False Confessions

Picture this. A crime suspect is arrested by the police. He is brought in for questioning for 33 hours straight. He is given no water, no food, and no bathroom break. He is grilled mercilessly by the authorities handling the case. They ask him every question imaginable. They scare him, intimidate him. They tell him that they know he's the guy they're after.

After so many hours of ruthless treatment, the suspect is mentally and physically exhausted. Seeing this, his interrogators press him even harder. "If you confess, we'll let you off easily," they coax. Finally, seeing no way out, the suspect gives in, confessing to a crime the authorities have no proof that he committed.

How False Confessions Occur

This is just one example of a coerced confession that everyone is familiar with. From fantasy detective dramas, like Law and Order and CSI, to real-life crime stories like the infamous JonBenet Ramsey case, everyone has an idea about how false confessions happen. However, what you may not know is that false confessions are more common than you might think.

Even thought false confessions may seem relatively rare, legal data suggests that they occur regularly in case law. Sometimes the suspect confesses falsely due to some kind of mental impairment. At other times, the suspect is made to think that he will be exonerated in court by confessing. Unfortunately, some suspects are practically forced into confessing by threat, intimidation, torture, or blackmail tactics.

Furthermore, there are instances where a crime suspect confesses to a crime he didn't commit to save the person who actually did commit the crime. Another prime motive for tendering a false confession is plea bargaining. Suspects may confess to a crime believing that the punishment they will receive for confessing will be softer than what they would receive if found guilty in a court of law. And though it sounds depraved, there are a small percentage of egomaniacal individuals who proffer false confessions just to receive a sort of perverted fame.

For obvious reasons, false confessions can have extremely injurious effects, not only on the suspects themselves, but on their loved ones – not to mention the public at large. Each year, crimes statistics speculate hundreds of individuals remain incarcerated for crimes they did not commit, and false confessions form a significant portion of those statistics. These false confessions cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars each year – and create distrust of our law enforcement agencies.

Examples of Forced Confessions

Within the last 15 years, there have been scores of dramatic examples of coerced confessions.

  • Take for instance the Central Park jogger case of 1989. In that case, five teens were arrested for the rape of Trisha Meili. Each of them confessed to the crime on videotape but later rejected their confessions and protested their innocence. Later that year, police became aware that a sixth man's semen had been connected with the rape. But it wasn't until three years later that Matias Reyes, a convicted murdered and rapist, admitted he was responsible for the attack. DNA evidence obtained from the crime scene later matched Reyes. New York state justice Charles J. Tejada vacated the convictions of five defendants on December 19, 2002.
  • Or take Nancy DePriest, who in 1988 was raped and murdered at a Pizza Hut in Austin, Texas. One of Depriest's co-workers, Chris Ochoa, pled guilty of the crime, and his friend Richard Danziger was convicted of the rape. But later it was discovered that Ochoa's confession was coerced. Both men were given life sentences. It was only years later that Achim Marino wrote letters to authorities from prison, confessing that he, in fact, was responsible for the murder. DNA testing showed that Marino was the culprit. Ochoa and Danziger were exonerated for the crime in 2002, after spending 12 years in prison.
  • Or perhaps you may remember Corethian Bell, a mentally-retarded Illinois man who confessed to the murder of his mother, Netta Bell. Bell said he did it because police hit him so hard he was knocked off his chair and because he grew tired and hopeless after being detained for some 50 hours. He said he thought that if he confessed, the interrogations would stop. Then, he would have a chance to explain himself to a judge and be set free. With a confession on tape, he was then prosecuted and sent to jail. When the DNA at the crime scene was tested it matched a serial rapist, who was already serving time for three other violent sexual assaults, all in the same neighborhood as the Netta Bell murder.

These and many other cases demonstrate that false confessions are serious miscarriages of justice in our legal system.

The Bell Legal Group – Representing Victims of False Confessions

The police misconduct attorneys of the Bell Legal Group take all forms of law enforcement misconduct very seriously. If you or a loved one believes that your civil rights were violated due to a miscarriage of justice by police authorities, consider that a false or illegally-obtained confession may have played a part. Learn more about police misconduct litigation by contacting the attorneys of the Bell Legal Group to discuss your due process case.

Our skilled lawyers are willing and able to litigate cases involving police misconduct. Our counsel and research will determine whether a false confession – whether voluntary or coerced - contributed to your injury.

Please enter your information below to have your case evaluated by our police misconduct attorneys at no charge. Please note that submitting this form does not constitute an attorney-client relationship.


©2007 Bell Legal Group | 232 King Street | Georgetown, South Carolina 29440 | All Rights Reserved