Link to the Show / Show NotesThis episode of Innocence Speaks features the story of Center on Wrongful Convictions' client, Johnnie Lee Savory.In 1977, when Johnnie was only 14 years old, he was falsely accused of committing a double murder in his hometown of Peoria, Illinois. Even though the prosecution admitted that Johnnie had no motive, and that there was no evidence that tied him to the crime, Johnnie was convicted and sentenced to 50-100 years in prison. Johnnie did not see the streets again until the end of 2006. Thatâs when Steve Drizin, the legal director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions, convinced the state to release Johnnie on parole. Today Johnnie is a free man, but he is still fighting the same battle that began for him more than 30 years ago. Johnnie wants to prove that he is completely innocent of teh crimes for which he was convicted as a 14-year-old boy.Thatâs why Johnnie and his many allies have repeatedly asked the state of Illinois to test evidence in his case for DNA. Such testing is routine today, but it didnât exist when Johnnie was convicted. The Center believes that DNA testing will not only exonerate Johnnie. It will also identify the person who committed the murders for which Johnnie was sent to prison. And yet, as The New York Times reported, Illinois has repeatedly refused to hand over this evidence "on the grounds that a jury was convinced of his guilt without DNA and that the 175 convicts already exonerated by DNA were 'statistically insignificant.'" You can join Johnnie fight for justice today. Take two minutes, e-mail Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, and ask that he order DNA testing for Johnnie Lee Savory.
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