Jefferson Parish prosecutors today dismissed all charges against former Louisiana death row inmate Ryan Matthews. He became the nation’s 115th death row inmate to be freed according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).

 Matthews was sentenced to die in 1999 and spent nearly five years on death row before DNA evidence helped clear him of a murder that occurred just two weeks after his 17th birthday. (The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether death sentences for 16- or 17-year-olds are constitutional in October.)

“The growing number of innocence cases provides overwhelming evidence that the death penalty is far too risky,” said Richard Dieter, Executive Director of DPIC. “Thank goodness for DNA testing – otherwise Ryan could be dead. One has to wonder about the many cases without such evidence.”

In June 2004, Matthews was released to his family on bond after prosecutors received results from seven DNA profiles completed on the mask, shirt, and glove worn by the gunman in the crime for which Matthews was wrongly convicted. Prosecutors released Matthews and began to reexamine the case after each of the genetic profiles found no trace of Matthews’ DNA on evidence recovered from the murder scene. The DNA tests did link the evidence to another man who is in prison in Louisiana for an unrelated killing that occurred just a few blocks from the murder in Matthews’ case.

Matthews is the third death row inmate to be freed in 2004, and the seventh to be exonerated in Louisiana since 1981. The other 2004 exonerees were Alan Gell of North Carolina (February) and Gordan “Randy” Steidl of Illinois (May). In 2003, 10 persons were freed from death row in the United States, equaling the most exonerations in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated.

For more information about this case, contact Matthews’ attorneys, William Sothern at (504) 251-8346 or (504) 529-5955 and Clive A. Stafford Smith at (504) 338-9867. Those seeking additional information on the DNA tests in this case may contact Barry Scheck or Nina Morrison at The Innocence Project in New York City at (212) 364-5357. Please also contact DPIC for further information.

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115 AND COUNTING: RYAN MATTHEWS IS LATEST FORMER DEATH ROW INMATE TO BE FREED DUE TO ACTUAL INNOCENCE

Aug. 10, 2004 - Charges were dropped this week against a Louisiana man who spent nearly five years on death row for a crime he did not commit, making him the 115th former death row inmate in the United States to be freed due to actual innocence.

Ryan Matthews is the 7th former death row inmate in Louisiana to be cleared of murder. He is also the state's third African American juvenile proven to be wrongly convicted and sentenced to death.

"There are many reasons to oppose capital punishment," said David Elliot, communications director for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. "One reason is that we are sending innocent people to death row to await execution. Another reason is that statistics increasingly are pointing to racial disparity, not just among those who are sentenced to death but also among those who are sentenced to death but are factually innocent of the crime for which they were convicted."

Of the 115 people who have been exonerated, 68 are believed to be people of color and 47 are believed to be white. Louisiana is tied for 3rd in the number of exonorees, behind Florida and Illinois, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Matthews was convicted for the robbery and murder of grocer Tommy Vanhoose. Louisiana prosecutors this week dropped charges against Matthews after seven different DNA tests completed on the mask, shirt and glove worn by the gunman in Vanhoose's murder turned up negative. One test, of the mask, matched the DNA of another man who is in prison for an unrelated murder.

"The death penalty in America is not merely flawed; it is broken and beyond repair," Elliot said. "The fact that we are convicting and sentencing innocent people to death is chilling for three reasons. First, it is a life-wrecking experience for those who spent years on death row for a crime they did not commit. Second, it means we may well be executing innocent people. And third, it means crimes are going unsolved, which constitutes a continued threat to public safety."

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The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty was founded in 1976 and is the only fully-staffed national organization devoted specifically to abolishing the death penalty. NCADP is comprised of more than 100 local, state, national and international affiliates.