 times higher than if the victim were a minority male, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The 11 individuals considered “exonerated” from Oklahoma’s death row collectively spent 145 years wrongfully imprisoned. More than half of them have sought financial compensation for their wrongful convictions, resulting in taxpayers in Oklahoma paying settlements to at least five of them, some amounting to millions of dollars. Accountability is essential when addressing wrongful convictions, as it requires more than just pointing fingers.
The criteria for exoneration vary from state to state, but the National Registry of Exonerations defines it as when convictions are vacated and dismissed. Here are brief summaries of the 11 cases in Oklahoma that fulfill this definition, according to the Death Penalty Information Center:
1. Glynn Simmons
– Convicted in 1975; sentence dismissed in 2023.
– Age at conviction: 22
– Race: Black
– County: Oklahoma County
– Crime: Murder of liquor store clerk Carolyn Sue Rogers during a 1974 robbery in Edmond.
– Reason for release: Inadequate legal defense concerns, withholding of exculpatory evidence, and alleged mistaken eyewitness identification. Oklahoma County DA Vicki Behenna objects to characterizing Simmons’ conviction dismissal as an exoneration, claiming her office could not prove the case against Simmons “beyond a reasonable doubt” and that an eyewitness would not recant her testimony.
2. Charles Giddens
– Convicted in 1978; sentence dismissed in 1981.
– Age at conviction: 18
– Race: Black
– County: McCurtain County
– Crime: Murder of Buelah Fay Tapley during a grocery store robbery in 1977 near Idabel.
– Reason for release: Insufficient evidence linking him to the crime. While the evidence in Giddens’ case was not enough to prove guilt, he was not technically acquitted.
3. Clifford Bowen
– Convicted in 1981; sentence overturned in 1986.
– Age at conviction: 49
– Race: White
– County: Oklahoma County
– Crime: Murder of three men at a pool outside an Oklahoma City hotel in 1980.
– Reason for release: Mistaken eyewitness identification, withholding of exculpatory evidence, and misconduct from officials. This case involved controversial Oklahoma County District Attorney Bob Macy, known for his aggressive pursuit of the death penalty.
4. Robert Lee Miller, Jr.
– Convicted in 1988; sentence overturned in 1998.
– Age at conviction: 27
– Race: Black
– County: Oklahoma County
– Crime: Rapes and murders of 83-year-old Anna Laura Fowler in 1986 and 90-year-old Zelma Cutler in 1987.
– Reason for release: DNA testing of semen evidence excluding Miller as the source, false confession, false accusations, perjury, and misleading forensic evidence. The case heavily relied on disgraced police chemist Joyce Gilchrest’s testimony, who was fired in 2001 for multiple cases of misconduct. Miller received a $2 million settlement from Oklahoma City as a result.
5. Richard Jones
– Convicted in 1995; sentence vacated in 2009.
– Age at conviction: 19
– Race: Black
– County: Oklahoma County
– Crime: Murder in the drive-by shooting death of 14-year-old Shauna Farrow in 1993.
– Reason for release: Key witness revealed coercion of false accusations and other misconduct by police. Douglas later sued and settled for $1 million.
6. Paris Powell
– Convicted in 1997; sentence vacated in 2009.
– Age at conviction: 19
– Race: Black
– County: Oklahoma County
– Crime: Murder in the drive-by shooting death of 14-year-old Shauna Farrow in 1993. Powell was convicted in the same murder case as Yancy Douglas but tried separately.
– Reason for release: Key witness revealed coercion of false accusations and other misconduct by police. Powell also sued and settled for over $2 million.
7. Curtis McCarty
– Convicted in 1985; acquitted in 1995.
– Age at conviction: 37
– Race: Black
– County: Custer County
– Crime: Murder of convenience store clerk Alma Hall.
– Reason for acquittal: Mistaken eyewitness identification, false accusations, false testimony from a medical examiner, and withholding of exculpatory evidence by the prosecution. Munson was found innocent in 1995 of Hall’s murder but remained in prison to serve another life sentence for a previous double homicide.
8. Gregory Wilhoit
9. Ronald Keith Williamson
These individuals have endured unimaginable wrongful convictions, serving significant portions of their lives behind bars for crimes they did not commit. The efforts to rectify these miscarriages of justice demonstrate the importance of thoroughly analyzing evidence, ensuring fair trials, and holding law enforcement and prosecutors accountable when misconduct occurs.
