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Sabrina Butler is the only woman who has been exonerated after receiving a death sentence in the United States. She was convicted in 1990 of capital murder in the death of her 9 month old son, Walter Dean Butler. She was 17 at the time of his death. The Mississippi Supreme Court overturned her conviction in 1992, and she was acquitted at a subsequent trial in 1995

Arrest

Butler was a 17 year-old welfare recipient living in Mississippi, when her 9 month old son died suddenly on April 12th, 1989. Upon questioning by medical personnel, Butler told them that Walter had been with a babysitter in her apartment complex, Esther Hollis, who gave the baby Tylenol and Benedryl. When Butler returned to her apartment, Hollis' son came up to tell her Walter had stopped breathing. It took 10-15 minutes to get an answer at Hollis' door, after which she got someone to drive her to the hospital, attempting CPR on the way. The baby was dead upon arrival.

Butler later told police that she had met a man in her apartment that evening while Walter was with Hollis. After he left, she went jogging and was told by Hollis' son when she returned that Walter wasn't breathing, after which she attempted CPR in Hollis' apartment, went door to door for help, and finally got a ride to the hospital. She told a slightly different version after this to the police, switching the order of her jogging and the man's visit.

The police were not able to find anyone by the name of Esther Hollis and no sign of her existence was ever found. During a subsequent interview, she admitted to lying out of fear and explained that the baby had been with her the whole time. She agreed to go the police station for further questioning. At this point she admitted that there was no babysitter and no man, and that he'd fallen out of his stroller the week before causing abrasions on his face.

Finally she gave an official statement the next day, admitting that she'd left him to go jogging and found him crying when she returned. His rectum was protruded, so she tried to push it in with her finger. When he wouldn't stop crying, she punched him in the abdomen. She then gave him some milk and Tylenol and he immediately stopped breathing. At this point she was arrested for capital murder.

First Trial

Butler's defense consisted of trying to create reasonable doubt as to whether Walter's injuries could have been caused by CPR, and trying to get her statements ruled as inadmissable. She was unsuccessful on both counts and found guilty of capital murder in March of 1990.

Mississippi Supreme Court Ruling

Butler filed an appeal with the Mississippi Supreme Court on the grounds of 1) sufficiency and weight of the evidence, 2) prosecution's comment on Butler's failure to testify, 3) identical offense instructions, 4) ex post facto claim, 5) the denial of funds for independant experts deprived Butler of her rights, 6) the inadmissability of Butler's statement to law enforcement officers, and 7) impeachment of Butler with prior conviction.

The Court reversed Butler's conviction because the prosecution had made impermissable comments as to her failure to testify, and she had been entitled to have the jury fully instructed as to the option of finding her guilty under an alternate law which would not have involved the death penalty.

Life After Exoneration

Butler returned

External links

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