S.L. writing from South Dakota
“I am a good person, easy to get along with. I am a father, grandfather and a family I want to be with. I was 20 years old when I was arrested, now I am 55 years old. I cannot get the time back that I lost over the years.”
Location
Bon Homme County, SD
Crime of Conviction
Second degree murder
Year of Conviction
1990
S.L. was convicted of second-degree murder in 1990 when he was 20 years old, and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. He maintains that he was wrongfully convicted and is actually innocent. At the time of the shooting, S.L. claims he was at a gas station 43.2 miles away from the scene. S.L. was charged with murder despite no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and what his attorneys called an iron-clad alibi. Despite spending his life in prison and filing more than seven appeals, all of which have been denied, he continues to fight for justice. S.L.'s story has recently been featured on the Wrongful Conviction podcast.
Procedural issues
Wrongful conviction, actual innocence
Counsel
Yes