Earl Washington

For the engraver and counterfeiter Earl Marshawn Williams, sometimes known as “Earl Washington Jr”, see E. M. Washington.

Earl Washington Jr. (born May 3, 1960) is a former Virginia death-row inmate, charged in 1982 with rape and murder. Washington, with an IQ estimated at 69, confessed to the crime, but apparently only after being coerced by investigators. In 1994, DNA evidence indicated that he was not responsible for the crimes for which he was sentenced. Shortly before his scheduled execution, he was granted clemency by Virginia's governor, who commuted his sentence to life in prison. Later on, after more accurate DNA testing strengthened the case for his innocence, he received a full pardon. Washington was represented by attorney Gerald Zerkin.

Washington's case is frequently cited by opponents of the death penalty as an example of a wrongful death sentence.

References

• Innocence Project
• Richmond Times-Dispatch
• The Justice Project