Sabrina Bulla Smith, a Mormon woman, shares her personal experience of being wrongly convicted of murdering her 9-month-old son. Despite being only 17 years old and having no prior knowledge of CPR, she was accused and interrogated by police. The lead investigator coerced her into signing a statement, which was later used to convict her.
She spent 6.5 years in prison, including 2 years and 9 months on death row. Smith attributes her wrongful conviction to racism, citing an all-white jury and a district attorney who engaged in misconduct.
After being exonerated, Smith struggled to cope with the trauma and stigma of being labeled a murderer. She eventually found solace in writing and published a book. She advocates for the abolition of the death penalty, citing the numerous cases of wrongful convictions and executions.
Smith's story serves as a powerful warning about the dangers of the death penalty and the importance of ensuring that justice is served fairly and without bias.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The narrator, Sabrina, was wrongly accused of killing her 9-month-old son.
2. Sabrina was 17 years old when the incident occurred.
3. The incident happened in Columbus, Mississippi.
4. Sabrina was taken to jail and interrogated by the police.
5. She was scared and signed a statement that was used to convict her.
6. Sabrina spent 6.5 years in jail, including 2 years and 9 months on death row.
7. She was a Mormon and claims her case was racially motivated.
8. Sabrina had an all-white jury and a district attorney who took the jury to a picnic while they were supposed to be sequestered.
9. Sabrina was eventually exonerated and received a new trial with a new jury.
10. She proved her innocence, and it was discovered that her son had pre-existing medical conditions that contributed to his death.
11. Sabrina received compensation from the state of Mississippi for her wrongful conviction in 2012.
12. She spent years without a job due to her exoneration and had to wait for the state to pass a law providing compensation to exonerees.
13. Sabrina has written a book about her experiences and is now an advocate for ending the death penalty.
14. There are 169 death row exonerees in the United States who have been wrongfully convicted and later exonerated.
15. Sabrina believes that the death penalty is wrong and should be abolished.